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Quilting has been one of my favorite hobbies for many years, but since acquiring a Gateway computer in 1997 and discovering Singer sewing machines in May 1999, quilting has been more fascinating and enjoyable than ever. Through the on-line newsgroups, I have learned so much about quilting and sewing machines that the possibilities are endless. Some of my endeavors involved memory quilts with photos. Using several processes and experimenting, quilts, pillows, wall hangings, and pot holders kept developing. Each new quilt brings fresh ideas and sometimes more fabric, thus producing more "scraps" to produce more quilts. Most stitching was done by machine, with occasional hand quilting. Some of my projects are shown below.
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Bear's Paw Made from Leisure Arts pamphlet America's Best-Loved Quits - Bear's Paw, which included vinyl templates. Instructions were also included for a calico version. I did the Blue/White version with flying geese block border. Finished quilt of twelve 14-inch blocks was 64" by 82", using an old wool blanket for batting and plaid flannel bed sheet for backing. |
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Shown with pillow shams on a double bed. Using Barbara Johannah's " Crystal Piecing " book, this quilt was made in February 1998 on my Elna, mostly from fabrics that I had on hand. Using new techniques clearly explained in the book, the quilt went very easy and fast. There were 20 blocks, each block consisting of 16 half-square triangle combinations, plus borders and sashing, totalling 84" x 100" finished size. Different patterns were created by turning the combinations in various directions. Reversible pillow shams were made from 8 leftover squares. The backing was made from a regular patterned bedsheet, requiring no extra seams. |
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The Kaleidoscope quilt was made in March 1998 on my Elna, using Quilt in a Day "Kaleidoscope Quilt" book by Eleanor Burns. In the past, I have watched her quilting program on TV. The book includes diagrams to help in designing a quilt. This pattern was fascinating; it has no curved lines, but the arrangement looks like large circles. Machine quilting was done using the continuous curve method. Each square block consists of eight large triangles around a center, finished with four small triangles at the corners. Size of finished quilt is 86" x 91", with 63 blocks plus borders. |
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Log cabin pattern made for Val and Larry in Texas. There are many combinations that can be made using this pattern, using contrasting rectangular patches of light and darker patches built around a center shape. This pattern was also used for the memory photo quilts, using the picture as the central square. Quilting in the ditch is simplified by starting at the center and working snail-wise to the outer edge. |
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Wallhanging with turtle fabric and two separate 3-D turtles on the sill. I handquilted around the turtles in the window panes. This was a gift to our daughter Vicky, who once studied turtles and collected turtle figurines. To hang these quilts, I put a casing on the back across the top, where a yardstick or similar piece of wood could be inserted and the ends fastened to the wall. I use a tiny nail on each end, which does make a couple of little holes in the wall, but the quilts do not sag. |
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Attic windows wallhanging with Frisky done in fur fabric, a ribbon tied around her neck, and velcroed to the quilt. Frisky (almost Scottie) shapes were hand quilted in the borders. This was made for Val and Larry and their dog. The real "Frisky is admiring the other Frisky in the window. Val and Larry placed this hanging in their home on a wall adjacent to a window where the natural light accentuates the quilting. |
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The hangings on the left were gifts to our daughters and their husbands. The small potholder/hangings were made from the examples printed with the instructions on the preprinted panels. They made cute miniatures of the hangings. I used Daisy Kingdom "Memory Lane" preprinted panels with the pictures either iron-transferred or printed directly on fabric - scanning was done on a Visioneer PaperPort 3000 and printing on a Canon BJC-250 printer. The smaller measures 16" x 20"; the other two are 22" x 22". |
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Individual pictures are fastened on the tree with safety pins. This was made from a Daisy Kingdom Memory Lane preprinted panel of the tree, with leaf-framed pictures either iron-on transfer or printed. The tree hanging measures 27" x 37". Some pictures are in color and some in black and white. Some were done with T-shirt transfer sheets and some were printed on fabric treated with "Bubble Jet Set." I got mixed results, depending upon the fabric, process, and brand names. The ones with Bubble Jet Set had a nice finish but sometimes were too light; some of the iron-ons were too stiff and/or peeled off. Three different family trees were made; two were given to our daughters and sons-in-law. The words at the bottom, "Family is a Sheltering Tree," were hand quilted; some of the quilting was done by machine. |
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This wall hanging created from pre-printed fabric commemorates Lucas's first birthday. Pictured on the wall in his home. |
