A wedding surprise ...

… well … not really … because it didn't get done in time (separate story).

Very keen on how it came out … for those of you new to this quilt … I saw an inspiration quilt a few months ago which I LOVED!!!

A colleague of mine is getting married next week … very exciting week for her as she and her fiancé merge their two families to become one.  I haven't been to her home … so I don't know colors … I tried snooping of Facebook and all I could see was a red couch … yup … a red couch.

So I figured anyone brave enough to put a red couch in their decorating scheme must have a modern movement in their sole … and thus I found a home for my favorite new inspiration quilt!

The quilting was new for me … I used the tutorial at Crazy Mom's Quilt to figure it out …

Sadly, I wasn't able to finish it in time to give to her before she departed, as I had continued challenges with my new Juki TL-2010Q.  [ I will do a separate blog post about this machine when I get back from Paris and have more time … but suffice to say, I am far happier with my 30-year old Pfaff portable sewing machines that I have been with my new Juki ].

From the back.

All made from Kona Solid Cottons.  Each of the blocks is 9.5" … so the squares are 18 across … with a total of 9 squares in the quilt.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

All the best

Lisa

Up until tonight ...

I had always basted with pins ...

I am thinking that's about to change!  I am really loving the smooth flat surface you get with the spray.

I have decided to quilt this in the same way as the inspiration quilt … I know ... I need to get more original … but this is a quilt that's had my eye for a while … and as long as I give credit where credit's due … I want to be able to try some of the tricks and tools that I believe made the inspiration quilt SO effective.

I found this great tutorial on how to straight line quilt within blocks over on Crazy Mom Quilts.  She uses the free-motion foot … who would have thought?!?!?  Every time that I had tried this before I was a stuck with a bunch of loose threads that I couldn't manage effectively.  Her tips make loose threads a thing of the past.

I ran created a test mini-quilt last night to give it a whirl …



Going to give the "real" quilt a go tomorrow night … wish me luck!

All the best
Lisa

A nice surprise ...

I buy nearly all my fabric at the LQS in my Ballard neighborhood in Seattle.  But when I need solids … I still find my Kona Color card and the internet to be my best option …

I picked up some cotton solids to make this quilt … ordered a 1/2 yard and they sent a full yard with the JACKPOT sticker … what a nice surprise!

Quick question:  Does anyone have suggestions on the color thread for the quilting?  It will be meandering (the only quilting that I am currently able to do well).  Here's the inspiration quilt.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

All the best
Lisa

The undesirable club quilt ...

John is off to England next week … he's heading over early to acclimate to the time change prior to his Marathon in Paris …

He's going to visit his cousin "M" … this is for her …

"M" was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall … chemo is behind her … surgery and radiation remain.  This is somewhere that both John and I have experience … the "undesirable club" … the cancer club …

I wanted to make something bright to tell her we care, we understand, and we love her.

I used some of the new Lotta Jansdotter fabrics with some solids I had in the cupboard and lots and lots of Kona Sateen White.

Madigan … had to have her chance to approve the quilt …

You can see I have trained her well … "No" simply isn't in her vocabulary … not to worry … it went into the wash after the photo op.

The pieced back -- here I used some of the prints, along with a sea of Kona Ash.

The message.

It's ready for John to tuck into his suitcase next week.

Hope you had a good week!

All the best

Lisa

A Surprise Party ...

I've been busy … getting a little quilting in … but more importantly, getting a surprise party set up!

Back story … my husband, John, turned 70 on March 10th.  He started running about 7 years ago … and this past weekend, ran his 18th half marathon.  

John was diagnosed with prostate cancer a little over a year ago … he's been doing great … and to celebrate his 70th, John has decided to run a full marathon (his first) and has chosen to run this first marathon in Paris, France on April 6th.  

This past weekend, he ran a local 1/2 marathon as a training run here in Seattle.

As a surprise, I invited friends to come out and cheer him up along the race …  we got T-Shirts, balloons, cowbells, signs, etc. and a good group of friends to help us celebrate.

He did … running his 3rd best time after 18 half marathons.  There was a lot of fun had by all … especially the birthday boy!

We followed the race with brunch at a friends … amazing what a couple of hours with a few good friends can do to refresh your spirits …

Awesome weekend!  Great to have friends and family around!

All the best
Lisa

What's on the wall Wednesday ...

Playing with some new Lotta Jansdotter fabric I picked up at the LQS this evening …

Love the colors and am still feeling my way through the design notions for these great prints …

Happy Wednesday!

All the best
Lisa