Paducah Inspiration

A few pictures from my trip to Paducah over the weekend.  My quilt is hanging in the National Quilt Museum right now!  It was so EXCITING!  

The texture on this horse is just amazing.  It was part of a special exhibit at the National Quilt Museum.

Sharon Shamber's best of show quilt from....2013?  I can't remember the year.  It is so stunning and still one of my favorites.

A detail image from one of Janet Stone's quilts in the museum.

Kris Vierra's amazing quilting.  Those curvy feathers.  So stunning.

Mom with her quilt hanging at Quiltweek Paducah!  SO fun.

I finally got to meet Sally Johnson!  We've talked online so many times and it was great to meet in person.

This quilt knocked my socks off.  It was the grand prize winner in a Japanese contest.  It's fabulous!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Be a Diamond Blog Hop - An Ode to My Great Grandmother

For a while I was stumped on what I wanted to make for the Be A Diamond Blog Hop.  I finally decided to make a small mini quilt/table topper.

Instead of piecing, these diamonds are fused and blanket stitched.  It was less time consuming than all the paper piecing that would've been required.  I picked a fun navy prints with blue and purple leaves and a solid blue batik from my Island Batik stash and went to work.  I am an Ambassador for Island Batik and I always have a blast with their fabrics.

I then had a lot of fun with the quilting.

So, where did this block come from?  A family heirloom!  My great grandmother was a quilter.  This quilt was what she considered her "masterpiece" quilt.  It is hand quilted and stunningly gorgeous.  My grandmother gifted it to me for my high school graduation because she know how I would value it.  And I do!  I decided to make one of the blocks (hers were hand pieced) with raw edge applique in remembrance of my Great Grandma Grace. 

If you love to applique, check out my Facebook Group Machine Applique Adventures.  AND if you live near Minnesota come check out my classes at the Minnesota Quilters annual show in June!

Be sure to check out all the others on the hop!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

April 22

Needled Mom

Keepsake Moments

Seams To Be Sew (moved to April 25th)

Kathy’s Quilts

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Color, Creating, and Quilting

April 23

Ms P Designs USA

Vroomans Quilts

Marjorie's Busy Corner

Melva Loves Scraps

Storied Quilts

Words & Stitches

Clever Chameleon Quilting

Songbird Designs

April 24

MooseStashQuilting

Beaquilter

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

Creative Blonde 

Selina Quilts

Bumbleberry Stitches

Two Maker Chicks

Quilts By Joanne

April 25

Patchouli Moon Studio

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Hill Valley Quilter

Mageez Room

Websterquilt

High Road Quilter
Seams To Be Sew

April 26

Creatin' in the Sticks

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Days Filled With Joy

For The Love Of Geese

Quilt Fabrication

Stitchin At Home

Just Let Me Quilt

Burgoyne Surrounded Scrap Quilt Part 2

All those little Island Batik scrap squares are finally sewn into a top!  I love the way it turned out.  This quilt had a very quick turn around time as a friend found out she needed to undergo cancer treatment.  I wanted to maker her a cuddle quilt to help in a simple way I could.  So I got some red minky and handed it off to my mom to quickly quilt on her longarm.  

Mom did a simple overall feather pattern across the quilt and I think it looks great!  And good news!  My friend is recovering well with no chemo or radiation at this point!  :)

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Splendid Sampler with Just Wanna Quilt

I discovered Just Wanna Quilt when Elizabeth Townsend Gard asked me to be on her podcast.  She is a law professor at Tulane who is studying the quilt world and working on how to explain copyright to us.  There is a book in process.  When she asked if we'd make some blocks from the Splendid Sampler for her, I volunteered.  Here are my two blocks before stitching.  

And after stitching...

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Ready. Set. Go! Baby Challenge Part 3 - The Quilting

My Island Batik Ambassador's Ready. Set. GO! Challenge Baby Quilt is done!

 See the cutting post and the piecing post.

I of course, cut all the pieces using my amazing Accuquilt GO! Big cutter.  It's amazing how quickly one can cut pieces!

Now on to the quilting!  I like to pick my threads by laying them on the quilt and seeing how they look.  Aurifil threads are my favorite to both piece and to quilt with.

I decided to quilt large feathers in the cream areas because they would really stand out.  

I ended up making a square around the edge with feathers and then doing this feathered wreath in the center square.

Here you can see how one feathered area flows into the next.  It's always nice when quilting is continuous and you don't have to stop and start.

My batting?  Hobbs 80/20 blend.  It's my favorite for quilts because it's light.  Just perfect for a baby quilt.

I love the rings of green diamonds that show up in the quilt.  They're my favorite part.

Thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs, Accuquilt, and Aurifil for all the amazing product I used to make this quilt!  It was such fun.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Ready. Set. Go! Baby Quilt Challenge Part 2 - The Piecing!

After I had a blast cutting out all my pieces for this challenge on my AMAZING Accuquilt Go Big! Cutter it was time to assemble.  

Why the John Deere fabric?  It's flannel on my ironing board.  It keeps my pieces nice and straight while ironing.

One unit complete!

Sister unit Complete!

Half units for the edge

The other half units for the edge

Sisters are sewn together...

I hope you get to quilt today!  Come back Friday for the quilting...

Suzy

Inspired by Fabric....of course!

The Just Wanna Quilt Quilting Army (AKA Facebook group members) were asked if they'd like to participate in the Green Challenge.  You get either a Kaffe or Tula green print and can do whatever.  My print is from Tula's slow and steady collection.  I picked out some batiks from my stash to coordinate.  I know, prints AND batiks.  But why not?

I then set out with my trusty Accuquilt Go! Qube to cut the pieces for my block.

Stay tuned!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Free Motion Friday - a Sneak Peek

I've been busily working on my upcoming Island Batik Ambassador challenges.  I have some binding still to do, but here's a sneak peek at the quilting.  Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Accuquilt Ready. Set. Go! Challenge - Part 1

My mother has had an Accuquilt Go! Big! Electric Cutter for a long time, so I've had access to it and have been in love with the accuracy and speedy cutting for quite a while.  I was jumping up and down when I found out that a Ready!  Set!  Go! kit was on the way to my house!  

I was able to work with my local dealer and upgrade to the electric cutter due to the tendinitis I continually have problems with. I knew the rolling cutter in the original kit was going to be a challenge and didn't want to set my tendinitis off.  Thank you so much Accuquilt for helping me.  It has been a game changer in my piecing.

Now....the fun begins!  I was playing with the 8 inch Qube that came in my system.  It has eight different dies to help make basic quilt block pieces.  I started with these lovely green diamonds in my favorite Island Batik fabrics of course!

Cutting some four and a half in squares of another green fabric.  I ran out of the first one, so two will do. 

Half square triangles have never been quicker!

This is one of my favorite Island Batik solids.  It's called Blackberry.

Quarter square triangles too!

And now it's time to sew....you'll have to come back to check it out. What is the John Deere all about?  It's flannel on my ironing board.  It sticks to those triangles and diamonds so they don't stretch out.  It's fantastic!

 I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy