Pentaflora Finale

If you've been patiently waiting to see the final quilt, well here it is in all it's glory!  Pentaflora.  It took me about a year to hand applique (no wonder I do mostly machine now!).  

The quilting was designed to go over and under the applique and is filled with a variety of quilting patterns.  I had a ton of fun with it.  The judges may not have been totally pleased with it, but I am and that's what counts.  Right?

One rough spot in this project was the time I waited between marking the quilting and actually putting the layers together.  It hung on my wall for about a year and had to be remarked with my trusty blue water soluble pen since I couldn't see much of the lines (must be the humidity!).

All's well that ends well.  More pictures will be forthcoming once she's back from Utah.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Pentaflora Part 4

Here's the final progression of Pentaflora.  More on the quilting next week.  She was at her first show in Utah this week and did not ribbon.  The judges marks were not flattering on her.  But I lover her, so oh, well.  Sometimes you have quilts that don't do well.  On to the Minnesota Quilter's Show and we'll see how she does!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Pentaflora Part 3

Here are the few layers of Pentaflora, my new show quilt.

The ring that is thicker below is the only one that hasn't been stitched yet.

Adding in the orange and light green background.

I hope you get to quilt today!

Suzy

Pentaflora Part 2

Today I continue to show you the steps in creating my new show quilt Pentaflora which will debut at UQSM next weekend. In case you missed it, here is a link to Pentaflora Part 1.

Layer 3.  You can see that I use a blue water soluble pen to mark my applique designs on the fabric.  I also thread baste my pieces instead of using applique pins.

The whole piece with Layer 3 added.

And Layer Four.  I love the purple tulips!

All of Layer 4.

I hope you get to quilt today!  
Suzy

A Sneak Peek at Pentaflora

So it's Quiltweek in Paducah and I have two quilts in the show.  I must admit to being a bit disappointed that neither one placed, but upon further reflection I've realized that having two quilts in the show is an accomplishment in itself and I need to get over it.  When big disappointment hits me it tends to take 24-48 hours to get over.  So I'm getting there.  It helps that my newest show quilt will debut next week at the Utah Quilting and Sewing Marketplace (formerly HMQS).  So for the next few posts I'll be showing you the process of creating this beauty.

When I design my applique quilts I always do a test layout of fabrics and then use mirrors to see if I like it.  Then I can change color decisions before the sewing starts.

This quilt was started back in 2014.  It's hand applique, so it takes a while!

I tried to take photos at each stage along the way so here we go.

Layer 1:

And a closeup for Layer 1.

Layer 2:

And a closeup for Layer 2:

Come back for more later this Saturday.

I hope you get to quilt today!

Suzy