Finely Finished Quilts

Sarah's Amazon Star Quilt

2012-01-29T15:21:00.001-08:00

Sarah used Karen Niemeyer's paper templates to construct this beautiful quilt. She did a fantastic job joining it all together! And she gets an A for stay stitching the outer edge which prevented stretching and popped seams.

This quilt almost doubled my previously held record of number of hours to quilt a quilt - I spent almost 24 hours on it! But it stayed interesting because there were so many different areas!

I quilted continuous curves and straight lines in the colored parts and feathers in the light background.

Barbara's Strip Quilt

2012-01-29T15:20:00.001-08:00

I love the color combination of this quilt. It is quilted with WaterWorld.

Connie's Irish Chain

2012-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

Connie will use this good old pattern to teach a beginner's quilting class at Pieceful Hearts in Lisle.

Quilts of Valor

2012-01-29T15:12:00.001-08:00

I have made some very tactile Quilts of Valor for soldiers who have lost their vision.

Each quilt has as many textures of fabric as I can find. Chenille, satin, velvet, wool and so on.

Adam's T-shirt quilt

2012-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

A great reminder of Adam's many interests during high school and college!

Wedding Quilt for Carol

2012-01-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Carol loves this verse. So when she announced her engagement, we knew we had to incorporate it into a quilt for her. It is done as a pass around with each member of the bee making a border.

Phyllis's Quilts

2012-01-29T15:02:00.001-08:00

This cutie is quilted with Butterfly Ballet.

I don't know how Phyllis manages this complicated layout of courthouse steps! It is quilted with "Jessica's Feathers" pantograph.

Susan's Batik Quilt

2012-01-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

This pretty quilt is quilted with a fern pantograph.

Mary's Pinwheel

2012-01-29T14:59:00.001-08:00

A sweet little quilt. I used the WaterWorld pantograph in a small scale.

Mary's 4 Patch Poseys

2012-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

I like how Mary occasionally used a fussy cut one piece block interspersed with her other "poseys". It is quilted with Gingko Leaves.

Liz's Asian Panel

2012-01-29T14:54:00.001-08:00

I quilted the background of the panel. Stitched in the ditch of the bars and put "Blowing Grass Clamshells" in the border. Liz is going to quilt around the characters.

Liz's Cardinal Quilt

2012-01-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

If you look back a few months, you'll see that Liz made another quilt very similar to this one.

Aren't Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal cute?

And surprise! She added the Angry Bluebird. Great free hand machine embroidery on her part!

Cheryl's Baby Quilt

2012-01-29T14:29:00.001-08:00

Cheryl must have been a girl scout. She's already prepared for her first grandchild. Even though her son doesn't have a girlfriend yet! The cute turtles in the fabric are the inspiration for the quilted sea turtles.

Connie's 8 Pointed Star

2012-01-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

It can be a challenge to get these eight points to join perfectly in the center. Not to mention the set-in seams. Master these skills in a class taught by Connie at Piecefulhearts!

Santa's Helper

2012-01-01T17:11:00.001-08:00

I had a lot of fun making some quilted Christmas gifts this year. Here are the ones I remembered to take photos of......Above is a case for my grandson's LeapFrog "Computer".

Have you heard of PUL fabric? It is very soft yet water resistant. I got some at JoAnn's and made these cosmetic kits for my daughter.

This is a quilted computer bag.

We bought this fabric to make a quilt, but changed our mind. So I used it to make a duffle bag.

I helped my daughter make quilted Christmas stockings for her new in-laws.

I forgot to take photos of quilted wine totes and a back pack in Hawaiian fabric for an upcoming honeymoon. Oh yea - I got anatomically correct baby dolls for my grandkids and made matching pjs for kids and dolls. Vacation is over now. Back to work!

HAPPY 2012!!!!

My Square in a Square

2011-12-09T19:37:00.001-08:00

In October, my bee, Sew Bee It, hired a teacher to show us the Square in a Square technique. Janet designed this quilt to enable her students to learn as much as possible about SnS. I'm am really happy with the resulting quilt!

Joan's Silk Berkeley Square

2011-12-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

The fabric kit for this beauty is sold by Blue Underground. It is challenging because of the ravel-prone dupioni silk. But Joan aced it - isn't it gorgeous?

Michelle's Blue 9 Patch

2011-12-09T19:28:00.001-08:00

Michelle's elderly mother started this a llllloooonnngggg time ago. Michelle finally finished it up for her. It is quilted with the Popcorn pantograph.

Barbara's Quilts

2011-12-09T19:25:00.001-08:00

This piecing pattern is called "Zipper" for obvious reasons. It is quilted with Daisy Swirl.

This one is quilted with Jody Beamish's Water World pantograph.

Mary's Asian Panel

2011-12-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

We chose this simple water pantograph for this graceful panel.

Sandy's Lucky Stars

2011-12-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

Sandy made this for her daughter. The huge assortments of batiks is enviable. Aren't the quilted peace signs cute?

Sue's Crazy Quilt

2011-12-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should have called this "Sue's Exuberant Quilt". It just makes me smile. And I'm jealous of the grandchild who will be receiving it for Christmas!

Diana's Baseball Quilt

2011-12-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

Isn't this a great pattern and colors for a boy quilt? I love the "plaid". Diana made this for her oldest grandson.

It is quilted with a baseball pantograph in glow-in-the-dark thread. I am told that this facilitates good bed making habits (since it absorbs the most light during the day if it is flat).

Abby's I Spy

2011-12-09T19:04:00.001-08:00

Abby made this I Spy quilt for a colleague. The way the blue setting strips are used makes it look more visually interesting than a straight set.

Helen's McKenna Ryan Quilt

2011-12-09T19:00:00.001-08:00

Helen made this beauty for her son. I stitched around all of the fused motifs and did minimal quilting in the background. Pine branches are in the border.

Lynn's WoodPile Quilt

2011-12-09T18:51:00.001-08:00

Lynn got most of these blocks in a bee exchange. They are as versatile as log cabin blocks, but made differently. She made this quilt for a lucky nephew who loves music.

Cathy's Reversible T-shirt Quilt

2011-12-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

This quilt weighs a ton and is full of memories for its lucky recipient. Cathy has had a LOT of experience making these quilts and does an exceptional job!

11 Quilts of Valor

2011-12-09T18:33:00.001-08:00

The Ladies of the Manor Quilting Bee in Winter Haven, Florida made these beautiful quilts for wounded service men and women.

Connie's Roman Stripes

2011-12-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

Connie used the Roman Stripes pattern and selvages to make this fun quilt!

Bonnie's Quilt

2011-12-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

This quilt was made from a fun fabric collection. It is quilted with a "bubbles" pantograph.

Beth's Baby Quilts

2011-12-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Beth made these sweet little quilts for new little people in her life. They are quilted with a simple star pantograph.

Ardith's Quilts

2011-11-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

Ardith stitched these precious blocks several years ago. I sewed them together and quilted them so they'll be ready for future great-grandchildren!

Laurel's Mitten Quilt

2011-11-07T19:54:00.001-08:00

This cute quilt is quilted with snowflakes!

Liz's Quilts

2011-11-07T19:33:00.001-08:00

Liz made this pretty quilt as a gift for a young friend.

I don't get a chance to use this flower pattern very often - but the on point blocks of this quilt worked well.

Liz used an assortment of Australian fabrics for this quilt.

And this is a Quilt of Valor Liz made for a wounded soldier.

Barbara's Quilts

2011-11-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Barbara designed and taught this bargello class for several years at Judy's Quilt and Sew in Hampshire. She sheparded many queen size quilts to completion.

But this is a mini-version of her beautiful design. Some of the strips finish at 1/4 inch. Pretty tiny!

This is an oldie but goodie log cabin variation.

Susan's Tree Skirt

2011-11-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

Susan will cut a hole in the middle and bind it to make way for the tree. It is quilted with a holly and berry pantograph.

Some of My Projects

2011-11-07T19:02:00.001-08:00

Here are some Christmas Stockings I made for some friends who just got married. I figured out how to applique those pretty letters with the quilting machine!

This is for my grandchildren to share during the holiday season.

I made this quilt for my son's future in-laws. They have a cabin and a joke about a moose.....

Another gift. I bought the bear panel at least 20 years ago. I still think it's cute - but don't want to let another generation go by before using it!

Kathy's Quilts

2011-11-07T18:59:00.001-08:00

My family has been working overtime to keep me busy lately! This is the One Block Wonder that Kathy made. She's going to bind all of those angles - won't that be pretty?!

And here's another quilt Kathy made. A great "guy" quilt!

Mary's Projects

2011-11-07T18:54:00.001-08:00

Thanks to some mechanical problems, Mary (my sister-in-law) found herself stranded at our house for a few days. She made good use of her time by finishing up some projects!

I can't take any credit for the pumpkin (wish I could). I just admire Mary's workmanship!

Here is a finished One Block Wonder.

And this is how Mary used up a few extra blocks.

Karen's Quilts

2011-11-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

More quilts made by one of my prolific sisters. Aren't these "woven ribbons" cool?

This is a good way to use up scrap strips!

This is an eye spy. I like the irregular blocks.

Karen made 2 sports ball quilts. One for her son and one for her son-in-law.

Cindy's Quilts

2011-11-07T18:45:00.001-08:00

This is a sweet quilt that Cindy whipped up from fabric samples. It is quilted with "Fantastic Feather".
This is a mystery quilt Cindy made as a bee project.

It is quilted with "Aloha" flowers

Camp Stitchee Gume/ Fall 2011

2011-10-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

We had 7 family members for Camp this fall. We were cozy in Milwaukee. Brother-in-law Dave took the week off to cook for us! Here are some of us posing with my son's wedding quilt that we constructed. Many other projects were stitched as well. For a small sampling, see the next 4 posts.

Mary's Quilts

2011-10-09T18:25:00.001-07:00

Mary made this Yellow Brick Road for her dog-crazy granddaughter in an afternoon/evening.

It has luscious Minkee backing.

Another granddaughter will get this fun One Block Wonder.

She lives in Florida. Here's a close-up of some of the fishies.

Karen's Sports Balls

2011-10-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Karen and I saw this idea at a quilt show and both wanted to make one for our sports fans. I am still "collecting fabric". Karen actually got it made!

Lari's baby quilt

2011-10-09T18:22:00.001-07:00

Lari has 5 grandsons - and now FINALLY a granddaughter! What a sweet way to celebrate.

Diana's Gift

2011-10-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

Diana made this for her grandson at camp in about 1 solid day of stitching. She asked me to quilt it with glow-in-the-dark thread because she knows from her granddaughter's quilt that it encourages bed-making. (you get the best glow if it is flat)

Sue's Gift

2011-10-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

As long as I had the glow-in-the-dark thread on the machine for the previous quilt, I also used it on this quilt for Sue's grandchild. The fabrics of this quilt are really fun and playful.

This is what the quilting looks like when the lights are off!

Nina's Double Wedding Ring

2011-10-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Nina is on a quest to use up her scraps.

This sweetie is quilted with the Awesome Blossom pantograph.

Connie's Class Samples

2011-10-09T18:08:00.001-07:00

Connie will be teaching how to make these quilts at Pieceful Hearts in Lisle. This one is called Straight out of Line.

It was pieced by her friend, Wanda, and is quilted with the Abundant Feathers motif.

This Baby Blocks quilt is custom quilted.

Sheila's Curved Log Cabin

2011-10-09T18:06:00.001-07:00

Sheila got the logs for this quilt in a bee exchange. Her pink border makes a sweet, girlie quilt for her new granddaughter. It is quilted with Jody Beamish's Angel Wing pantograph.

Cathie's t-shirt quilt

2011-10-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Cathie has probably made more t-shirt quilts than anyone else in town. And I don't think she's run out of friends and relatives yet. This one was made for her nephew and was quilted with a baseball pantograph.

Pauline's Garden Trellis

2011-10-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

This pretty quilt was quilted with the Featheration pantograph.

Bunnie's Hawaiian Quilt

2011-10-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

We all want a gramma like Bunnie. She takes each of her grands on a vacation of their choosing-
and then she makes a quilt to commemorate it!

Patrick is the lucky recipient of this one.

Lyn's Heart Quilt

2011-10-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Lyn does beautiful machine applique. She is giving this quilt to her lucky niece. It is quilted with the Butterfly Ballet pantograph.

Barbara's Baby Quilts

2011-10-09T17:24:00.001-07:00

Barbara made these quilts from a Blue Underground pattern. The one above is custom quilted with horizontal lines that are 1/2" apart.

This one is quilted with Jody Beamish's Daisy Swirl in teeny scale.

The flowers are about 2" tall. So sweet!

Judy's Birthday Quilt

2011-10-09T17:21:00.001-07:00

Judy made this pretty quilt for her daughter. It is quilted with the WaterWorld pantograph.

The Pole Beans Won!

2011-09-16T18:52:00.001-07:00

Several windless days conspired with the pole beans and they were finally able to overtake the windmill. Now it is anchored motionless no matter how windy it gets!

Diana's Antique Quilt

2011-09-16T18:43:00.001-07:00

My lucky sister-in-law inherited this from her Great Grandma Holznagel who made it in the 1930's. She hand stitched the 1" squares into blocks and then into rows and used her treadle sewing machine to join the rows. It is in excellent condition!

Diana added the yellow and orange borders. It will soon grace her newly redecorated guest room. It is quilted with a small scale Daisy Swirl. It feel wonderful to run your hand across the quilt and feel all of these seams and quilting!

JoAnn's Broken Star

2011-09-16T18:41:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't you love to be able to throw this quilt onto one of your beds this autumn?!

Barbara's Bow Tie Variation

2011-09-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Don't these bow ties create an interesting secondary pattern? It is quilted with autumn leaves.

Carol's Quilt

2011-09-16T18:36:00.001-07:00

Carol wasn't happy with how this quilt was behaving. But some wool batting and close quilting gave it wonderful dimension!

Diann's 9 Patch Variation

2011-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

These blocks are made by making large 9 patches and then cutting them into 4 patches and rearranging. Pretty clever!

Laurel's Pinwheels

2011-09-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

This batik beauty was quilted with the "Windblown" pantograph.

LaVonne's Christmas Table Topper

2011-09-16T18:30:00.001-07:00

Won't this be pretty at Christmas? I love the shape. It is quilted with holly leaves.

Wendy's Wool

2011-09-16T18:28:00.001-07:00

This quilt is made of pretty much 100% wool fabric. It is fun to quilt something so whimsical!

Connie's Class Quilts

2011-09-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

This Hunter's Star will knock your socks off!

Learn all of Connie's construction tricks in her class at Piecefulhearts in Lisle.

Or make these Shadowed Stars.

Kathy's Quilts

2011-09-16T18:13:00.001-07:00

Kathy received the fabrics for this quilt for her 50th birthday. (I have to rub that in since she's my youngest sister.) She created this beautiful, expertly pieced Storm at Sea. I like how she "ended" the edge of the pattern.

This is Kathy's usual color palette. (These younger sisters have to do something bold to be noticed :0))

Mary's 4 Patch Posey

2011-09-16T18:11:00.001-07:00

These are fun quilts to make and admire. It is quilted with "Fantastic Feathers".

Mom's Stained Glass

2011-09-16T18:08:00.001-07:00

This was made by my mom. It was a labor of love and is very pretty!

Karen's Quilts

2011-09-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Here is Karen's I Spy quilt. Kids love these. My 2 and 4 year old grandchildren like to look at mine.

This is a result of a bee challenge. The centers of each block are fussy cut. The blocks all have the same seams, but the different colors and values fool the eye.

Helen's Quilts

2011-09-16T18:00:00.001-07:00

Helen is busy making gifts for her family. This is for her grandson. It is quilted with bubbles.

This quilt is for her son. It is quilted with leaves.

Lori's Bargellos

2011-09-16T17:53:00.001-07:00

Lori took Barbara's Bargello class and made this beauty in shades of blue.

It is quilted with Abundant Feathers.

All of the other Bargello quilts in my blog are queen or even king size. Lori cut all of the dimensions in half to make this wonderful quilt. I laid my phone down for scale. The pattern designer (Barbara) liked it so much, she duplicated the idea. You'll see that quilt in a few weeks.

Lorraine's Bargello

2011-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Another quilt made in Barbara's class at Judy's Quilt and Sew in Hampshire.

A close up of Lorraine's beautiful fabrics. It is quilted with the Water World pantograph.

Brenda and Rhonda's Antique Quilts

2011-08-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

These quilts were hand pieced by Brenda and Rhonda's Grandmother and sisters.

Wild Goose Chase is quilted with "Abundant Feathers".

This postage stamp is quilted with a back and forth Baptist Fan.

It is fun to look at the old fabrics!

Linda's Butterflies

2011-08-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Linda appliqued this quilt for her son's wedding.

She chose this pantograph that reminds us of a swirling breeze.

Lisa's Quilt

2011-08-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

Lisa is making this for her sister. She plans to swag the borders. Won't that be pretty?

Cindy's Baby Quilt

2011-08-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Cindy made this in anticipation of her first grandchild!

Carolyn's Wedding Quilt

2011-08-10T13:58:00.001-07:00

The Material Girls Bee made this for the daughter of a dear friend. She loved red, white and blue. It is quilted with hearts - another favorite.

Elaine's Comforter

2011-08-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Elaine's daughter likes really poofy quilts. So after creating this, she got the thickest batting she could find. I did minimal quilting so it would be very fluffy.

Liz's Dahlia

2011-08-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

This is Liz's second Dahlia quilt! She requested that this one look more like a sun and a flower.

She likes curls. So I used a lot ot them in the quilt.

It is easier to see some of the quilting on the back.

Liz's Quilt of Valor

2011-08-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Liz tries to make 4 quilts per year for wounded soldiers. Yea Liz!

Lori's New Moon Over Gotham

2011-07-28T09:10:00.001-07:00

This quilt is a jaw dropper! The stars are very well pieced, but it's hard to focus on them.

because there are other interesting focal points.

LOOK AT THIS MITER!! Lori got all 4 corners to match PERFECTLY with TWO borders!

It is quilted with a Sharon Schamber Star pantograph.

Laurel's Bargello

2011-07-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

This is Barbara Adkin's bargello design.

Here's a close-up of some of the beautiful fabrics Laurel chose. It is quilted with the "Luscious Leaves" pantograph.

Lyn's Glorified 9 Patch

2011-07-28T09:05:00.001-07:00

These blocks are VERY difficult to make. Even though Lyn took a workshop to learn some tricks, 9 blocks was enough!

I think that she made very clever use of 9 patches and turned them into a great quilt!

Jann's Mystery Quilt

2011-07-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

Here's Jann's version of Judy's Quilt and Sew's 2011 Mystery quilt.

Lori's Mystery Quilt

2011-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's Lori's version of the same mystery quilt.

She let the Fairy Frost fabric be the inspiration for the border and quilting pattern.

Robin's Curved Log Cabin

2011-07-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

The backing fabric served as inspiration for the quilting on the front!

Bonnie's Trees

2011-07-28T08:54:00.001-07:00

Bonnie loves these graceful trees.

The trees are traced, the background quilted with a bark texture, and the borders have gingko leaves - her favorite.

Connie's Flying Geese

2011-07-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is very well made and peaceful to look at. It is quilted with "Jessica's Feathers".

Pauline's Quilts

2011-07-28T08:41:00.001-07:00

Pauline is on a roll, cleaning out her UFO's. This is a star sampler.

The quilt above is called Prairie Trails.

This one is "Color Riot". It is quilted with a flower pantograph.

And here is "Tropical Tempest". Pauline says that she's not done cleaning yet!

Cali says,

2011-07-28T08:38:00.001-07:00

"When boys swim, they wear swimming trunks. When girls swim, they wear zucchinis."

Laura's Sunbonnet Sue

2011-07-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Laura's gramma made this for her sometime in the 1980's. It was loved and used to within an inch of it's life!

Luckily, the background was double-knit polyester. I salvaged the usuable Sues and reset them. The background quilting should keep it sturdy through another generation!

Barbara's Transition

2011-07-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

I could stare at this quilt all day. My eyes are very entertained with the placement of the lights and darks. Barbara used a wonderful assortment of batiks which adds another layer of visual interest.

Sharon's Speedy Quilts

2011-07-28T08:17:00.001-07:00

Sharon couldn't remember the name of this technique. But you just keep sewing the fabrics in a jelly roll together, cut in half, and keep sewing until it is the desired width. These will be his and hers sofa throws. They are quilted with a fern pantograph.

Betsy's Square Dance Wedding Quilt

2011-07-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Betsy made this wonderful quilt for her son's upcoming wedding. She embroidered the muslin strips on her domestic machine, then hand tied the french knots. THEN she made the blocks.

Suzanne's Underground RailRoad

2011-07-28T08:10:00.001-07:00

Suzanne made this for her father-in-law who is interested in Civil War history. It is quilted with a 2 way Baptist Fan design.

Sandy's Baby Gift

2011-07-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

Won't this be a sweet baby quilt? The backing is soft, yellow Minkee.

Helen's Quilts

2011-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Helen's husband even noticed this quilt while it was being made! It is going on their bed as soon as the binding is on.

Isn't this fabric adorable? Helen made this quilt for her cat-loving-sister-in-law.

It is quilted with "Big Bubbles". Even the backing is special (see below).

Judy's Christmas Quilt

2011-07-28T08:01:00.001-07:00

Judy is always way ahead of the game! Her gift is quilted with snowflakes.

Carol's Da Bears Quilt

2011-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

These small quilts are packed with lots of work. Carol lovingly made this for her son. It is quilted with bear paw prints.