Curvy Paths

Quilt Documentation # 130

Curvy Paths

This is a Drunkard's Path variation, in reds and blacks, to which I added a red border and then appliqued a dog tooth border using a blind hem stitch.

drunkard's path blocks

dog tooth border

In 2009 and 2010, I followed along with Leah Day's The Free Motion Quilting Project.  After making many little 4” squares, I wanted to actually use several different stitches in one quilt.

Curvy Paths - back

I outlined the curvy paths from the front of the quilt and then flipped it over and quilted it from the back. This was mainly because the top was so busy, it was hard to concentrate on the quilting designs.

quilting detail

 I alternated silver grey and a gold rayon threads in the “paths” and background. I consider this table topper reversible and have used it as such. Actually, I just may like the back better than the front.

quilting detail

quilting detail

 Most of the quilting designs are Leah Day's with one or two of my own favourites.

All fabrics are 100% cotton, it is bound with a double fold french binding,measures 26” x 26” and was made 2010.

Linking up to  The Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday and Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

Happy Quilting,

Terry

Mysterious Star I, II, III

Quilt documentations #  127 – 128 - 129

More Table Toppers

I named this pattern Mysterious Star because I taught it as a mystery class back in 1998 when mystery classes were all the rage. I usually end up with a second quilt when teaching because of the samples I make for the class but I can't really remember why I made three. I must have really liked the pattern. 

Quilt # 127 - Mysterious Star I - 1998

Mysterious Star I 

This quilt has 3 different blocks, 1 centre star, 4 middle blocks and 4 corners.

detail

Some of the flying geese in this quilt are 3-D (remember those?) 

30D Flying Geese

Mysterious Star I was quilted in the ditch and stippled, it measures 28" x 28".

Mysterious Star I - back

Quilt # 128 - Mysterious Star II -  2000

Mysterious Star II 

  The small inner border is simply folded and caught in the seam allowance.  I learned that using a tightly woven fabric  (like batik) and making this border as skinny as possible works best.  I like the one on #III best.

detail

 Mysterious Star II was quilted in the ditch and feathers, it measures 29" x 29".

Mysterious Star II -  back

Quilt # 129 - Mysterious Star III - 2001

Mysterious Star III 

 Mysterious Star III was quilted in the ditch and leaves, it measures 28" x 28".

Mysterious Star III - back

 All three quilts have double fold bindings. 

Happy Quilting,

Terry

Table Toppers – Miniatures

Quilt Documentations  # 123 - 124 – 125

It seems that making table toppers has always been one of my favourite ways of trying out new patterns, techniques and/or practice my quilting.

Some more recently made, are already documented here.

Three Oldies from the Early Nineties

I didn't realize how many I had made until I recently came across several oldies, some of them well-worn. I'm happy to see that my piecing & quilting has improved over the years, although at that time, I thought these were all wonderful. Only one of the three is dated but all three were made in the early nineties, when I was in my miniature phase. 

It's still hit and miss when it comes to labelling my quilts, but since I started this blog to document my quilts, I try hard to at least sign and date even if it is just with a marker, but preferably stitched in. A label is always a bonus.

Quilt # 123

Beige & Blue Mini Charm Quilt

Beige & Blue Mini

 This one is probably the oldest, it is dated 1991, the beige is a polyester and it is also hand quilted of which I did not do a lot of after I found out I could machine quilt.

I remember going through all of the fabrics I had at the time and anything with blue in it was fair game for the 1” half-square triangles.  I think this would make it a Charm quilt, which means that all the pieces are from different fabrics, no two pieces the same.  I'm not sure if using one fabric as the background makes a difference to calling it a Charm Quilt.

1" half-square triangles

It has two borders, a double fold french binding and polyester batting.   The back is one large half-square triangle and it is signed.  It  measures 23" x 23".

Beige & Blue Mini - back

Quilt #124

Jewel Box Mini

Jewel Box Mini

This mini also has some polyester fabrics in it and it is machine quilted using invisible thread on the top and white polyester on the back.  It has one border, double fold french binding and polyester batting.

four-patches and half-square triangles

The half-square triangles are 1½“ and the little squares in the four-patch are 3/4” square.

Jewel Box - back

The back is made of four half-square triangle repeating the pattern on the top.  

The whole quilt measures 23” x 23”..

Quilt # 125

Crazy-Patches

Crazy Patches

3” x 3½” crazy-patch rectangles were sashed and machine quilted with some hand quilting added to some of the patches.

piecing

The fabrics are all 100% cotton and I see that the navy has faded. We are so lucky to have the fabric we have nowadays. 

Crazy Patches - back

The back was turned to the front and stitched down as binding. It measures 23” x 24”.

More Table Toppers to come.

Terry

December, 2012 FMQ Challenge with Patsy Thompson

 Quilt #115 - Border Sampler

Border Sampler - Side One

This is number 12 and the last challenge of the year for the SewCalGal Free Motion Quilting Challenge.

Border Sampler - Side Two

This month, Patsy Thompson challenged us with doing borders. My favourites were the feather borders where we learned a couple of different designs. The tutorial on how to do take offs and kissing corners to get mirror images was excellent.

I found Patsy's video very helpful in getting the feathers to fit in the border spaces

Here are some close-up shots:

My sample this month uses plain white on side one and black on side two, for a little reversible table topper, measuring 22” x 22”.

I decided to try a very bright variegated thread on both sides and do alternate rows in plain rayon, light blue on the white side and yellow on the black.

Work in progress:

Auditioning for binding.  All along I had thought of using a black and white print but did not care for that look so went with a wild colourful print instead.

choosing binding fabric

I think it looks nice on my blanket box.

Thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, thank you Patsy!

Linking up to SewCalGal Free Motion December Quilting Challenge.

Have a look at what other Canadian bloggers are doing at The Needle and Thread Network.

Terry

Little Irish and August 2012 FMQ Challenge with Wendy Sheppard

Quilt #100

Little Irish

These are my samples for Wendy Sheppard's Challenge for August 2012 FMQ Challenge at Insights from SewCalGal.

Wendy's challenge was Jester's Hats which looked real simple at first glance but took some practise to “try to” master.

My first sample was the simple Jester's Hats:

Jester's Hats

And here is the cultured Jester's Hats:

Cultured Jester's Hats - front

Cultured Jester's Hats - back

Little Irish was made in miniature after making a bed size Double Irish Chain documented here .

Like a lot of other quilters, I found that filling the space evenly was not easy. I stitched the simpler version and I started in the centre and kept working around but I'm not sure that is the solution as I was getting a sort of echoing look in spots. I will try this pattern again in a larger size with more space between shapes.

detail - front

detail - back

No label but I stitched my name and date through all layers.

signature and date

The borders were all stitched together and then mitered at the corners.

borders and binding

I used a 12 wt Egyptian Cotton thread, Wonderfil Fruitti on the top and something lighter in the bobbin and a cotton batting. I find the look a little overpowering, a thread colour closer in value to the colour of the fabric may have worked better but all in all. am happy with the results.

The back is one of my own hand dyed Egyptian cotton.

Little Irish - back

Great tutorial, thank you, Wendy!

You can also check out my completed UFO, Out on a Limb using the June tutorial from Cindy Needham. 

DOCUMENTATION:

Quilt Name: Little Irish

Description: Small Table Topper

Pattern: Miniature Double Irish Chain

Size: 23¼” x 23¼”

Fabrics: 100% cotton

Predominant colours: red and blue

Construction Techniques: strip-pieced

Back: Hand dyed Egyptian cotton

Batting: cotton

Edge finish: Single fold binding

Quilting: Free motion quilted on Domestic Machine

Quilted by: Terry Whyte

Sleeve: no

Label: signed

Date completed: 2012

Inspiration: quilting inspired by Wendy Sheppard

Maker: Terry Whyte

Purple Amish & April's Free Motion Challenge with Don Linn

 Quilt # 84

This is my practice piece using the tutorial technique of transferring a quilting design onto the quilt top for the April 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge by Don Linn.

front

I used wool batting and Rainbows Superior Thread on the top and black Wonder Invisible thread in the bobbin.

back

I tried different marking tools and preferred the chalk pencil but found it rubbed off easily. The  water erasable pen marked well and stayed until it was wetted.

design on tulle  

using chalk pencil

using Water Erasable Fabric Marking Pen

Purple Amish


This is a little quilt from my "Amish Period" that had been in the UFO pile for a long, long time.

Sorry, the colours are all over the place. The first is closest to original. 

Purple Amish top

I probably should have reduced the motif to fit inside the quare, but I didn't and actually don't mind the look.

close-up of quilting

I found this background filler design on Patsy Thompson's website and used it with light blue The Bottom Line Thread. The flower design was quilted with a purple 100% Rayon.

border and binding

Instead of a label, I "signed" my name and year into the background.

signature

 The back is an Egyptian cotton that I snow dyed this winter.  A small needle (70) prevented the holes from showing on this cotton as it is very tightly woven.

back 

Because this is going to be used as a table topper, I used a thermolam batting.  I do prefer quilting with the wool batting but not sure how much it would shrink when washed.  I have only used wool in wall hangings so far.  Has anyone washed wool batting?  Any shrinking?

close up of back

Certainly not traditional Amish, but I think I like it. 

Enjoyed learning this process and can see where it could be used to transfer any kind of design onto a quilt sandwich either for quilting or thread painting.


Thank you Don Linn.

Terry

DOCUMENTATION:

Quilt Name:  Purple Amish

Description:  Small amish nine patch quilt

Pattern:  4-patch nine patch alternating with plain blocks

Size:  28" x 28"

Fabrics:  100% cotton ( all solids)

Predominant colours:  Purple, blue, red, green

Construction Techniques:  pieced

Back:  Snow dyed egyptian cotton and cotton commercial print

Batting:  thermolam

Edge finish: Double fold french binding

Quilting:  Free motion.

Quilted by: Terry Whyte

Sleeve: Yes

Label:  Signature in quilt top

Date completed:  April 2012

Maker: Terry Whyte