Done, Done and Fun!

Good Morning! So I am a couple of days late with this post, but you know what they say... better late than never...

I want to start by sharing photos of the Pansy quilt, all done and bound. I totally love this quilt. So much so that I will be entering it into our local quilt show. I think it has some real POP to it. I am also very very happy with the quilting. I did just a simple floral pantograph that I purchased from Digi-tech. (a little plug for Jessica here) I love the fact that I can order my panto, download it, size it to my desired size (OK that part takes a few minutes but not too awfully long) then I just print it out, tape the sheets together and I have a panto. No waiting for the mail, no shipping charge and I can really personalize the design to the size I want. So if you have a longarm and do any type of pantograph and have NOT been to the Digi-tech website, do yourself a favor and check it out!... Now on the the pictures!
Did I mention I love this quilt. Thank you to all who voted for option A. Good choice.


Here is a close up of the quilting, just a simple little flower and I will definitely be using this design again. Oh you can also see where the giant pansies were appliqued on.

So here it is, Torrie's 17th birthday quilt! I am thrilled with how this one turned out. Torrie informed me that she does NOT like pinwheels on a quilt and would I please make a nine patch instead (yep she truly is a quilter too) I found the center fabric at a little quilt shop about 20 miles away, based the entire quit on that fabric...This is a close up of the center fabric, you will notice the black cat outlined in green. They are not super noticeable at first. The green is this kind of celery green and because the center fabric is so wild we decided to go with very simple fabrics, so the black and green have no real pattern, the green is fairy frost and the black is just basic black. The real fun comes with the quilting.....

I loaded this on the frame with BRIGHT green minkee on the back, then I used a kitty panto for the pattern, to stay with the theme I used bright green thread, as you can see it works perfectly on the black fabrics. I was able to mirror the center panel... I think this is one of the best quilts I have ever done.... With one small exception... and you the readers of my blog will be the only ones to know... if you look closely at the top row of kitties... you will notice on the sitting kitty there is a bump on it's chest. I have an entire row of kitties with this same oops... That was when the track on my long arm carriage broke... I was so angry that the rails broke AGAIN (this is a grace carriage and the second time the rails have disintegrated on me) I made modifications to the carriage that came with my frame so I can use it with my Homesteader... LONG story there... Anyhow it was the carriage breaking that lead to the final decision to install a stitch regulator... Whew...

First I want to show you my weekend fun quilt...
So last Sunday my darling hubby was engrossed in football. I don't mind so much that means I get guilt free quilting time! So I scooted out to my sewing room and cleaned up a bit, as I was cleaning I came across my cat and dog fabric that Wendi had given me for Christmas (I will have to share the rest of that story on another post...) Anyhow, I folded it and was going to put it away when I decided what the heck cut it up and use it NOW... So I broke out my Go and my tumbler die and proceeded to cut cut cut, in the end I just did not have enough blocks for a good size quilt so I started looking through my stash and came up with a bunch MORE dogs and cats, wow did not realize how much of that I had! So more cutting then I mixed them all up and started piecing and this is what I ended up with! I think it is so cute! Now I am NOT a scrappy kind of girl but you know, this one I don't mind so much.
Here is a close up of just some of the fabrics. I didn't even keep track of how many different fabrics I used. I can't wait to get my longarm back so I can quilt it. I have the best idea for that.....

Well before I sign off for the day I thought I would show you something a bit different. This is my long arm, stripped down and off the frame. Just minutes from being boxed up and shipped. If you have never gotten a good look at the Homesteader... here she is.... If you are a Hobby Quilter like I am and want a longarm but just can't afford or justify the $10,000+ price tag of the big machines I really do recommend you check out the homesteaders. They are lovely machines for a very nice price. Now I do have to say that mine did NOT come with a stitch regulator, but it is an extra option. I just checked the tracking and she is almost to the homesteader factory to be upgraded and have the SR put on. I am counting the days until she is returned!

Until then, I have classes to teach, and time reserved on the rental machine, taxes to file and daycare licensing renewal to do. As always busy busy busy! Oh and a birthday party for the 17 year old... Wish me luck!
Happy quilting and back to work for me!
Ginny