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.

#MoxieQuilt Done!

I couldn't be happier with how this Moxie quilt turned out!

I love Tula Pink's Fox Field line. It was so much fun - the colors and the prints - and the Moxie pattern was easy to follow and so fun to do! You can find Tula Pink's free pattern by clicking here.

For the quilting, I put on my big-girl panties and got really - REALLY!!! - brave and tried all sorts of new things. Only the top and bottom "wave" were done using the Pro-Stitcher, the rest was completely free hand.

More closeups of the quilting...

Another Brick in the Wall

About this time last year I wanted to whip together a quick and easy quilt that used up a bunch of bright and fun scraps I had lying around. This quick and easy quilt is called Rows of Bricks and the pattern is found in Julie Herman's Skip the Borders book.

Used IKEA fabric for the backing and finished it off with an easy all-over stipple on my long arm.

Upcoming Projects

I attempted to clean up my quilt room this last weekend (it was a disaster - more so than normal), which allowed me to get a bit organized on a couple upcoming quilt projects I have in store.

First up, I'm signed up to take Judy Niemeyer's Glacier Star quilt as a 6-part class through Elaine's Quilt Block (one of my favorite LQS). The first class is in June, and here is my fabric selection (minus one light which I'm still debating).

All but three are from Tula Pink's current Fox Field fabric collection. So if you've ever wondered what it would look like if Judy Niemeyer and Tula Pink were mashed up...stay tuned!

I was also able to find and organize my fabric for Camille Roskelley's Swoon quilt.

If you're thinking I'm a little late to the Swoon game, you are probably right. But in my defense, I started a Swoon quilt a few years ago when the pattern first came, got three blocks done, and never touched it again. I just wasn't a fan of the fabric and colors, so I gave that project to my friend - which felt great! I highly recommend breaking up with projects. It felt so uplifting and freeing!

But I love the Swoon pattern and still wanted to have a Swoon quilt all to myself. I picked up some Anna Marie Horner fat quarters (I believe from her Drawing Room fabric line) and a fat quarter bundle of Moda's linen cotton solids. I think this combination with the natural, tan-colored background fabric is going to look awesome!

Happy Stitching!

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! 

Moxie Quilt Top

Tula Pink is like a fine wine...she gets better every year - and every fabric line! This free pattern from Tula Pink called Moxie features her latest line Fox Fields. It is a wonderful color wheel inspired quilt top that shows off her new line. 

I made this quilt over the course of a few days. Loved the pattern and - although there are curved seams - I loved putting this top together. I can't wait to get this finished and hung up in my quilting room!

Cotton and Steel

Cotton and Steel made quite the splash at Spring 2014 Quilt Market in Pittsburgh this year. I couldn't be more excited for these fabulous five ladies - Melody Miller, Rashida Coleman-Hale, Alexia Abegg, Kim Kight, and Sarah Watts. Here's a link to their website (which I stalk daily waiting impatiently for project sheets and more photos to be added!) www.cottonandsteelfabrics.com

I am particularly in love with Melody Miller's Mustang line:

To be clear, my credit card was waiting for the minute I could pre-order this line....which I did through Amanda's Westwood Acres shop - www.westwoodacresfabric.com

I also couldn't resist ordering a couple of the Cotton + Steel Basics bundles - magical.

Expected shipping date for these bundles I believe to be in July...which suddenly seems like a lifetime away!