For Kathryn

This quilt is the second of three quilts that I was commissioned to make for a friend.  Denise has two small dogs that go to the groomers quite frequently.  Every time they do they come back with a bandanna around their neck.  I was asked to make three quilts, one for each child, out of these bandannas.  Kathryn, Denise's oldest child, loves pink.  The inspiration for this quilt came from an advertisement by Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting.  The free pattern, titled Paprika, was created by Chloe Anderson and Colleen Reale.

Trying to fingure out where each block went.

The borders were quilted with what Irena Bluhm calls "wonky feathers".

Each diamond between the stars and pinwheels had their own "wonky feathers" in them.

 This quilt accompanied Kathryn to medical school. 

For the Love of Witches

My mother-in-law has been collecting witches for over twenty years.  Every year I love to search for the perfect witch for "The Witches Inn" (a room at her house dedicated to her collection).  Two years ago I was able to create a small wall hanging for her special room.

Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting had and article in the September/October 2005 issue that sparked my interest.  The small quilt was designed by Lori Smith and called Halloween Night.

After some thorough investigation and article in hand I went to JoAnn's, bought a bunch of quarter yards of Halloween fabric and got started.  I did not have previous experience in machine applique, but I was armed with a Bernina and access to the internet for any questions that I might have.

The finished quilt is 19" by 16".

For Solomon

I have a dear friend who has been through the refiners fire over the past few years.  When her son Solomon was born, 12 years ago, she gave her son up for adoption, but kept in touch with the family that adopted him.  Through many circumstances Solomon came back to her care last fall.  Solomon arrived with only the clothes on his back.  Quickly I made a twin sized quilt to help keep him warm through the cold winter.

I had a layer cake from Riley Blake and a bunch of red painters canvas by Laura Gunn.

Each block was quilted with different camping motifs.

McCalls Quilting Bonus

Because of my great grandmother's quilt I have longed to try my hand at making my own lone star quilt.  The May/June 2013 edition of McCall's Quilting had a web bonus that I just had to try.  Their 42 1/2" x 42 1/2" lone star wall hanging is titled "Welcome".

Here are pictures of the modified lone star that I created.

For those of you that are new to piecing a lone star quilt I found this video on HGTV with Jan Krentz to be quite helpful.  I do caution to make sure that you do your research about how lone star quilts are pieced before creating one of your own.  If not done right the center of the star can pucker.

Why I Quilt

Before I started quilting the only notion that I had about quilts was that hand made quilts were too precious for every day use and were stashed away in the linen closet.  My mother inherited one of my great grandmother's quilts, which no one ever saw.  One day I found the beautiful lone star quilt and resolved that I would never hide it again.

That resolve has turned into a passion to learn about quilting.  My mother helped me make my first quilt, but since then I have experimented and learned what I could to create the quilts that I envision in my head.