Under My Needle

This has been a busy week of continued quilting on the Civil War Bride quilt. I do not really have pictures to show, I am still working on the quilting around the appliques. I have taken some little breaks from the bride. Linda brought over this little baby quilt and these adorable aprons for me to quilt.

The aprons are such a great project for a charm pack of fabric and another yard or so of solid fabric for the bottom border, back and ties and binding.

I also have been embroidering the little blocks for the vintage baby quilt. The pattern is for a baby quilt, but I am going to make two smaller doll quilts out of these blocks.

Finally I have been collecting some red and green fat quarters. I love the civil war reproduction reds and poison greens, and one yellow for contrast. It is hard for me to choose the greens. There are not a lot of the true poison greens,out there, do you go with the olive greens for a light green to add contrast? I am not sure about those two light greens in this pile, the solid looks better in person. I don't really know what this collection will be used for, but I like red and green applique quilts. I am kind of leaning to the Mary Mannakee quilt, time will tell.

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

A Trip Into Vintage

I was in the Kansas City area last weekend with some friends for a little quilt shopping. Boy did I ever fall off the wagon for not starting any new projects and concentrating on UFOs.

One of our most fun stops was a special visit to Glenda Sha of Liberty Homestead. http://www.libertyhomestead.com/. Glenda and her husband are vendors at a lot of the quilt shows around the country but they have a home in Kingsville, MO. with a separate building for their shop and where they host retreats. We called ahead to see if they would be in town last weekend and if we could come by to see their shop. Glenda dyes much of her fabrics, she has such a special style, lots of use of wools, reproduction fabrics, and 30's fabrics. Her quilts and patterns have a very vintage feel that reminds me of my Grandma.

I have started embroidering the little hand dyed pastels in my header picture for a little baby quilt, these little bunnies, rabbits, squirrels and sheep are so much fun, and the hand dyed fabric is just so soft and rich in color. It will be finished with little Aunt Grace fabric prairie points around the edge. Glenda and her husband made us feel so welcome, she gave us a little tour of what they call the bunk house for retreat use.

Glenda is on the far right in this picture.

Some bunk house, wouldn't this be just the best sleep over with a bunch of your quilting friends? Vintage Heaven.

In this season of Hope, Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter,

Happy Spring,

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

Quilting, Quilting

Quilting,

Quilting,

Unquilting,

Quilted!

I have been focused on the quilting of my Civil War Bride Quilt. Mostly quilting in the ditch around the appliques, a few details in some of the larger appliques, bird wings, swirls in the sheep, etc. I am using a wool batt for the first time, it is wonderful!

I also finished the long arm quilting on the red and white quilt, and now that I have posted the picture of it I noticed that a couple of the blocks are turned, I still think it is pretty.

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

A Red & White Quilt Comes My Way

With all the interest in red and white quilts from the recent quilt show, Infinite Variety Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, in New York City, I was happy to receive this quilt top to quilt. This is a group quilt done by members of the Omaha Quilt Guild, so there are lots of different reds in this quilt and it works very well. The quilt will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for a local church camp where our guild holds it's annual fall quilt retreat and as a thank you the guild always donates a quilt for it's annual fundraising auction. My small group put the blocks together and I am quilting it on my long arm machine.

I am using an all over feather pattern called Plumage by Willow Leaf Designs. I love this red and white stripe fabric on the back.

I am going back and forth today between the long arm machine and in my sewing room I am quilting the Civil War Bride Quilt.

I am working on outlining all the applique first. I try to add a little something to each block, like a flower in the bride's skirt.

A little feather flourish in the tablecloth.

And a stippled heart in the middle of a vase, first I outline around a freezer paper heart, then I will stipple inside.

So between the two quilts I will be doing a lot of quilting this next week.

I am happy stitching,

Cheri

finishes

It has been a week of finishes for me. YoYoville (pattern by Anne Sutton from Bunny Hill Designs) is completed. YEA!I have also finished the applique on my Civil War Bride Quilt. YEA! YEA! I found a great fabric for the back and I think I am going to try this same backing fabric for a piped edge on the front. My binding is the same fabric as the background, would a thin line of line of green look odd on the edge?

The quilt has been layered and I have started the outline quilting. It is so full of applique there is not much room for much else than background filler around the applique in the center blocks. For now I have not marked anything and I am just going to start quilting around all the applique.

My DH is always so supportive of my quilting hobby, always willing to check out shops in areas we are traveling through. He is also my expert with a spoon, closing safety pins on the layered quilts. What a gem!!!

Happy Stitching,

Cheri