More quilting around embroidery!

Slow progress is being made!

The sashing and boarders are done...

now it's time to quilt around the embroidery!

Slowly!

Here is a close up

you can see where I have stitched 

in white thread going up the leg.

My Janome 6600 is Loving

White Aurifil 50/2 #2024

Using the Sharon Schamber's

"Quilting Halo" really helps!

Here is a good close up

of the stitching

Just a few more blocks to go…

then it's time to make the piped binding using

Sue Cleveland's "Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool"

and then this way cute label!!

Just in time for the 

Silver City 2015 Quilt Show!!
September 19th and 20th.

Can't wait!!

Quilting around Embroidery … enjoying the process!

The quilting on my "Winter Days in Shades of Taupe"

is coming along S-L-O-W-L-Y!!

   

Just taking my time, 

the Sharon Schamber's quilting halo

is a huge help.

 Still have not decided on my border quilting design …..

Feathers

vs

Snowflakes

What do you think?

Onto my fourth "Ladies of the Sea" block

tracing pattern using light box
and blue Fine Point Mark-B-Gone pen

and look who is keeping my company

in my quilting room!

A sleepy Bella!

 She's such a Cutie Pie!

This week I listened to Mark Lipinski's webinar on 

"Slow Stitching" 

and really enjoyed it, have always loved taking on

large projects and taking my time to enjoy the process.

I've never been one to have the "hurry up and get it done" mentality,

and it was nice to hear there are a lot of quilters out there

that feel the same way!

If you get a chance to join in and listen to 

Mark's webinar - I highly recommend it!

Happy 4th of July ... spent in the ditch!

Yup I'm in a ditch!

Stitching the ditch that is!

Finally at the stage where the machine quilting has started!

 Getting as close as I can!

 Love my Sharon Schamber's Halo.

Gives great control, no gloves and my shoulders

are not killing me!

Since my new Janome 6600 has a 9 inch bed I can 

fit the quilt thru with ease. My Bernina 440 only had a 7inch

bed which made quilting larger quilts a bit more, 

Difficult, Challenging, "Interesting"!

The Aunt Millie's Garden Quilt is 70 x 80 and fits thru nicely!

Very Happy!!

The quilting design process...

After playing around with quilting designs,

this is what I've come up with.

Now onto basting (not my favorite phase)

 using the Sharon Schamber's method.

Tomorrow ... may the quilting begin!

Still Quilting my Birdie Stitches

SO this is taking longer than I expected!

But I'm liking how it's coming out so far.

I'm using the Sharon Schamber's quilting halo and really liking

the control I have with moving the quilt around,

much better than the quilting gloves I was using!

Baby Quilt

My nephew and his wife are expecting their first baby ....

I'm going to be a Grand Auntie!

So of course I had to whip up a quick quilt and a box of goodies

for them to open when they visited during our family vacation in Chatham!

I started with this yard of Valori Wells flannel

(I actually had this in my stash!)

Added this fabric for the backing

the baby's room will be Atomic Tangerine!

and I thought this would blend in nicely

Used these color threads for the quilting

Putting it all together it looked like this....

I basted it using the Sharon Schamber's method

and just free motion quilted around each animal and flower!

lots of stops and starts...

but I'm pleased with how it came out.

I paired the quilt up with this way to cute lion found in Macy's!

I put everything into this cute box from Joann's Fabrics

Here are Michael and Nicole opening their baby gift box full of goodies!

Yup.... I think They liked it! 

This was such a fun little quilt to make....

no piecing, just fabric and free motion quilting!

Hmmmm.... I think I should whip up a few more!!! 

Experimental Iris

I've been working on several projects lately.

This one ... "Experimental Iris" as I call it - is one that I started last year

at an applique class that I took from Maria Lage (she is a fabulous appliquer!)

I had the applique Iris all done but wanted to experiment with a few different surface embellishments.

First I marked my lines and added the Sashiko stitching

then I wanted to make it "pop" so I tried my hand a micro stitching....

well this is MY version of micro stitching!

Oh I tried my quilt halo - it's weighed and you use it in place of quilting gloves.

It took me a while to get use to it - but after I got the rhythm I liked it!

The Quilt Halo is a Sharon Shamber product

Here is the micro stitching - I took it over to the edge as well.

then I wanted to do something with the moon,

I tried several different ideas ... more sashiko,

hand stitching, machine stitching....

sashiko with gold thread....

and I finally decided on a simple beading design.

next I'm going to go in and bead the flower....

but that for another post!