Archive for the ‘Completed quilts’ Category

Pretty soon, I’ll be out of these small ones needing binding and will have to face the larger ones waiting but for now, Here’s a HeartStrings quilt pieced by Sandy – done and marked off my list!

I really want to be piecing but I’m trying to stay focused on backings, quilting, and binding.

This top was pieced by Vicki as a QOV and is now bound and ready to be sent to Alycia once I finish up the other two tops I have here for her, They’ll have to wait a bit because I’m trying to get the two tops I need for Maine finished and that trip will be here before I know it.

I’ve been talking about texture on these HeartStrings quilts and this one quilted with the pantograph Ebb and Flow is another great example.

It’s the last of the ones I had ready for hand stitching so my goals over the next two days are to get the 2nd top for Maine quilted and get some more bindings ready for stitching. I’ve got the inspection for the bathroom in the morning and then I hope they get back to work on the shower tomorrow too.

I’ve been quiet for a couple days …not a lot of quilting going on but I did manage to get the binding stitched down on this small top pieced by Cheryl.

This one was quilted a while ago but I had a hard time finding a binding that worked — my stash has NO 30′s prints and while I looked for fabric at several stores I couldn’t find anything I liked so I finally decided I’d have to go with a solid. The color is a little off in this photo but it does pick up the blue in the sashing and there’s that same blue in the outer print border so it works.

It was quilted with a pantograph – Curly Hearts.

I finished handstitching the binding on this HeartStrings top pieced by Sue in FL.

Isn’t this a pretty pantograph – Halcyon from Lorien Quilting.

Unfortunately my binding is not keeping pace with my quilting – I still have 10 left here to bind.

This little one was pieced by Sue in FL.

I got up this morning and decided it was binding day. First, I bound the HeartStrings quilt I tied on Saturday at the sew-in. This one was pieced by Sue Frank or her Mom from blocks donated to HeartStrings.

If you’re a frequent visitor here you probably know I don’t like machine bindings (not going to convince me otherwise so don’t try!) BUT, there is one exception – I love turning the backing to the front on the tied quilts and machine stitching them down.

Then, I pulled fabric from stash and made bindings for these two – got them machine stitched to the front (yes, I do that part by machine) and they’re ready to be hand stitched down.

Realized that I had nothing appropriate for the other two tops I was going to bind so I ran out to buy fabric for them … and then after eating dinner out (Keith is still gone), I came home and instead of getting those bindings made, I started cutting green fabric.

I had no intention of starting my Forest Bricks top but somehow I couldn’t resist playing in the greens. And because I try to NEVER cut out just one scrap quilt at a time, those triangles are going to eventually be used in a 1000 Pyramid quilt unless I change my mind and use them in a Kaleidoscope and I have been known to change my mind.

A sweet little baby quilt pieced by Tish.

I think the curly heart quilting suits it well. Pantograph from Willow Leaf Studio by Lorien Quilting.

My yellow HeartStrings quilt is now bound and finished.

The top was pieced by Sue in FL and quilted with my Circle Lord Pampas Clam template.

I just love the stripe binding and the clamshells on this. How fun to take a lovely top to add to it’s beauty with my quilting and binding.

I briefly considered going upstairs and finishing those last 8 string blocks I need for my Homespun String top but I’m feeling lazy so I’ll put on another movie and start stitching on another binding.

Usually my life revolves around my quilting but lately quilting has revolved around my life ….in spite of that I am making some binding progress. This top was pieced by Sue in FL. I don’t know what pattern she used but I posted a brief explanation of how the blocks are pieced and now it’s bound and labeled and ready for donation once I wash it.

I’ve also been playing with EQ7 again – this time in anticipation of getting the new Dresden Plate die from Accuquilt. I’ve been planning to make a Fan quilt for years but haven’t wanted to do all the cutting. I’m not sure if I’ll use any of these ideas but I might. I love how easy it is to take an idea and quickly create different variations looking for the one perfect design.

The HeartStrings top was pieced by Sue in FL and quilted with my freehand Baptist Fans. Don’t you love the texture?

If you’re interested in more information about how I quilt my fans, check out the links on this page.

I’ve been slacking off on the binding front so today I trimmed two quilts and got the bindings sewn on. The first one, pieced by Tish is complete with the hand stitching finished tonight.

And Adam sent me some new photos of Caleb ….this is my favorite one. Isn’t he cute?

Another binding finished last night. This HeartStrings top was made by Melva. I just have 3 quilts left waiting for binding.

Overcast still but not raining right now — here’s another one of MY HeartStrings quilts. Two of my quilts in a row – unusual but I’m enjoying working on my stuff a little this month. This one just happens to be a UFO from last year too so it’s my 7th finished UFO for the year and since my goal is to finish 12 (or one per month) I’m on track with that.

Quilted with my favorite freehand Baptist Fans!

This one has one of my Off Center 4 patch backings and I love how it coordinates with the top.

I LOVE this little quilt — so happy and colorful! I pieced this during our last HeartStrings project and quilted it with my Circle Lord Pampas Clam template. It will be donated to the local Ronald McDonald House here in Minneapolis.

We have had the wettest spring and summer so far but in spite of the rain today, I wanted a photo of this one on the deck.

Sheree brought these quilts back to me last week – they’re donated tops that I’d quilted and I think all 4 of these were bound by Sheree although Cindy has been helping with binding too.

Pieced by San and her NC group, this will go to Alycia as a QOV and it’s the last of the large batch of quilts I had from them to quilt.

Houses pieced by Barbara Jean it will be donated to the local Ronald McDonald house.

This one was pieced by Melva.

And Tamera’s Twister quilt which will also go to the Ronald McDonald house.

It always feels good to get a batch of these donated tops finished and soon on their way to someone in need.

It’s not that often that I have something new on my design wall on Monday but I’m making good progress on the Patriotic Rail Fence quilt. Just one more row of blocks and 3 stars and I’ll be ready to assemble. The stars go on the top of the quilt by the way, there just wasn’t enough room to put them there on the design wall.

I’m cutting this quilt out with myAccuquilt GO which makes the cutting really quick so I can get to the piecing faster. Many of my recent quilts are designed so I can use my GO but older ones like this one can be cut with it too.

When people ask me about how much use they’d get from the GO I can just speak about my experience. First, the dies are perfect for the kind of quilts I’ve always made and 2nd because I’m very comfortable working with EQ6 and modifying block sizes, it’s no problem to adapt quilts I want to make to dies that I have. Because more people are purchasing the GO Cutter, I added a page to my MaryQuilts.com site that lists quilts that can be made in whole or partially with the GO.

GO Friendly Quilts

And finally, this isn’t the best photo of it because the sun is kind of bright out there right now, but Caleb’s quilt is finally done.

These two HeartStrings quilts were the ones I tied on Saturday at the sew-in. I was going to get the binding on a third one but didn’t have any fabric in my stash that would work which is very unusual but the quilt is made from 30′s prints so I set that aside for now.

The first quilt was assembled by Jane from blocks sent into Sue for group quilts and the second one was pieced by Lani and her group in CA.

I’m still being lazy but I did finish this HeartStrings quilt today — pieced by Sue in FL.

We’re sharing photos of our sewing spaces on HeartStrings so I snapped a few this afternoon. It looks like a hurricane went through my rooms but I’m blaming it on getting ready for the sew-ins.

The upstairs sewing room isn’t too bad – or at least I tell myself that because you’ve seen it worse.

But downstairs, I need to get things reorganized. Can you tell I went searching through all the tops and backs on the shelves looking for ones to take with me to PA to tie?

Finally, we’re having some lovely weather here – Chesty and I sat outside for a little while this afternoon.

It’s Tuesday so I’m supposed to be playing in my strings but the closest I’ve gotten to that today is working on the binding of a string quilt. I’ve hit the wall and am dragging today so not much is getting accomplished.

Today’s post is for me to document the recently finished quilts. The first group are ones I tied and bound at the PA sew-in and left for Ann to donate locally.

#1 pieced by Rebecca in Maine.

#2 pieced by May in Jersey

#3 pieced by May in Jersey

#4 pieced by Lani’s CA group

#5 pieced by Ann

#6 pieced by Ann

#7 pieced by Jane from blocks donated to HeartStrings

The next two finishes were tops that I quilted that were bound by Cindy and brought back at the MN sew-in on Sunday.

#1 pieced by Sharon, this quilt will be donated to Habitat for Humanity

#2 pieced by Cecile, this quilt will be donated to the Ronald McDonald house here in Minneapolis.