Machine Quilting: B&W & Orange

Sometimes I just love the anticipation of actually seeing a quilt from the story I hear about it from the person that made it. This quilt definitely ranks high up on that list. It's so fun and bright and Kathy is just a doll, so I knew this was going to be fun.

 My favorite calls for long arm quilting are the conversations that start with something like "Now it's really bright and crazy". This quilt lives to to that no problem. The other fun element for this quilt was the pieced backing. Some of Kathy's friends were trying to talk her either into doing two quilts or one super awesome quilt. Well, this turned into a super awesome quilt.

 The main areas of the quilt were quilted in orange thread in a wave pattern to mimic one of the favorite prints in the black and white fabrics (you really can't see it here). We made the decision to play up the stars knowing the quilting wouldn't stand out anywhere else. Since the stars had an ombre effect, I used three different threads, red, orange and yellow, in the opposing direction of the stars to have even more fun. This way then the red stars have yellow thread, the lighter stars had the darker thread and the quilting stood out even more.

 Plus the geometric quilting in the stars is a complete contrast from the swirly waves that you probably still can't see quilted in this picture... Oh well. It looks really cool in person.

 And here's the back. This quilt was made for Kathy's son. She added his name to the bottom and used the leftover pieces from the front to make this awesome stripe on the back and framed it with an ombre fabric. This really could have been two quilts, but I think it's pretty neat as a front and a back.

You can see the quilting a ton better on the back and the stars stand out nicely.

Thanks, Kathy! You did a great job and I hope Kevin loves it! He's lucky to have an awesome Mom like you make a quilt like this one!

If you would like to know more information about my quilting services, click on the Machine Quilting Information tab at the top of the page!

Studio Tour

So, since I've switched things up a bit, more and more quilters are coming to visit me at the studio to drop off their projects to be quilted and I thought it would be nice to give you all a tour and show you where to go.

 Here's the view of the house from the street. It's the second house south of 166 on 528 in Thompson. Really easy to find!

 It is a long drive, but no worries. It makes a great walk to get the mail!

 And when you're pulling up the drive you may be able to see the cows in the pasture next door.

 You can barely see them in this photo, but they're blending into the corn field and wood line. They're there I promise! So those are my neighbors.

 To get to the studio, pull up the drive along the house (it's on the left side). You can pull right to the back of the house.

 Just off the patio you'll see this door and that's where the studio is!

 Just come on in and I'll be there to greet you. Now, I'm going to try to be here quilting most weekdays from 10-5 ish, but I will not be here everyday. Please call or e-mail me to set up an appointment to meet. Typically if I'm not here I'll be at my home in Madison sewing like a maniac.

Then when you walk in, this is what you'll see! I've got the blinds drawn to aid in what I'm working on and this is actually a different angle that what you'll see, but I can't show you what's on the machine just yet, so this view will have to do. This is my other office and I actually need to get ready to go there now.

Thank you all for understanding the change of direction my little business has gone in. It's really helped me to relax and breathe and for those inquiring minds - no I still haven't taken a day off yet. Most of the recent days I've worked have been more creative and less stress, so it's okay. Maybe this weekend, but I don't know. I've got a nice stack of fabrics calling my name begging to be turned into a quilt!

So, come on out and see me if you can! I've also been toying with the idea of a quilting "workshop" to have a few people at a time come out to the machine and see the set up. I could show you a few things and let you try your hand at a bit of quilting. More or less to get awareness out there of what I really do and how the quilting process works. Anyone interested?

New Page for Quilting!!!

I'm still working on it, this page is going to be a constantly evolving process with new information added all the time, but I think it's good enough to share right now.

If you look at the tabs at the top of this page (if on desktop) or in the page options (in mobile viewer) you'll see a new page just for Machine Quilting Information.

This page has links to Pinterest boards with galleries of quilting that I have done including pricing options for each type of quilting. Also, you will find information about how to contact me, what to prepare before giving me a quilt to work on and other options.

Please check it out and let me know if you have any other questions. I just realized I forgot to put my turnaround time on there (ooooppps) but I can tell you here. I am currently running about 4-6 weeks out. Free motion edge to edge designs will be on the shorter end of that spectrum with custom quilts taking a bit longer.

However, I am a HUGE fan of planning ahead and Christmas is in the not-so-distant future... If you know you are working on a project and would like to get on the schedule to have it ready to go on the machine when you finish it, please contact me and I'd love to work with you on it.

I never know how many quilts could be heading my way, but in my history I've typically run anywhere from 3-8 weeks out. Around the holidays it gets a bit hectic, so please plan ahead.

With that in mind, I will state it here and now - The cutoff this year for guaranteed Christmas delivery quilts is Friday, November 7th (but subject to change). 

Please, check out the page and the Pinterest boards and contact me if you have any questions. Thanks again, I wouldn't be able to call this my job without all of you! I'll be back later this week with more awesome quilt pictures to show you!

Machine Quilting: Tree of Life

As promised, here's the big sister to the quilt I showed you yesterday:

 Anne was on a roll and made this larger Tree of Life quilt to switch out with her Jinny Beyer quilt that hangs in her living room. As in true Anne style, it's colorful and full of pink. I quilted this one similarly to the smaller version she made, but there are a few subtle differences between the two quilts, so I made a few adjustments.

 I quilted the leaves and most of the borders and backgrounds the same-ish. Since the pieces were bigger, I had to fill it in a bit in the leaves. Plus I did straight lines in the trunk of this tree since it was so large...

 I changed up the one border and mimicked the design I did in the center leaves so it all tied together.

As before, you can see all of the different areas on the back of the quilt and that makes me happy. This quilt was so much fun and I think I like the colors in it the most. It's such a bright and fun quilt, you can't help but smile after seeing it.

Thanks again, Anne! You did an amazing job as always which makes my job that much more fun!

Machine Quilting: Tree of Life Mini

Well, this isn't a true mini, but it's small, so that's got to count for something!

 Anne has this amazing ability to play with color and if you couldn't tell, she LOVES pink! I couldn't wait to play with this quilt after seeing the vibrancy of the colors.

 I used some back & forth lines with swirls and pebbles to soften the overall appearance of the quilt and give it texture without taking away from the tree. Then I used two different types of quilting in the "leaves". Just a little something to add interest and break up the individual pieces.

 This quilt was so much fun and so cheery!

Here's a look at the back, I try to keep in mind with quilts like this to emphasize the different areas so when you see the back of the quilt, there's no denying what is what. Here you can see the tree leaves and the trunk with some of the borders surrounding it.

Anne also made another version of this quilt that I will be showing tomorrow. Come back then to see the big sister to this quilt! Thanks, Anne! I always have so much fun with your quilts!

Machine Quilting: Glacier Star #?

I've honestly quilted so many of these I've lost count. Sorry. But still I try to quilt each one a little differently than the others and it's really easy to do with this pattern because each person colors the various pieces differently or emphasizes a different part of the quilt. It just adds to the personality of each person that made this quilt and I only hope that I can help to emphasize that personality and give the quilt the same dedication and attention as the person that made it.

 Anne made this quilt and in the process she started it, changed it up, redid parts of it, and she couldn't be happier with the results. My instructions were to quilt it "over the top" and she added she really liked pebbling. I always ask each customer before I quilt one of these quilts which part are they drawn to the most. Sometimes it's the feathered star, sometimes it's the flying geese, for Anne it was the center star. With all of that in mind I got to work.

 Now as I mentioned how everyone colors this quilt differently, Anne was the first person in the extension sunbursts to use the same background fabric for all of it. I was a bit perplexed on how to tackle this area. Normally it's anywhere from 2-3 colors so I have barriers and defined edges. Not with this one!

 To keep the colors popping (it's so much more vibrant in person) I kept the quilting in the background of the flying geese and let the colors shine.

 Here's a hint of that pebbled center. Once again I left the flying geese alone so they popped out against the dense quilting.

 I've been playing with rulers more and more and added in some geometric quilting into the lone star portion of the quilt to break up the more organic quilting designs and define this area.

 Some areas are similar to other quilts I've done in the past and others are new, but my main goal with any of these quilts is to make it all work together.

 Again I played with straight simple lines to mimic the designs in the lone star and set this center star apart from all of the pebbling that surrounds it.

 I can't even begin to tell you how many bobbins of thread went into this quilt. With this grunge green for the backing, it really shows off the quilting well. Here's a bit of the center...

 Here you can see some of the New York beauty blocks, the flying geese borders, the lone star. I love how you can see the different areas and know what is what by looking at the back. I would show you the whole back, but this quilt was massive and I just couldn't get a detailed shot that large.

 Here's the back of one of the extensions. So as you can see, this quilt was jam packed with swirls and feathers and lines and pebbles and fun! I had a bunch of fun planning this quilt. I'm not going to lie, it was a challenge, but I'm up for a good challenge from time to time. :)

Now, as I mentioned before, I went through a ton of thread. Actually when I finished the quilt, this was all the thread I had left on this cone for the bobbin... It's amazing how heavy a quilt can be after it's densely quilted which makes no sense because thread doesn't weigh that much.

Anywho, thanks to Anne for letting me play with your quilt! I know she loved it and I couldn't be happier knowing I have a happy customer.

If you have a quilt you'd like me to finish for you or give you a quote, please e-mail me at rubybluequilts (at) gmail (dot) com. I'm currently running about 4-6 weeks out (possibly a little less for all over designs) and I'd love to quilt for you!

Fun-Size Quilts Winner!!!

Thank you to everyone that participated in this fun giveaway. Not only does it seem that you all are excited about the book and can't wait to get it in your hands... You all seem to love chocolate too! I had such a blast reading all of the comments. And I may have raided my fun size candy stash after reading about chocolate all day long...

So let's get to the winners! 

The winner of the eBook version of Fun-Size Quilts is:

Pauline PerryJuly 24, 2014 at 3:22 PM

Dairy Queen Blizzards have a fun-size!!

Pauline

The winner of the signed copy of Fun-Size Quilts is:

RosieGmaJuly 24, 2014 at 5:09 PM

Fun sized...hmmmm....maybe BabyRuths...no...Snickers....no.....Hershey Kisses....no...Mounds with Almonds....no...Butterfingers...no,.. oh heck, just all of them.....

Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for stopping by and making me laugh with your comments. This was such a fun giveaway and I'll have to do another one here soon kinda like it.

I have to admit though, My snack of choice while quilting is baby carrots. No mess on the fingers! And I can eat as many as I want. However, it just doesn't do the same trick as chocolate :)

Thank you all again and congrats to the winners!

Machine Quilting: Watermelon Fun

If this quilt doesn't scream picnic quilt, I don't know what will!

 Anne made this really fun watermelon quilt with a bunch of scraps of the perfect reddish pinks and soft lime greens for the backgrounds. Then she added in just enough "perfect prints" to finish off this quilt, I'll show you in a bit.

 Her request was to play up the background and do something fun in each watermelon. With a design like this, I try to keep the quilting fun yet simple so it doesn't overwhelm the quilt. I have a belief that the quilt should take center stage and the quilting should be an accent, not the first thing you see. It should enhance a quilt.

 To soften the design, swirls were quilted into the borders. Notice those "perfect prints" I was talking about? The watermelon fabric and those ants?! I don't think she could have chosen anything better!

Those ants were so much fun, Anne put them on the back too! Oh, and I hear she did a faux piped binding using both the ants and the watermelon fabrics. I bet it turned out adorable.

Thanks Anne, your quilts are always so much fun to work on!

Machine Quilting: Cactus Rose

Doris is at it again! I tell you, this woman means business!

 In true Doris fashion, this quilt wasn't meant to be this large, but a few borders can grow it to the size you want! And it's in the usual colors of blue, purple and green for her quilts.

 She told me to "do my thing" and so I started playing. I've been playing recently with more ruler work and I couldn't get enough on this quilt. This is how it started. I outlined the compass and applique filling in the smaller areas as I went.

 Then I filled in the compass and most of the center.

 Then I moved to add swirls outside of each compass. Notice that really cool pickle dish type border towards the left of the picture? Yeah, a little more ruler work there...

 Then I switched to a bit darker thread and finished the center of the compass.

 And finished the borders. Sometimes if a border is too thin, I may combine them with another border like I did here with the purple and green thin borders.

 This quilt is definitely one that makes a statement and I can only hope my quilting did it enough justice.

Here's a better shot of the various borders. I added in these neat feathers to separate the pickle dish border from the square borders. Doris is a fan of feathers, so I knew this little touch would be something she'd like. It was really fun to play with the design and come up with new treatments for new shapes. Quilts like this one always present new challenges like that for me.

Thanks, Doris! As usual you did a beautiful job!

This pattern is the Cactus Rose by Quiltworx (Judy Niemeyer). It also comes smaller if you don't want to tackle that much applique :)

If you have a quilt you'd like me to long arm for you, please email me at rubybluequilts (at) gmail (dot) com for more information!

Paris by Night

I always wanted to see the sights of the city by night, but there's a problem with that (or a few).

1. They're spread all over the city. The Eiffel Tower alone from our hotel was a 2.5 mile walk.

2. There are buses but they stop running (the sight seeing ones) at like 6pm. It doesn't get dark until 9 or so.

3. There is the Metro system, but it's mostly underground and you'd miss the little details and such.

Well, luckily Ben and I were walking around visiting some sights and we stumbled across this super touristy night bus tour of the city. The best part about it was it was cheap (relatively) and it went to all the attractions we wanted to see and more. Sign us up!

The bus picked us up right around the corner from our hotel and off we went. We left about 9:30 at night (I think) and the sun was just starting to set behind the Louvre:

 This is the East End of the Louvre and you can just see the light fading behind it as we waited for the bus.

 This church is just across the street from the East End of the Louvre and I got TONS of pictures of it.

(Note: I took most of these pictures at night on a moving bus so please forgive me if some of them are a bit out of focus...)

 Before you knew it, the bus came and we were crossing the Seine and admiring the City of Lights.

 We drove past Notre Dame which is soooooo much more inspiring at night. Those towers!!! This is one of the views I wanted to see the first time we went to Paris and never made it.

 Then we drove around some more and I got some neat shots of buildings. This is part of the Military Academy or Armory I think...

 Then we made it to the Eiffel Tower. We parked on the South side and basked in it's glory.

 At first the view was a little obstructed due to this plastic cover on the second story of the bus... But then...

 They retracted the roof just in time to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. This was another view I wanted to see. When we went before, it was not tourist season and they only turn on the sparkly lights for a few minutes each hour if at all so we missed it. When the sparkling started, the whole bus - including myself - went silent followed by an on cue gasp of beauty. I took video so I can remember what that few minutes was like for forever (or if I want to take a little virtual vacation).

 Then we drove around to the North Side and we were REALLY close. Can you imagine having to change those light bulbs??? Oh, and did I mention this was mid April at night. Which meant the low was around 38 degrees Fahrenheit... Up til this point it was all good on the bus because even though the sides were open, the retractable roof kept us a bit warm... Not so much from here on out.

 Then were turned onto the Champs Elysees. It's soooo pretty at night. You can see even more into the shops and the restaurants than you can in the day.

 At the end was the towering Arc de Triomphe. It still baffles me how large this is. See the little people down to the left bottom corner...

 Somehow the photography gods were with me and I got this amazing shot of one of the designs on the walls.

 Then we passed by one of my personal favorite spots in the entire city, the Opera Garnier. We got to tour this amazing building the next day and it's even better than I imagined. There will be another post for that later.

 And then we ended at the magical Moulin Rouge right before showtime. Can you see all of the people waiting to get in? That canopy is probably 30 feet deep and it was jam packed with people and there were plenty more around taking pictures and selfies before the show. I can't believe I actually got to see this sight, let alone at night. The buzz around this place was contagious.

 Luckily then most of the sight seeing was done and the roof was closed on the bus. Granted, most of the remaining tourists headed for more shelter and warmth on the lower level, but the brave couple ahead of us was from Hawaii. They were both dressed in parkas and winter clothes and they were still freezing. Heck, I was freezing. By this point of the night after taking lots and lots of pictures, my little pinky finger was numb. It was chilly but it was soooo worth it.

Then we ended the night with a drive around the rest of the Louvre and I finally got to spot where that blasted upside down pyramid is. It's inside a bunch of hedges in the middle of a roundabout. Oh, and you can't stand on it, thanks, Tom Hanks, you ruined my desire to do that. Oh well.

So, by the time the tour was done, we were freezing, my camera battery was barely holding on and it was late, but I would take that tour again if I could. It was amazing and it wasn't anything we would have been able to see if left to our own ingenuity.

On the way back to the hotel, Ben and I passed over a vent for the Louvre that was releasing the most wonderful heat that helped thaw us before we got back to the hotel. We missed dinner that night and I think we ended up munching on our snack of pop, chips and candy bars we picked up at the local grocery store while trying to get warm after the chill had set into our bones on the long open air tour of the city. It was a great night I will never forget.

I think I'll do one last post of Paris pictures, maybe two if I can't narrow down my choices since I took so many pictures, but come back for those later. I'll post some quilty stuff in the meantime. I hope you enjoyed the tour!