Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Gifted

I have not had much to share the past few weeks partly because I was rushing to finish two quilts that were both gifted this weekend. I traveled out of town to a wedding and one quilt went to the bride & groom while the other went to some friends who hosted me along the way. I was in such a mad rush the day I left on the trip that I only had time to take a few quick pictures. They did not come out very well, but they're all I've got!

This first quilt is made with a set of charm squares from So You Sew Fun II line from RJR. I bought them half price from the Fat Quarter Shoppe. I'm sure many of us have done this because charm square packs are not very expensive in the first place, and then when they go on sale they seem like a very affordable price for a little piece of inspiration. Although I'm sure there are a million things you can do with them, I'm not sure if they really fit into my personal way of working. (Maybe I need to be more creative.) However, I think this quilt works no matter how simple the design may be, and it has a modern feel to it that I thought would be good for the college friends who hosted me the first night of my journey. They are good friends and the quilt was less of a hostess gift and more of a "good friends" gift.

squares

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The second gift was this improv log cabin quilt I posted about recently. This quilt went from beginning to end in a very short span of time! At least by my standards. It is hand quilted with black #8 pearl cotton in a baptist fan pattern. The quilting went so quickly! Those baptists knew what they were doing. Of course I did not mark the fans at all so they are pretty wonky in some places, but I think it works with the overall feel of the quilt. This went to the bride & groom, and I hope they will like it.

improv
(This quilt actually quite possibly lays flatter than any quilt I've ever made, but the wind was blowing it in this picure).

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6 comments:

Diana said...

I really love the charm square quilt. The design is simple, but very effective. Maybe because all those squares harmonize with each other but don't really "match" each other in an obvious way.

The improv log cabin is beautiful, too. May I ask, what kind of needle did you use for the pearl cotton quilting? I tried using pearl cotton to quilt only once, but it was so thick it was pulling the batting along with it onto the quilt top.

Debra Dixon said...

Both quilts look fresh and modern! I love the new ideas that are showing up everywhere--yours included.

Jessica said...

i love both! but especially the close-up shot of the log cabin. of course your quilting is awesome, but I also like checking out your fabrics to see which ones I have...

Jessica said...

oh yeah, i'm echoing diana-- which needle do you use for pearl cotton? I was told to use a #9 embroidery needle, but i think the one I actually use is different. very curious.

Libby said...

You know, I use an embroidery needle, but I just use whatever size I can lay hands on in the moment. I would guess the ones I grab are usually in the 6, 7, or 8 range. I'm looking at my pack of embroidery needles and I think those are the ones that are gone! Sorry I can't give you a more specific answer. I don't think I ever use the #9 size though...that one is still in my pack and it looks a little bigger than what I would normally like to use.

I love finding fabrics I have in other people's quilts!

Michael5000 said...

Ooh, very nice. The first is very formal, and the second delightfully relaxed. I need to learn to relax like that.

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