Hibiscus and Monstera table runner

This is a gift to my friend Bonnie Moon. I designed this table runner. The Monstera are needle turn appliqued and the Hibiscus and Plumeria are fusible applique with thread painting. I echo quilted around the design with Glide polyester thread.

Christmas Stars Quilt

This quilt was made over several years, making a block or two each December after Christmas presents were finished and then put away for another year. After participating in our EQ design group, I decided to put the blocks together on point and designed sashing with asymetrical stars. The candy strip border was fun to add interest at the sides. I quilted Christmas trees in the green border, but they blended too much with the background and I went back over with a metallic thread. This quilt is enjoying the holidays in our room!

Blues Quilt Labor Day Weekend

This is the quilt I made for a friend. The pattern is Stripped in Bali for use of Bali pops, precut strips of batiks. I cut my own strips and had an ample supply of ocean blues. I put a plush backing to be comfy to snuggle under this fall/winter. I quilted it with Glide thread, a pretty polyester thread that glistens.

Quilt Retreat Fall 2012 Flathead Lake

I had a long weekend at Quilt Retreat on beautiful Flathead Lake at Glacier Camp near Lakeside, MT.

I worked on this spiral border for one of my applique turtles. I really like the results. It was a fun weekend with my quilt friends.

Quilt Univesity's Artists Revisted Class

I took Quilt University's Artists Revisted class. You select a painting, posterize and then trace the sections of color and translate into a quilt. The fisrt part is selecting the right color fabric. Then fusing the fabric and then threat painting to get the paintbrush effect and blend the colors. The you take the quilt top and quilt it with batting and backing. I finished just before the class finished. I had the most difficult time getting the fabric colors for the sky and 2/3 of the painting is sky. It is easy to over do the color and hard to get the soft impressionistic colors. A recent trip to Lewistown, MT through the heart of wheat country was also an inspiration. The thread was the Glide, polyester thread which I really liked.

Group quilt for Care Net

Our group of quilters created this quilt as a fund raiser for our local Care Net. It won a blue ribbon at the quilt show in June. Picture taken at Robin's cabin overlooking Placid Lake.

Left to right: Steve M, Robin, Shirley, Cecelia, Kathy, Jackie, Myrna, Michelle and Jerry.

Artists Revisted Class at Quilt University

Here is my progress so far. It is a rendition of van Gogh's Wheatfields and Cypress recreated in fabric. I'm in the process of the thread painting and then will progress to the quilting.

Quilting Close Up

I really like the metallic silver thread quilting of turtles in the corners. I like how they appear shadowy and swim away.

Kaanapali Beach

I think I have finished the quilting and I am down to finsishing touches. I am planning to add some beads to the outer border. I have to thank all my mentors who have given suggestions, tips, help and advice.

Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend Quilt Show Theme Quilt

The Missoula Quilt Guild Show this June is Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend. There is a challenge to design a quilt to go with the theme. This is my theme quilt. I think I will title it Maui Memories. I designed the center and took it with me on vacation to Maui this winter. It features diamonds on the backs of the turtles with the diamond stars accenting the center. I just washed it and when dry I will start the quilting. I have metallic/hologram thread to use. I found some interesting beads to add. So  I still have lots of work to do before the show.

Spiral Table Runner

Here is the Spiral Table Runner I made at Spring Quilt Retreat. I quilted it with an open heart design.

Quilt for Montana Dietitians

This is the quilt that will be raffled at this year's annual meeting of the Montana Dietetics Association in Kalispell May 8 - 10, 2012. I made some of the blocks while at quilt retreat earlier this month and the rest of the blocks when I got home and there were fewer distractions. Fun!

Zach and Natalie

This quilt was made for Zach and Natalie who got married last summer.  It is currently on its way to PA. Best wishes to Zach and Natalie!

Quilt

A group of friends had a fabric exchange. I put the blocks together and finished the quilt.

Surfer Santa

This is Surfer Santa I made for a friend who collects Santas.

January Free Motion Quilting Challenge 2012

Here is my January free motion quilting challenge. I did some on the long arm and some on the Juki.

Good to try it both ways.

Turtle tote

I have just finished this tote bag or purse. I was using the Bow Tucks pattern but customizing the pockets and divisions. I strengthened the bottom by using a pack cloth lining for the bottom section. I used a polyproplene web inside the handles. I put a zippered pocket on the inside for valuables. Then I made the inside pockets to meet my needs. I'll test it out tomorrow!

Hawaiian Dreams Center

Here is the close up of the center applique of the turtles and the quilting.

Maria's "Hawaiian Dreams" Turtle Quilt

This is the quilt I made for Maria and was commissioned by her mother Delores for Christmas. I named it "Hawaiian Dreams". I completed the center while vacationing in Hawaii February 2011 in Kona. Our hotel had lots of turtles swimming in the tide pools. I have Storm at Sea blocks framing the center and Delectable Mountains for the borders. I have microquilted ocean waves around the center applique with turtles quilted in the setting brown triangles. I also have palm trees quilted in the brown Delectable Mountains around the border. It was the most complicated quilting I've attempted on the longarm.

Jim's "Reggie's Nightmare" Quilt

Happy New Year! I am back on this blog.

Above is "Reggies Nightmare" for my brother, Jim. It features alligator fabric around the Rubick's cubes in various stages of the solution. He usually doesn't let me play with his Rubick's cube, so this is really a "Sister's revenge!" Each face of the cube is appliqued and then button hole stitched to secure it then quilted with a general stipple pattern with the name quilted into the top. Designed in EQ7.