I Spelled it with Cotton & Steel.....or The Continuing Saga of the Quilting Rebel

First, I didn't Tone it Down, now I'm not spelling it with Moda. This quilting rebel thing is really sticking as of late.

The pattern is called Spell it with Moda - it is a pattern that was originally part of a blog hop leading up to Schoolhouse at Market a couple of years ago. You can find a free pattern of each letter on a variety of Moda designers blogs, but I just went ahead and bought the printed pattern from Fat Quarter Shop.

My 4-year-old daughter is learning the alphabet, so I figured now was as good as any time to make an ABC quilt. I busted out my bin of Cotton and Steel fabrics and went to town.

Above is a close-up of the quilting. This is a digital pattern called Retro Tile #2 from the talented Karlee Porter (check her out at www.karleeporter.com - she's amazing). This quilted out quickly and perfectly on my Handi Quilter Fusion Pro-Stitcher.

I know this isn't a big deal to most quilters, but this quilt is bound! I have a bit of binding backup going on - I have 17 quilts that have been quilted and are just awaiting binding sitting around my house. Even bigger confession - I just go ahead and use some of them without binding. I know, I know. Sad state of affairs. Luckily for me, my mom was in town and did the binding for me! Moms are the best. Of course, at the current rate, if left alone this might have been finished by the time my daughter hit college, let along Kindergarten.

I just love Cotton and Steel's selvages...don't you? I leave them in whenever I can - quilt tops and backings.

Here is the quilt in my daughter's room. I just finished painting her walls in the last couple of months - now on to decorating her walls.

My Pink Patchwork Whale Quilt

I finished up My Pink Patchwork Whale Quilt just in time for its forever home delivery. One of my besties is expecting a little girl early next month and we had her shower on Saturday. I wanted to make a quilt they could either hang on a wall or use as she got bigger.

The pattern is an adaptation from Imagine Quilts by Dana Bolyard from Old Red Barn Co. I made mine a bit smaller and added sashing strips. Oh, and I made mine pink ;)

I wanted to try something fun for the binding and this mustard yellow was just the trick to really make this quilt pop. 

I quilted this one with my Handi Quilter Pro Stitcher. The digital pattern is called Harbour (sic) Wave by Patricia Ritter. Seriously love this quilting pattern. I've used it several times now and it looks fabulous on everything without taking away from the piecing. 

I love a good pieced backing.

Sweet Stitching!

x plus + anna maria horner + cotton and steel

My first finish of 2015 (hopefully one of many)! The pattern for this quilt is called Perfect Union by Pat Bravo from American Patchwork and Quilting February 2014 (click here for more info).

  How cute are those quilt buddy feet and fingers?!

I used a fat quarter bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Dowry line and peppered in a variety of solids from my stash. 

The back is a linen Cotton and Steel print - perfection! It calmed down the busy front, yet the arrows have all the colors spotted throughout.

Finished this one off with a "quilted label." I'm terrible at making labels, so I figured this was better than nothing!

I love this shot before washing - it shows off the quilting nicely. This was a digital pattern called Harbour Wave (found here) by Patricia Ritter/Urban Elementz. I let my Handi Quilter Fusion ProStitcher do the work....and I think it turned out beautifully.

Happy Stitching!

Tilted Spools

This quilt is called Tilted Spills designed by Cyndi Walker from her book Pretty Patchwork Quilts: Traditional Patterns with Applique Accents. It is such a fun pattern - looks like stars at first glance, but then you realize it is a fun take on the classic spool block.

I used up a bunch of my low volume scraps for the background and a bunch of my favorite bright scraps for the spools. The original pattern did not have a border, but I felt it was a wee bit too small and wanted it bigger, so I added the turquoise pearl bracelets.

I quilted Orange Peels all over the quilt...I think it turned out beautifully! And yes I used my Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher for this one =)

Close-up of the quilting:

I also went ahead and used the pearl bracelets on the back (and I will use it for the binding - when I get around to that =)

Quilting Progress - Finishing Quilts!

I have been loving my HandiQuilter Fusion machine. I am also super lucky to have the Pro-Stitcher for it, which is the computerized quilting for the HandiQuilter quilting machines. Although I love the process of and results from free motion quilting, sometimes it's nice to sit back and let the machine do all the work...and frankly, sometimes all a quilt really needs is a good all-over pattern.

According to Instagram, both of these quilt tops were finished a year ago (heavy sigh), but alas they are quilted!

First up, my Houndstooth Quilt. Simple navy and white solids.

Close-up of the quilting...the pattern is called Turbulence by Apricot Moon. I thought it added the perfect touch of movement and curve to the straight lines of the houndstooth.

I found this Alexander Henry print called Sloane and instantly new this had to be the backing. I think it adds the perfect contrast and complement to the front.

And my St. Louis 16-Patch Quilt. I used a variety of Anna Maria Horner and Art Gallery prints - and there is even a token Tula Pink print in there.

I found this great all over digital pattern for the quilting - it has some leaves, flowers, and a swirl. Thought it was the perfect pattern for this quilt top. Here are some closeups.

 Now my to-bind stack of quilts is growing! I'm thinking a binding/movie/netflix weekend may be in order.

Loving My Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher

My mom gave me this gorgeous quilt top to quilt. It is going to be a gift for my aunt. She didn't have anything specific in mind, so I used this quilt top to get to know my Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher.

Here is a closeup of the quilting:

My mom was a bit short on backing fabric, so she used some leftovers from the borders. I think the end product is even better than if she had had enough of her original backing planned fabric. I love pieced backings!