QUEEN OF THE BAPTIST FAN!!!!!!!

This is what I have to dodge while making the runs on the quilting. Lots of company, but, not much help. Jake doesn't move very well either, so getting him out of the way, well, lets just say it is easier to step over him.

The quilting has been completed on this quilt!!!! Yea!!! It only took me 10-14 hours total to complete it. I am sooooooo proud of this piece. It has turn out far better than I expected and I expected alot.

This is the back. Look at the definition with the quilting. I used 80/20 batting. There is more texture from the quilting than I expected. Just love it.

You really can't see the quilting from this picture, but it's there.

Now to decide what binding to put on. I think that I want a color---possibly the blue that was used in the nine patches. Or, maybe a pink for the little girl it is for. I don't believe that I will use the background fabric. Don't you think it needs the frame that the binding will provide?

 

Now to start Christmas shopping. No more quilting for the next few days.

Stay safe,

Double Nine Patches

I never figured that longarm quilting could be so difficult. Olivia has been performing beautifully. It's the operator that seems to be have the problems. Things have gotten better as the day has gone by. I had this quilt on the frame before 10:00 this morning.

I have worked on it all afternoon--welllllll, maybe not alllll afternoon. I did take a 2 hour nap---I am on vacation, after all.
Back to the quilt story: I have made 3 passes over this top and that is across the short side of the quilt. This is a totally new 'thing' for me, working with these templates. The glare on the templates has been so bad at times that I would cut off the overhead lighting in the studio.
One good thing though is that I have only had to take out 3 lines of stitching. On the first row there are some wiggles in the stitching lines. I will decide later if I want to take these out or leave as 'human error'. Hope these pictures show some of the quilting. I really love the way the quilting is affecting the surface of the quilt. The Baptist Fan pattern really works with this pattern. I am using 80-20 batting and Permacore thread. The backing is a white on cream wideback. One stitch at the time and I will be finished before you know it.

I got my delivery of hardware for my slat wall so will be reorganizing my thread later tonight. I will have to unplug Olivia due to severe weather in the area. Tornado watches are on for tonight.
Isn't it interesting how you can watch the weather radar and see the edge of the incoming weather front? I think it's cool---and can really be kind of scary  too.

Stay safe and keep your head down. More tomorrow.

Sick day and Double Nine Patches

Spent most of Saturday under a quilt in my chair with terrible head cold. I seem better this morning so I am in the studio. No, that's not a cigarette in the smilies mouth (I quit 3 1/2 years ago). It is suppose to be a thermometer. I seemed to run fever for the day. Was not flu, but, sure wasn't fun. Still need boxes of tissue close by.

All of the components of the Double Nine Patch are together. Today I will spend my time putting all of the components together. Sometime this evening I will have this top together. I did not think that I would EVER finish the 3 inch nine patches. This just goes to show that little snippets of time can work well on a large project like this.

My Circle Templates arrived yesterday so I will be ready to quilt this top in 'Baptist Fan'. I plan to practice using these on some muslin before I begin with the actual top. I'll let you know how things go.

QUESTION:  Should I start at the top of the quilt and work down? Should I fully stabilize the quilt and work from the bottom up? What would you do?

OK, back to the machine.

More Double Nine Patches

OK. this is where I am going to stop for tonight. Not even close to half way. Still have at least 2 full days of piecing before I can start to stitch rows. And so it goes.

Double Nine Patches

This is one of my projects for the next few weeks.
1 1/2" strips to make 3 1/2" blocks.

 The 3 1/2" blocks will combine to make 9" double nine patch blocks. These will combine to make this:

I am using this pattern as a reference. The quilt needs to finish as a double so I have to increase the size of this top. I just keep cranking out little nine patches so that I will have lots and lots.                       

I am at the point now that I can start piecing some large blocks so I need to cut some plain squares. I am using 30's reproductions and my favorite Kona. I love quilts make out of Kona they end up really snuggly. This quilt has been commissioned for a Christmas gift so it is important that I really work quickly on it. I'll let you know how it goes.

I also have backing and top on the frame. Maybe Olivia and I can get some quilting done on that this week too. I sure hope so.

Have a great week. ( I hate standard time--I want daylight savings time back!!)