Ditto by Jaybird Quilts

May 29, 2012

Julie, aka Jaybird Quilts, and I have a running bet. I bet her last year that she couldn’t wear me out. That I could handle as many quilts as she threw my way…..and this quilt market, she tried. I quilted a bunch of quilts for her booth, and she nearly beat me…..I nearly couldn’t keep up with her. But I prevailed and am happy and slightly worn out!

Photo by: Julie Herman

She released several patterns at this quilt market, but today I am going to show you her Ditto pattern.

I really like this pattern and the diagonal lines that it creates. For this quilt, I quilted feathers in some of the “diagonals” and swirls in the rest. I know that Julie likes feathers, so I love to quilt them on her quilts.

But I didn’t just quilt this Ditto quilt, I quilted a second one with Vanessa’s (V & Co) new fabric line, Simply Color.

First of all, I love Vanessa’s fabric line. The blues and greens are perfect!

This quilt is a great example of “efficient quilting”. When I was quilting this quilt, I was running out of time. The closer I get to Quilt Market, the faster I need to be. But even though I need to be quick, I can’t just quilt an allover…..so I use a few “illusions” to give a quilt a “custom” look as quick as possible!

First, I determine which area(s) of the quilt will show the quilting the most. In those areas, I quilt the same way as normal. In this example, the area that showed the most was the green, so I quilted that with a swirl quilting design.

Secondly, to quilt more efficiently (read: faster), I will quilt my favorite design on a bigger scale. So in this instance, I wanted to quilt circles, so I quilted them on a larger scale then I normally would.

Then, in areas where the quilting won’t show up as much, I pick a design that I know that I can quilt quickly. So in this diagonal line, I quilted a basic swirl.  Something that would be quick and easy!

In the smallest diagonals, I picked a design that looks great but that I know that I can quilt quickly.

I love to quilt…..I love starting a new quilt and hoping it will turn out exactly like it looks in my head. I also love the satisfaction of finishing a quilt. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with “quick quilting”. I like to do the best job I can in the shortest time, and this quilt is a perfect example of just that!

I will be back tomorrow with more quilts from Julie!

Happy Quilting!

Creepy Feathers

May 11, 2012

That’s the theme of today’s quilt…..creepy feathers. When Tula first told me about this line of fabric (way back when it was still just sketches on paper), I suggested that we try to do feathers with spiderwebs in them. It sounded a little dark and unexpected, so I knew that she was right up her alley!  I didn’t have the space for them in the other quilts, so I was glad to finally get the chance to quilt some “creepy feathers”

How about a closer look?

I know I say this about every quilt…..but I had so much fun quilting it!

First, let’s talk about the feathers. I love when a quilting design looks like its going behind the blocks on a quilt, I think it adds depth. Getting the illusion just right was a little tricky, but I think I pulled it off for the most part.

And what about that spider???

That pesky spider kept making little webs everywhere! I wanted to smash it, but then it spun Tula’s name in the web…….I decided it must be Charlotte (as in charlotte’s web) so I left her alone…….She is one busy spider!

I know I am being silly, but what can I say, I am sleep deprived and slap-happy!

And, again, the custom quilt backing:

This quilt will be hanging in her booth at quilt market, so make sure to stop by and check it out!

That’s it for now! I have to get to planning a birthday party. We are having my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow ( I tried to have it after quilt market, but she wasn’t buying it!).  The theme of the party is is ‘last minute party’. To make it as authentic as possible, I have waited until the last minute…….sigh!

Happy Quilting!

Kiss Kiss Quilt times 3!

May 4, 2012

Usually I have to wait until after Quilt Market to show the quilts that I have been working on…..

But today I get to show a quilt that I just finished up for Tula Pink. It is her Kiss Kiss pattern made with her latest line, Nightshade.

Picking out the quilting designs took a little longer than usual. I knew that I wanted to incorporate feathers in it somehow but I just couldn’t figure out how to work them in.

I couldn’t do them in the borders, they wouldn’t show up……the same goes for the black squares. So I knew that I had to work them into the striped blocks.

I finally ended up using the feathers to create a frame to focus fabric in the center square, and I am happy with how it turned out!

Here’s a close up of the center block.

I quilted feathers around the cameo in the center as well……you can’t have too many feathers, can you?

I absolutely love the back of this quilt, and it’s not because you can see the quilting….

Tula prints out custom quilt backs for all the quilts that she makes and this round of quilts each features a cameo from Nightshade…..just gorgeous!

Triple Take?

If this quilt patten looks familiar to you, it’s because I have quilted it several times before.

This one, made with fabric from Parisville, hung in Tula’s booth at Quilt Market in Houston.

She also made one out of Prince Charming when it came out.

It was in her booth at the spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City last year.

How about a close up of the adorable frog in the center?

Even though each of the quilts above are made from the same quilt pattern, the fabric selections make them each so very different. I love to use the fabric to inspire the quilting designs that I pick. The best place to find inspiration is right in front of your face!

 

Happy Quilting!!