I was lucky
enough
to be able to buy a new Bernina 1260QPE in May, 1997. I had had my
previous
machine for over 23 years! Anyway, I thought that a new machine
deserved
a new cover, so I designed the block for the front of this one in
QuiltPro.
The whole thing is completely machine made--my first attempt at machine
quilting, even if it is just straight-line quilting. If you'd like to
make
something like it, a QuiltPro pattern for the block is available to
download
here
(if you don't have QuiltPro, use this
.jpg
file
instead),
and the instructions for the cover are here.
These two photos
show a pair of tea cozies I made for my twin sister and
me. Hers was a gift to go with the teapot I took her on my last visit.
The teapot is just like the one in the first photo. We both love tea,
so
it seemed a good idea! I machine appliquéed the colorful
background
squares and teacups onto the cozies and machine quilted each cozy. I've
shown the back, too, as I think the fabric is just perfect for my
sister,
who lives in France!
This is a placemat I
made for
our little grandson so that he would get something when his little
brother
was born. He adores Elmo, so he enjoys using this. The quilted writing
(almost impossible to see in this photo!) around Elmo's head says Elmo
loves Benjamin. The placemat is completely machine made:
machine
appliquéed,
machine pieced, and machine quilted. The pattern for the
appliqué
came from the book, Quilting with the Muppets.
And
this is a placemat I made for
another grandson for when his little brother is born. He loves Dora the
Explorer, so I used a coloring page image, edited it a bit and enlarged
it for machine appliqué with satin stitch. This one is also
entirely machine-made, with a couple of quilted stars in the white
background near Dora's head.
This was done in May, 2004.
This cushion is the result of a class in December, 2001, with
Sandra
Sims, who uses many of Jennie Rayment's techniques. Very little of the
work is quilted, but there is a small piece that is stippled, so I
guess
it fits here. The techniques are really fun! They vary from pin-tucking
to dimensional flying geese, to origami twists, to a starburst square
(top
right).
In January, 2002, a member of the quilt circle I attend gave us a lesson on how to turn a sweatshirt into a jacket. Mine is a little different from hers, but I had fun deciding what to do. Since I love LeMoyne Stars so much, I used two of them as pockets on the front. Then I figured out how to make the same pattern in a smaller size so I could add yet another star to the top as a decorative element. I've since made a similar one for my mother-in-law, using a slate-gray sweatshirt and red and black fabrics for the pockets.
part 2
In October, 2003, our local
quilt circle
again decided to make
sweatshirt
jackets. These were quite different from the ones we'd previously done,
however. From the outside, you can't even see that it's based on a
sweatshirt!
We cut the shirts apart, removing the ribbing and all of the seams; and
then we covered everything with blocks (log cabin for the fronts and
back,
squares for the sleeves). After we'd quilted each jacket piece to hold
everything
together, we put the pieces back together and bound them to finish the
jacket. I chose oriental fabrics for mine; I already had a selection of
them and had to add only a few more.
The quilt circle I attend had two separate lessons to reach this conclusion in May, 2002. First, we made chicken pincushions, like those Doreen Speckmann did. Then, a couple of months later, we made scrapbags to keep near our sewing machines or hand work. However, instead of a "plain" pincushion for the scrapbag, many of us used hook and loop tape to attach our chicken pincushions to the bag for a slightly different look. My pincushion and scrapbag will live in my Featherweight case so they're ready to go at a moment's notice. I think the chicken looks really cute sitting on the base of the bag! I've since made a couple more of these to give away.
This tote bag is an adaptation of Simplicity pattern 7098. I needed a large bag -- large enough to carry a quilt around when necessary -- and I really liked the possibilities offered by this pattern. I just "happened" to have several yards of a provençal-type striped print, so I decided to use that for the bag. With all of the stripes in the fabric, I also omitted the bands at the top and bottom that were illustrated in the pattern. However, I added an outer and an inner pocket so as to have a bit more versatility in using the bag. I love the color combination in this fabric -- it's cheerful!
As I said, the bag is big -- approximately 21 1/2" x 19". It has a box-type bottom, too, making it nicer for stuffing full of quilts! I machine quilted the fabric to its backing and batting, using straight-line quilting to make diamond patterns everywhere except on the pocket, which is done in horizontal lines instead. It was finished in October, 2002, just in time to take to the Houston Quilt Festival.
I found the pattern for these sewing kits while I was in Houston at the Quilt Festival; the pattern is by Carol Henry. The kits were really cute and handy, and I decided I'd make a few as gifts. I ended up making eight! (And, yes, I did keep one. <g>) Here are some of them:
The
one
on the left here was a gift at a Christmas party for my local quilt
group
in 2002. The one on the right went to my secret sister in France.
This
one
was for a good friend of mine here in Las Vegas.
These
two went to friends in England!
This
is
a view of the inside of one of them.
The scrapbag I keep next to my sewing machine was showing definite signs of old age, and I saw this pattern and couldn't resist. There's a cute pin cushion, the bag for threads and scraps and a little pocket inside the bag for a seam ripper or something else of that general size. I think it's adorable! <G> I finished it on May 26, 2009. It looks really sweet sitting next to my sewing machine.
An online French quilting group I belong to had a block of the month in 2008-2009. I'd originally intended the blocks to become the background for a quilt I had in mind, but it soon became evident that they weren't going to work that way. Once the BOM was over, I decided to make these blocks into placemats, using a beautiful toile I'd had for some time. Here they are:
I machine pieced them and machine quilted them, using diagonal lines on the toile and a feather design down the section with the blocks. Then I added a corded piping in red for interest before binding each mat. They measure 17" x 13" each, and I finished them in June, 2009. Here is a detail of the feathered quilting:
I took a class at the LQS in late September, 2009. It was given by Susan Schrempf, whose specialty is silk ribbon embroidery by machine. We worked on a crazy quilt block, which I finished in early October, 2009. It's not really quilted, since crazy quilts rarely are, but the block turned out okay for a first effort, though my French knots leave a lot to be desired. ;) The block measures 10 1/2" square.
I've always loved the Cherrywood fabrics I've seen, but I'd never before purchased any. However, while at the Houston Quilt Festival in October, 2009, I saw a pattern for a vest made with some gorgeous colors of these fabrics and just couldn't resist any longer. Here is the front:
I love the long, pointed front. Here is the back:
I finished the vest in November, 2009. It is machine pieced and completely lined, but it has no quilting.
One of the members of my local group is a very talented crazy quilter; she is also a fabulous long-armer and artist. A few months ago she showed our group a project that I just loved, and I had to make it, even though my talents at crazy quilting are negligible, to say the least. <G> The caddy folds up for carrying and looks like this:
Not terrifically impressive, is it? But the inside is a little more interesting:
I used embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beading, lace and pre-made appliqués to embellish the crazy-pieced pockets, and the "roll" in the center is a pin cushion with a bit of lace added. It measures about 9" at its widest point by about 15 3/4" when open, and I finished it in February, 2010.