Category: Quilts
Guess what? It’s my birthday weekend, and while I’m not one to enjoy the spotlight, I’ve concocted a plan that’s all about celebrating with a tasty twist and diving into a quilting escapade I’ve been itching to begin – all while keeping the attention on the deliciousness and creativity rather than me.
Cooking Up Quite a Storm
Birthdays, to me, are like a secret ingredient that spices up life. This year, I’ve decided to stir up a culinary storm in the kitchen, minus the fuss. Get ready for an indulgent spread that speaks volumes without saying a word.
First up, a timeless classic: fettuccine Alfredo. Imagine velvety pasta drenched in a creamy, dreamy Alfredo sauce. It’s a dish that needs no introduction – just a hearty appetite.
As for the supporting actors, I’m baking some homemade breadsticks – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. These stealthy flavor enhancers are here to party without demanding the spotlight.
Now, the hubby’s got good taste (he married me, after all), but he is super picky when it comes to meals. That’s why I’m making him some irresistible ravioli. It’s a quest to conquer his taste buds, all in the name of a good time.
To top it off, I’m venturing into the unknown with a cherry pie creation. Full disclosure – I’ve never baked a pie before. But hey, it’s all about embracing the unexpected, right?
A Quilting Tale of Timelessness
Amidst the culinary chaos, a creative mission has been brewing for a while. My son and daughter-in-law’s wedding quilt is in the making, even though I’m a little fashionably late to the game (3 years 😳). But who’s counting?
Once the kitchen symphony quiets down, it’s quilting time. I’m diving into a sea of fabrics, colors, and imagination to craft a quilt that’s not just a gift but a labor of love.
And while I’m juggling between stirring pots and stitching pieces, I’m relishing in the quiet chaos of it all. This weekend isn’t just about celebrating another year – it’s about finding joy in the small moments of culinary mastery and creative craft.
So here’s to a birthday weekend that’s about relishing in flavors and cherishing the art of creating. As the candles flicker and the fabric scissors snip away, I’m savoring every bite and every stitch, all while avoiding the center of attention – a birthday bash that’s all about the understated magic of deliciousness and creativity. Here’s to that!
Amidst the sweltering summer heat, our passion for quilting burned brighter than ever. This past weekend, we immersed ourselves in the captivating world of longarm quilting, weaving threads of creativity and innovation that set the stage for something truly special.
Our focus was clear: refining our longarm quilting techniques and elevating our craft to new heights. From selecting the perfect fabrics to fine-tuning every stitch, we poured our dedication into every aspect of our work. As the sewing machines hummed and our hands worked in unison, a symphony of creativity echoed in our studio.
But our excitement didn’t stop there. The promise of fall and the approaching holiday season had us envision captivating design templates to capture these cherished moments’ essence. The prospect of creating quilting patterns that embody the cozy warmth of autumn and the joy of celebrations was exhilarating.
In this dance of creativity, our thoughts seamlessly merged with our ongoing Kickstarter campaign. The designs we’re developing aren’t just for us – they’re for you, too, our valued supporters and backers. The dream of creating templates that adorn your quilts and bring your artistic visions to life motivates every stitch we take.
The satisfaction of knowing that these designs will soon grace your quilts, adding a touch of seasonal charm, is a driving force that fuels our dedication. As we continue to perfect these designs, we’re mindful of your role in this journey – the ones who believe in us and share our passion for quilting.
While the summer sun blazed outside, inside our studio, a world of creativity was unfolding. With every thread woven and every design refined, we inched closer to realizing the goals we set out to achieve. And we can’t wait to share the fruits of our labor with you.
As our Kickstarter campaign gains momentum, we invite you to be a part of this exciting chapter. Your support fuels our creativity and ensures that these beautiful templates become a reality for quilters everywhere. Together, we’re shaping the future of quilting, one stitch at a time.
Stay tuned as we transform our visions into tangible works of art. The excitement is palpable, and we can’t wait to unveil the beauty that’s taking shape behind the scenes. As we launch our fall and holiday-inspired quilting templates, we’re grateful for your belief in us and commitment to the art of quilting.
Hey there, have you ever looked at those stunning quilts with their intricate patterns and wondered how they were made? Well, let me tell you, it’s all thanks to the magic of Longarm sewing machines and their nifty templates. If you’re into quilting but could be better at freehand designs, don’t worry! I’m here to introduce you to Longarm sewing machine templates’ fascinating world and how they can transform your quilting game.
Imagine this: your quilt back, batting, and quilt top are all neatly set up on a frame, just waiting to be stitched. Longarm sewing machines, with their long necks and roller frames, make it a breeze to sew large areas without fiddling with constant adjustments. But the real charm lies in what you can do with those Longarm templates.
Now, I’m no Picasso myself, and I know many of us struggle with freeform artistry. But fear not, my friend! There’s more to these Longarm templates than meets the eye. Sure, the standard wooden templates that come with Longarm frames offer some variety, but they’re more suited for quilt borders than the main design.
But here’s the exciting part! We’ve come up with something special – “Sewing Done Right” Templates. Our journey of experimenting and innovating has led to this gem of a template series. The first design features adorable swirls and hearts that will take your quilting to a new level. Plus, these templates interlock like magic, making it a piece of cake to create intricate and delightful patterns.
With “Sewing Done Right” Templates in hand, you’ll finally get those clean and precise stitches that perfectly complement your hard work on that beautiful quilt top. No need to worry about your drawing skills anymore – focus on the pure joy of stitching as your quilts come to life with elegant and intricate patterns.
Longarm sewing machine templates are the secret weapon for quilters who want to up their game without the hassle of freehand stitching. Let your creativity shine, and with a sprinkle of modern technology, you’ll create mesmerizing quilting designs that’ll leave everyone in awe. So, are you ready to take your quilting skills to a whole new level? Embrace the world of Longarm templates, and unleash your true creative potential!
Happy quilting!
If you’ve ever wondered what a Longarm sewing machine is, well, here’s your chance!
The quilt back is placed on these roller things and the batting is added on top of that, then the top of the quilt is added on top of that. Simple enough, right?
It looks a little like this ^
Lying the quilt on this frame allows me to sew all the area’s in the 17 inches the neck of the machine can reach. If I was a great freeform drawer, I could use the handles and make all sort of designs to make my quilts even prettier. But as luck would have it, I’m not a freeform artist.
This year has been 365 days of a roller coaster. While I love roller coasters, there’s reasons they are usually a couple minutes long and not 24 hours. So while there’s been many ups and downs this year, there has also been a great deal of therapy done as well! And by therapy, I mean sewing, because we all know …. yeah.
You know how sometimes when you’re knee deep in a project and then once the project is over, you’re like “so what did I do with my time when I wasn’t doing this project again?!?” no? just me? ok =)
Here are the quilts I’ve completed this year. I’ll try to write a little something about who they were for, their story, etc.
J was going to have to do some working on the road the first part of the year, and since I travel with him, we packed my sewing stuff to keep me from going stir crazy while he’s working and I’m just hanging out. I know what you’re thinking – I bet he LOVED that! Well, I wasn’t going to take my sewing stuff, I told him we didn’t have the room and didn’t want to bother because there are so many odds and ends I need when I quilt. But while I was finishing packing my suitcase, I came out to the truck and J had loaded a whole bunch of my quilting stuff – all the stuff he thought I would need, bless his heart! So I gave in, went through all the stuff he had loaded up, and carried in what I didn’t need and loaded up what I did and away we were. One of the things I was telling J was that I didn’t have any material or projects ready to go. Sure, I had fabric, odds and ends, but nothing ready for a quilt. So J checked, there was a Hobby Lobby where we were going, he assured me I could get what I needed there. He even gave me carte blanche to make a quilt for our bed! Well since he put it THAT WAY ……
I walked into Hobby Lobby fabric department and immediately saw this lady bug print and was immediately in Love! In fact, I’m pretty sure I said, “I don’t know who yet, but someone’s getting a lady bug quilt!”
It didn’t take long to figure out a cute pattern for this quilt, and I remembered we have a cousin who was having their first grand baby, so immediately it became hers.
A few years back when I took my quilt class, the class that started it all, I made my very first quilt. I had no idea what I was doing or what fabrics / prints / colors to put together and I was pretty happy with my 1st quilt mostly because I learned so much and I really liked the colors. I was ok with the quilt, but it was far from perfect and no where near what I would give anyone. A lady who I used to work with and I hold in very high esteem, wanted to buy the quilt from me. I was flattered. To even THINK someone would want to buy a quilt I made was not anything that had ever even crossed my mind. So I hid that feeling in my heart for a couple of years and knew one day, sometime, I would make a quilt for my friend, send it to her at the right time.
Fast forward a year and my friend had probably one of the worst years of her life, one that I pray daily to never imagine and I knew, it was time. I was still traveling with J and was looking through the material I had brought with me, and wouldn’t you know it, I had the exact material I needed and most of it already cut out, ready to sew. Definitely a God thing. So I made her this
A close friend of my daughter was having a baby and already had a little girl my daughter was in love with, so she asked me to make these for them
One of my great nieces asked me to make her a Quillo, which is a quilt that will fold up into a pillow. So since part of her family are huge University of Oklahoma fans and she’s really, really smart and is an Oklahoma State fan, so I made this for her.
One of our favorite cousins was having a baby and since our Granny had passed and wasn’t able to make him a quilt, I stood in the gap and made one for her. Here’s what I made for him
One of the ups on the roller coaster of this year was one of our daughters getting married. That’s one of the things I remember most about us getting married is the great quilts we received. We still use them even now, 28 years later.
Here’s the quilt I made for my daughter and son-in-law
Funny story about this quilt – I learned what a klutz glove is! It’s a glove that you wear on the hand not using the rotary cutter that is cut resistant. Why, you may ask? Because I cut the end of one of my fingers off on this quilt. So, klutz glove can be a very handy tool to have! << pun intended
So after making the wedding quilt for our kids, part of our son-in-laws family asked me to make a quilt for their daughter and soon to be son-in-law. They had specific colors in mind and I made this quilt for them
I like to look through Google images and Pinterest for cool quilt ideas. I usually don’t use a pattern per se, but use images and build quilt ideas that way. I still have my one and only quilt book that has the log cabin quilt pattern I use. Sometimes my quilt ideas work out and sometimes not.
Another of my nieces let me know she had a perfect use for a ladybug quilt — she was having a baby in the summer and would like it! ha! As you can tell, my husband and I have HUGE families! Nieces, nephews, and cousins! OH MY! Here’s the quilt I made for my great niece –
So remember back in January when I went to Hobby Lobby and I got J’s ok to get material for us a quilt? Yeah, that was a LONG time ago, but anyway, I bought the material for us a quilt, but had yet to get it made. I looked and found a cute idea and in November, it finally happened!!
So this fall, we took a trip to see the great northwest of the US. It was awesome!
Someone on the trip was cold a lot, which gave me a great idea to make them a quilt for Christmas. Here’s the quilt I made for him, but sshhhhh, it’s a secret.
And the last quilt for the year was made for another special person in our lives! Here’s the one I made for her. This has some 3D effects and is supposed to look like you’re looking out a window.
A cousin of mine is quite the collector! He’s collected Crown Royal bags for the last 17 years and wanted a couple of quilts made for his theater room!
Here some of the steps it took to get these twin quilts made –
A daughter and I decided we needed some table runners to decorate with. We evidently decided we needed two of each of our table runners because we got enough material to make two! ha
Sitting in my living room minding my own business for once when a cousin was at the state fair and text me a picture of a quilt with the infamous words . . . . “hey! Would you make this quilt for me?”
I’ve never seen this quilt or this pattern before IN MY LIFE. So what did I respond?
Uh, Sure!
After studying the picture a couple dozen times and figuring out what size she wanted the quilt to be, I sent her a materials list and Wah-lah! A quilt was born!
Since then, I’ve made this same quilt pattern a couple of times with a little modification here and there.
Browsing through quilt blogs and emails, I find patterns that look cute and I want to try out. Like this one, I made for my MIL’s birthday last year.
I got all the way to the VERY end binding it and made a mistake that I corrected, but it wasn’t perfect = so I made the entire quilt all over again! This time making sure I did not make the same mistake!
I used to hear how “easy” baby quilts were because they were smaller! Ha! But if you pay close attention to detail, you I agonize to make sure every little detail is perfect!
Here are some baby quilts I’ve made
When I first started out, I was making Log Cabin quilts for my kids. And as usual, our middle child did not conform to the norm. I should have named her Norm, but instead, we named her Aud, which has proven very . . . . . appropriate.
Anywho, she wanted me to make her a t-shirt quilt and I said . . . .uh, sure! I didn’t even KNOW what a t-shirt quilt was but thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a shot.
Since then, I’ve done multiple t-shirt quilts and now I can practically do them in my sleep!
Here’s a gallery of some I’ve made! Enjoy!
The very first quilts I ever made were Log Cabin quilts. I was astonished at the response others had when they saw my first quilt! I had NO CLUE what a Log Cabin quilt was and what they intended with the pattern. The specs the teacher gave me was buy 3 dark patterns and 3 light patterns, borders, etc. I believe their exact words were “the bolder the pattern the better!” That was like music to my ears! So I picked some great patterns and went to class!
Class (Quilt 101) was four separate Monday nights. Just by the name of the class, Quilt 101, I assumed this was a beginning quilters class! But come to find out, every one in the class had previous quilting experience. Wha??? Why are they taking a 101 class then? (I never did figure that one out, btws!)
And, well, as hard as it is to believe, there were some people in the class who were not very nice to me. I’m not sure if is because I asked too many questions (which since they already knew about quilting, they already knew the answer) or if they were just your standard unfriendly types, but it nearly made me quit the class two weeks in a row!
But I figured I paid my money just like they did. I may not have as much experience as they did but I had the desire to learn to quilt and the class was a 101 level class, so if they’re experienced quilters coming to a beginning quilters class so they can feel smart about themselves and their own abilities, then they must need a pat on the head or something to shore up their self esteem. I started messing with a couple of them, or rather complimenting them for already knowing what I was just learning since this is a 101 class . . . . I think it only took a couple of compliments for them to back off, and I got to enjoy the rest of the class.
Here are the Log Cabin quilts I made during and after my class.
