Churn Dash Assembly Line

 

I'm in the middle of making Churn Dash blocks for Long Time Gone quilt. They measure 3.5 inches square. There are some very small pieces in there! I need to make a total of 21 blocks. I started out by cutting out all the needed fabric pieces for each block. 

I had 21 little piles just like these. I made six blocks first. I squared them up and then started the next batch of 5.

These 5 are all ready to be sewn together. Once these are done, I'll work on the next 10. When I'm done, I have to sew 9 Churn Dash blocks together in a 3 X 3 configuration. The remaining 12 blocks will be sewn together into a 4 X 3 configuration. Then, Churn Dash will be done! This is a fun quilt to work on but so time consuming!!

Another Finish!

I just took this quilt off the frame! It was my second attempt using pantographs. I feel they're easier than free motion quilting but you also have less control. I'm used to working from the front and having the quilt top right in front of me. 

However, a pantograph is worked from the back and makes the quilting very consistent throughout the quilt. I'm used to choosing the quilt motif depending on the block but this method uses the same pattern all over the whole quilt regardless of what makes up the quilt top.

I definitely feel pantographs are a great way to finish a quilt. They're quick and look great.

I love the back! The quilting really shows up well in this picture. It's time for me get a few more pantographs. They're a nice tool to have available.

Happy Easter 2019!!

Hope you have a Happy Easter! Enjoy the holiday!

Finishing Up Quilting

I surprised myself when the border showed up! I didn't realize I was almost done quilting this top. I've been quilting as a form of therapy. Our families seem to have a lot of illnesses right now so I've been hitting the longarm to help me through!

You can see the quilting better in this picture. I have to work the next few days so I'll finish this when I can. I have to keep reminding myself it's Easter this weekend. I've been so busy that I've lost track of time! 

Here's Molly keeping an eye on things. She's in her favorite spot on her kitty blanket!

MQX Quilt Festival 2019

I made my annual pilgrimage to MQX. It's probably my favorite quilt show. It's close to my house and I always end up taking a class. The vendors are great and the quilts are too! This is Carnival by Beth Nufer. It won Best of Show. I love the 3-D effects as well as the use of color. So cool!

This is Ookpik by Colette Dumont. I've always been amazed by thread painting. I'm going to have to take a class someday. This piece is so amazing!

This is Cattails in the Meadow by Roberta Ellis. The quilting adds so much texture and movement to this quilt. Beautiful!

This is Twinkle Stars by Elizabeth Witchel. The quilting added a secondary design throughout the quilt. I'm sure lots of planning went into the quilt design. I would love to attempt this someday! I'm so glad I took a closeup. The design is gorgeous!

Being a scrap quilt lover, I love Pineapple Passion Flower by Janis Hedges. There are over 9100 pieces that were paper pieced. I love all the different fabrics and colors in this quilt. Such an awesome quilt!

I leave you with just a few pictures from the Prince Tribute. There was a long wall filled with small quilts all in shades of purple in tribute to Prince. There are so many quilters out there with such great ideas. It was overwhelming to see the different wall hangings all to honor Prince. 

I hope you liked seeing my favorite quilts from MQX. I took more pictures but this post is long enough! If you ever have the chance to attend this show, do it! You won't be sorry!

Drunken Feathers

Drunken Feathers is the name of the pantograph I'm using to quilt this half square triangle BOM. This is only the second pantograph I've used and it's a little more complicated than the first pantograph I used. It took me a little time to get used to it and figure out how to space the rows evenly. It really didn't take too long. I practiced the pantograph without sewing just to get familiar with the pattern.

After 5 passes, I'm just about halfway done quilting this quilt. So fast! I can see why pantographs are so popular. Once you get used to setting up, the process is fast and accurate!

I'm taking a class tomorrow at MQX Quilt Festival. I will do some shopping and just might buy a few more pantographs.  I'll tell you all about in my next post!

Plus a Star Block

I finished this block yesterday. It's a block for the quilt, Long Time Gone, by Jen Kingwell.  It's made of Plus Blocks with a Star Block thrown in for good measure! I tried to make the star stand out by using solids as well as bright fabrics for the 9 patch. I wasn't sure all these fabrics would work well together but I think it came out okay! I feel when making a scrap quilt, the more diverse, the better! Somehow, they work okay. This block measures 12.5" by 21.5". I think it took longer to cut out all the pieces than to actually sew it together. 

Here's the quilt so far. I love working on this quilt. I'm using up scraps and enjoying the process. My next block will be Churn Dash blocks. I have to make 21 of them at 3.5" square. This will be interesting!!

Loading the Next Quilt

Even though I was sick all weekend, I did manage to get a quilt loaded onto the longarm. This is the Block of the Month quilt from my guild. It's made of half square triangles. I started pinning on Sunday but got tired. I resumed pinning on Monday and finished the whole loading process.

Here's a closeup of the top of the quilt. It's all basted and ready to be quilted. 

This is the pantograph I'm planning to use. I have to tape it down a little better and mark it for this quilt. I use a plastic overlay so the pantograph can be used over and over again. I also have to practice this motif. I turn the machine on and follow and pattern with my laser without sewing. I'm getting better at following the pattern. It will take me a few days before I feel comfortable enough to start the real quilting. I love this pantograph and hope I can sew it properly. It would look so pretty on this quilt!