I Like Thursday #1

This is my first I Like Thursday so I hope I'm doing it correctly! I love seeing my lilacs getting ready to bloom. I'm not much of a gardener but I did make sure to plant this lilac bush close to my back doorway. I wanted to be able to smell them and enjoy them just be stepping outside my back door onto the deck. 

I received some new pantographs in the mail today. I can't wait to use them! Urban Elementz had a sale this past weekend and I thought it was a great time to add to my collection. I love these designs!

I love sewing down binding by hand. It means another quilt is finished! This is my third finish of 2019. Love this!

Of course, I have to post pictures of my two kitties. Lily and Molly complete our family. They're so much fun and keep us entertained. We can't help but love these two!!

That's it for my first I Like Thursday. It's so nice to look for the good things in life. I wish we did this  more often. I'll be linking up with LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color.

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!