Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

This a panel I had fun quilting two years ago.

Susan

Blogger's Quilt Festival, Fall 2011

I am so excited to share my first entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival! 

This is a quilt that I made this past summer for my brother-in-law Jim.  Also known to us as Uncle Buster or  Grunkle.  In the spring I made a couple of quilts to donate to Quilts of Valor  so the colors red, white, and blue were on my mind.  These colors also suited for Jim because he is a Vietnam Veteran and a very patriotic person. 

Star quilt for Jim

I began with some sale fabric and the July Star Block  pattern from Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew.  Without a pattern for layout or really much of a plan, I just sewed block after block making each one a different color/fabric combination.  Then I placed them on my design wall and played.  I came up with an idea, then made the blocks I needed to finish the overall pattern.  No two blocks are exactly the same! Wanting to use the leftover fabric for the back, I had fun creating a reversible quilt.

An interesting Back

Swirl quilting

Then, I chose to quilt it with my favorite freehand overall swirl pattern.  I considered loopy stars but  I thought that would be too many stars.  The swirls give it movement and a texture that I think is nice.  Plus, I had fun quilting it since swirls are my favorite!

Bonus triangles as pinwheels

The great thing about this star pattern is the leftover triangles that were easily sewn into pinwheels.  This is the beginning of a new Quilts of Valor donation quilt!

I gave Jim his quilt while were on vacation together at the Outer Banks in NC. He loves it!  I only wish I had thought to take some pictures of it on the beach.  At the time I didn't have a blog or even dreamed of joining the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Now I have a blog and enjoy sharing my quilts and quilting, as well as getting involved with the quilt blogging community.

In the past few years,  I have given many quilts to family members and charities.  Because I have a longarm machine quilting business, (Quilting As Desired) it so important for me to take the time to quilt for my family and charities.  It helps me keep a balance and reminds me that this is a hobby that I love, as well as, a business that I love.

Thank you for the opportunity to share Jim's quilt...
 hope you like it.  

Susan

Pictures from last week

My New York Beauty blocks

I can see one of these doesn't have enough contrast in color in the points and it's background.  Well, I don't think I will tear it out.  Maybe I will put it in the lower right hand corner like Linda Hahn suggests, where will be less noticeable.  

 My Machine!  I love it.

Close up of Pattie's W.'s quilt


She is really happy and I am too!




This blogging is getting easier every time I try it.


Happy Quilting

                                     Susan

This Quilting Week

On Tuesday, I took Linda J. Hahn's workshop at the Warwick Valley Quilters' Guild.

We used the techniques from her book New York Beauty Quilts Simplified.  I only have a little experience with paper piecing but liked using the Electric Quilt sheets she had preprinted for us.  You can see through them and they can stay in the quilt, but are still soft.  Yes, no tearing paper away.

Linda's Scrappy

Linda's Controlled

I chose the Scrappy look, using batiks that I had  in my stash leftover from another project.   I didn't take any close up pictures of my blocks, but I will.  I completed a few in the workshop then went home and made a few more before I forgot everything.  It was addicting and fun to see how each one turned out.  Points cut off? or not.

Susan K., aka the other Susan

Debby

Also this week, I quilted a few customer quilts.   Hope to have some pictures of these next time.

This post has taken me soooo long to get together.  I need to learn how to move the pictures around so there isn't so much blank space.  Thanks to Karen at Sew Many Ways for her blogging tips.  I don't think I would do any of this without her step by step instructions.  I learned to link today!

Keep Quilting,
Susan
(also the other Susan)

I have a blog!

So I have a blog...what do I want to blog about?


I want to record my personal and professional quilting for myself, my friends, family and customers.  I will include pictures of what I am working on and finished quilts, of course.

Hopefully  this will be an easy way to have current and potential customers see my work and some of their quilts as well.

First, this is a quilt top I have been working on for a while.  I  plan to add borders and quilt it with some beautiful feather patterns.  The fabric is Moda, Luna Notte by 3 Sisters.  The pattern is Nice Day from the Schnibbles Times Two book by Carrie Nelson.  I used more than one layer cake of the same fabric so it isn't just like the pattern.

Well, this is a good start.  I will keep playing around and adding features as I learn what I am doing on Blogger.

Always Quilting,
Susan