Machine Quilting: Little England

One of the greatest parts about my job (and trust me, there are tons of great parts about my job)... I love hearing about the stories of what inspired you to make a quilt or who you're making it for and why.

It really helps me to figure out a plan of attack so I know how to quilt it and how it'll be used because that may change my plan a bit. For instance I will quilt a wall hanging a little differently than a love-use-&-abuse quilt.

 Beth made this quilt in memory of her mom. It was a kit from the Fat Quarter Shop and all of the fabrics feature England-themed motifs. There are double-decker buses and royal crowns and Union Jacks and and and...

Not sure whether this quilt would drape over the back of a couch or be a wall hanging eventually, we decided to quilt it with chevrons to emphasize the long squares and give it body for draping.

 The mixture of fabrics and quilting plays really well together and emphasize eachother without overpowering one another. Plus it helps to give this little gem a modern vibe too.

I mean seriously... Aren't those guards the cutest ever?!

We originally talked about an argyle type design but the more I looked at the quilt, it was too busy and would compete with the quilt top itself. Quilting should enhance a quilt, not take away from the quilt top. Or at least that's my opinion :)

This quilt actually inspired me to tackle one of my own projects. Come on back tomorrow and I'll show you what I have in mind. The quilt may not actually be quilted by the time the plan posts here on the blog... But hopefully in the near future I'll have it finished!

Thanks, Beth! I love this quilt and I had so much fun working on it.

Stash Organization Video

Thanks to the lovely Suzan who gave me the link to this video, I'm now sharing it with you.



This is exactly what I was looking for and it helped me out so much! Now I just need more shelves and better bins and I'm set! Oh, and a weekend to organize the cuts and measure them and all, but it'll happen eventually! Thanks again, Suzan! You're the best!

Welcome...

I'm back home from Amish Country and I have much to tell you, but first:

Welcome one, welcome all!!! From where? The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber is where. I had the pleasure of being invited to introduce myself to the followers of the Jolly Jabber site. Check out my little blurb by clicking here.

Also, just a reminder the giveaway is still open til midnight of August 2nd. I can tell you there have been many great guesses - several of which I wasn't anticipating... And I can guarantee that as of a few minutes ago NOBODY has guessed the correct cake or fabric....

So, I'll give a few hints (and for those that have guessed already, you can guess again):
1. This cake is "healthy" because of the fruit in it...
2. There's an alternate cake that will count as well that's more of a dessert casserole than a cake... (two correct chances with this one, and neither one has been mentioned)
3. The fabric I'm working with, I've used before - think more style rather than fabric line...

Keep on guessing, I'm absolutely having a ball reading what you all have come up with! Some of you are quite inventive - I love the creativity!

I'll be back with updates from my trip after the giveaway's done, I can't wait to tell you all about it - the shopping, the food, and the people I met!

Keep guessing (over at the other post, not here - they won't count if they're on here) and if need be I will give more hints in a couple of days. Head on over to the giveaway here.