trying new things

 Long long ago and far far away in a kingdom not so different than our own there lived a quilter. She spent her day quilting quilts. But she only used one design to quilt her designs. She was really really good at her design, but seriously it was the only design she used. You see she did not know any other designs existed. Then a wonderful new tool arrived almost right at her doorstep in the form of a 36 inch Gammill Long Arm, so she began to explore the world of long arm quilting. She began exploring websites and watching DVDs that had been sent to her by mistake. She ordered books off Amazon and her eyes were opened to the wide world of quilting. She likes to learn new things. Truly she does!  She wanted to quilt all over a quilt with just a fantasy vine...a whimsical gathering of leaves and twirls...maybe she would toss in some pebbles (because every quilt needs some pebbles). But she wanted to start small.

 She has some favorite quilt marking tools. Clover chalk pens are the BEST! (I am not sponsored by anyone or by any shop...so trust me these things are fantastic). She just draws some curving lines with plans to go to town with leaves and feathers and loops.

 By the time the quilting is finished, most of the chalk will be gone. And that that remains will wash out easily in the wash. Before she tries this technique out on a large quit ( on the long arm) she tries it out on her regular home sewing machine. Small projects are easy to quilt up on the Bernina.

 She is in love with feathers. She loves the sketchy quality of the leaves and the flow of the tendrils.

It is good to learn new things!  Live happily ever after with quilting!

Sewing Tuesday at my House

 On Tuesday some of my wonderful friends came over to sew with me. I am always having such a great time that I forget to take pictures until everyone is packing up to go home or go pick up kids from school. My friend Martha is a fine Vegan cook. She introduced me to home grown sprouts. I will be growing them in my kitchen window as soon as I get them from the Sprout People. She had this fabulous blend of French garden sprouts.

This is Sharon's quilt top. She and I are working on another Welsh quilt. I just can't get enough of them right now.

 Sharon's quilt is grey, teal and red and white pin dots. It is pretty fabulous

 My quilt is more somber...but I plan to liven it up with some fabulous Welsh Quilting. I will be quilting this on the long arm...or maybe the Bernina 820 when it comes home again. I am beginning to get a back long with my long arm quilitng. It makes me so happy to go in and see all the pretty quilts to be quilted.

 This is an old hand pieced and hand quilted quilt. I picked it up at a local antique shop. I have plans for this puppy. I do wish the original quilter would have gone with another color sashing. The purple is a bit off for this quilt. I do love the blocks though. Well, I have some plans for this quilt.

 

I am making sewing bags, or quilted quilting kits. I think they are fabulous!

And finally this is what is happening in the quilting studio. I have LauraJ's quilt on the frame. This one is so very fun to quilt!

Have a great day and I will talk to you again later!
xo,
Tia

Where does inspiration come from?

 Hey there! DO you like quilt books? I sure do. My husband gave me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I have really enjoyed the book ordering power it has given me. One day I was on a roll with ordering books...or pretending to order books (I thought I was pretending anyway). I logged out of Amazon and thought all was forgotten, right? Well, a few days later the book on top arrived. I knew the book was only like .99 cents, so I didn't fret too much, but when I opened it up I was pretty much disgusted with the articles in this book/magazine.

 I flipped through it and was shuddering about how horrible some of the projects were.

 Not only horrible, but horribly dated. Who would wear a quilted hat like that? With a matching vest? Dreadful. So I was getting ready to pitch it in the recycling I found this article...."The Nature of a Curve" all about Welsh Quilting. I don't think I have ever seen such wonderful quilting! So bold, but whimsicle and almost magical. I knew immeidately I had to make a quilt so I could try it out myself.

 Welsh quilting and Amish quilting look alike don't they? Some say the Welsh influenced the Amish with their bold graphic designs and fabulous quilting. At first the Amish believed quilting was sinful...but then I guess they got cold and figured out how wonderful and warm a wool quilt was to rest beneath. The Amish also happened to settle near the Welsh when they came over the United States. Like quilters anywhere they rubbed off on one another. And what a great influence to share, right?

 With a simple circle template wonderful patterns can be created. The arcs, swirls and straight lines are so perfect for a simple quilt design.

 This page was telling about how these same quilt motifs are found all over ancient Celtic ruins. I find my inspiration from the world around me and so did these ladies.

 So, here is my very simple Welsh quilt. the quilting is finished, I just need to bind it. The quilting on the 3 white stripes in the center represents the path to goodness, wickedness and to Elf land.

 The wide boarders were so very fun to do and each red corner block has different quilting. I think quilting-wise I have really added a powerful element to my arsenal.
And to think that it all came from a dreadful little book that I almost threw away after ordering on a whim.

I used my little Bernina 165 to quilt this quilt. When I try something new (and fairly small - this quilt finished at 60 inches) I do like to use my regular sewing machine instead of my long arm. I like being very close to the needle and having absolute control of my quilting. I also used a Wool batting (from my favorite batting makers Quilters Dream ). The Wool really gives the quilting a definition and foundation to bloom upon.


Happy quilting folks!

xo,
Tia