a space quilt or hexagons 3 ways

This is a quilt I made recently for the quilt shop I work at. It is a shop sample, but I am not sure what will really become of it. I (or Jerry) need to write up a pattern and make some kits…but we don't have enough of the back ground fabric to do so…so it is folded up on a shelf. I think it is quite striking so I wanted to share it with you all here on my blog.

The piecing was rather simple, mostly applique but what really makes it shine is the quilting and the use of ombre fabric. I used 2 layers of batting. Quilters dream cotton on the bottom and quilters dream Puff batting on the top which makes for really nice lofty quilting. Very dimensional quilting.

 I wanted it to look like wind or space gas? moving through the void of the great abyss.

I love a back as much as the front.

If this is a kit you would like to make up let me know and I will push it a little harder at Quilters Quarters. It was a really quick quilt. I think straight lines would be just as lovely as the wild quilting I did.

Have a great evening!
Tia

Book Tour!

Hey there! I just wanted to give you a heads up about the upcoming book tour I will be participating in. You will have quite a few chances to win a copy of this really great book. My giveaway will be on the 20th.

Nov. 11: Lisa Calle, www.vintagemodernquilts.com
Nov. 12: Lynne Goldsworthy, www.lilysquilts.blogspot.com
Nov. 13: Lauren Hunt, www.myauntjune.blogspot.com
Nov. 14: Heather Kojan, www.heatherkojan.blogspot.com
Nov. 15: John Kubiniec, www.bigrigquilting.blogspot.com
Nov. 18: Adrianne Ove, www.littlebluebell.com
Nov. 19: Trisch Price, www.hadleystreetquilts.com
Nov. 20: Tammie Schaffer, www.craftytammie.com and Tia Curtis, tiacurtisquilts.blogspot.com
Nov. 21: Amy Smart, www.diaryofaquilter.com

Nov. 22: Susan Strong, www.strongstitches.wordpress.com

Leia's Wagon Wheel quilt

Here is one of my big fantasies….one day I am rummaging in an attic and find a box of old quilt tops waiting to be quilted. I love that dream…well my friend Leia actually got to live this dream! She was at her moms house and her mom mentioned the boxes in the attic filled with an aunts old quilt tops. What???? Well, this is one that she let me quilt up. There is another one ready to go downstairs.

I love how quirky the fabric placement is in the wedges.

It was a bit tricky to think how to quilt it. I finally asked myself how she would have done it if she would have had a long arm at her disposal back when they were pieced…so I settled on the ever wonderful swirl. This quilt was such a treat to quilt.

Quilt Market quilts

In the midst of all my quilting I did do 2 quilts for Quilt market. One I just quilted and the other I designed, made and quilted for  the Windham booth. I found this picture while going through my pictures and thought it was funny with me and my silly cat.

I quilted this quilt for Tammie Schaffer. It is in a great looking new book  (Classic Modern Quilts) which I will talk about on the 20th for the blog tour. This quilt was at Quilt Market. I think it is beautiful. I love Tammie's fabric choices and I love the blocks. I had a blast quilting it.

This is the one I made for the Windham booth. It was made with a collection called 8 days a week by Ampersand  They sent me the fabric and wanted a quilt that looked like a Calendar to showcase the calendar page panel. So that is what I did. Now I would have done a couple things different if Time and fabric amount permitted

I thought the wide border needed something exciting, so I made these folk art looking crows. They aren't people in party hats. They are birds...birds fly and so does time.

I also quilted in the months of the year when I was quilting the quilt. I love making quilts for the Windham booth. This is the 3rd market in a row for me to do so. OK...I need to go jump in the shower and get ready to work. It is fun to work at a quilt shop.

Kathryn's Celtic Craig

Hey there! This lovely quilt was made by Kathryn Limpic. It is a batik quilt that was a block of the month through the quilt shop I am working at (Quilters Quarters). I was pretty excited to quilt it. It hung beside my machine while I was finishing up the quilt ahead of it in line and I thought and thought about how I was going to quilt it.

I was able to work in some Welsh inspired quilt designs. The leaves in the center of the cross, and the swirls in the background to represent the passage of time or eternity.

I used my Statler (computer) to quilt the individual blocks. The little point to point arches, showcase Kathryn's perfect piecing and then I hand guided the rest of the quilting. Kathryn really did have some awesome piecing. I don't think I have ever turned a quilt away for poor piecing...some take longer than others due to the style and flair with which the quilt maker put her top together, but it was sooooo nice to quilt on a perfectly square and pressed quilt. Thank you Kathryn!

Lots of quilting without it being too quilted was my goal.

I did have one thread change, I had to quilt with black thread on the black parts of the quilt.

Here I am looking a bit wild. This was a really really fun quilt to quilt.

I do love a quilt back!

OK, I have some block cutting instruction to work up for the next block of the month installment , so check back tomorrow or later this evening for the next 2 blocks in the Kansas City Star BOM. Cross and Crown, and Maple Leaf!

I quilted a bunch of other quilts, but neglected to take pictures before delivering them or their owners coming by to pick them up. That makes me a bit sad. It is almost like it never happened!

Have a great Monday!
Tia

A traditional Appliqué quilt

I quilted this quilt a couple weeks ago an am just no getting around to posting pictures of it. I know this ia a little different than the quilts I normally quilt, but it was a fun challenge. this is 90% Statler quilted. When I say that I used the computer onboard my machine to quilt most of this quilt, then at the end I went back in and did the free hand work. I learned a bunch about the amazing machine that is in my studio. Normally I just free hand or hand guide my machine. It is my preferred way of quilting, but with this one I figured the computer would do a better job than my hands.

The cross hatching is machine done, and the stipple and dress details are hand guided.

You can really see all the quilting from the back of the quilt. I do love a quilt back.

This one took a great deal of time...but I think it was worth it.

Have a happy day!
Tia

quilts quilt lots of quilt

Good Morning! I have been quilting up a small storm when I have time. I am just going to throw up a bunch of pictures here and let you know a bit about them. They all deserve their own post, but I don't know when I will have time to sit and blog again! Too much swirling around here.

The above quilt is a kinda secret one. It is going to market at the end of the month and will be a free pattern on the Windham website when the dust settles.

 These are quilts that I quilted for Caitlin

This one I quilted with a kinda swirly/free form baptist fan edge to edge design. This one was fun but a bit tricky due to the backing. The backing was a lovely and soft cuddle fabric. It was soooooooo stretchy. It quilted up pretty well until I got to the bottom. It was not cut straight and the stretch got really bad....all in all it turned out fine, but I couldn't do my best work. If you send cuddle fabric for the back of one of your quilts, make sure I have plenty of extra backing fabric to anchor your quilt properly.

This one was really fun. Made with a Layer cake. Caitlin wanted the edges to fray a great deal, so I quilted a lot in the background, loops on the petals and pebbles in the centers.

Here is the back of the cuddle quilt. The effect is lovely isn't it?

Here is a fun quilt I did for a lady on post. It is for her son. I quilted wind currents inside the main panel piece, swirls in the background fabric and echoing lines in the little city blocks around the panel.

This was a fun one. I got to use my channel locks quite a bit. Channel locks help me make perfectly straight lines. This lady wanted the quilt quilted just like Angela Walters did it on the pattern picture. I did my best attempt. The batting that was sent with this quilt was the most thin batting I have ever used. maybe one step above flannel. I was afraid it would stretch or have bald spots, but with gentle care it quilted fine. I do think the quilting would have had more of an impact with a higher loft batting, but it is not my quilt and in the end it looks fantastic.

Those aren't pleats on this sideways "D" it was where the quilt was folded.

Here is a spooky quilt. It is a shop sample. I feel bad because I have no clue who pieced it or who designed this pattern. I custom quilted it and about a quarter of the way in I really wished I would have just done an edge to edge. There is SOOOOOO much detail in this quilt.

My favorite part are the loops around the eyes. Kinda Dia de los Muertos? I think so.

Currently I am working on a really big traditional applique. A bit outside my box, but I am using all the skills my Statler Stitcher has (which are crazy vast). Normally I just custom quilt by hand guiding, but it sure is nice to have the option to use my computer to do perfect quilting...with a touch of handwork.

I have a bunch of quilts in the que to quilt....so if you are an instagram person, follow me there and you can see the quilts as I work on them (tiacurtisquilts) and I put pictures on facebook too. But I am no facebook hero. I barely know how to comment.

Have a great rest of you week and I hope you find the time to create something wonderful!

xo,
Tia