Blue and Green Race: A Finished Quilt

This is another stash busting quilt that I cut out last August, pieced last December, and finished this month.  I used my calculations for race quilts just like my previous quilt.

I decided to keep the strips the whole width of fabric (except for the first strip).  I think I prefer the half the width of fabric on quilts this size.  Either way, it is a fun fast quilt to make.

I quilted it on my mom's fusion and used a ruler for the first time on a long arm.

It felt very different from using a ruler on my sit down machine.  However, the more I used it, the better it looked.  I used the ruler in each section of the quilt, then went back and filled in the large spiral.

I was using a size 18 needle, and I didn't have any problems with skipping stitches.  However, the thread kept breaking if I quilted too far from the right to the left on the big spirals.  I am still learning the ins and outs of my mom's Fusion.  It is nice learning on fast quilts like this, which will be donated somewhere sometime this year.

The quilting design was inspired by one of Christina Cameli's designs in her book, Step-by-Step Free Motion Quilting.

The quilting design was so large (the strips finish at 5.5 inches wide) that the quilting on this lap quilt took less than two hours.

The backing is pieced using some leftover green fabric from an old border and yardage.

That green stripe came from Milky Way, my 19th quilt, finished in 2004.

The binding on this quilt used two different blues because I didn't have enough of either one.

I really am so pleased with how this quilt turned out.

Quilt Stats #176
Name: Blue and Green Race
Pattern: Race Quilt Variation
Fabric: Blues and Greens from my old stash
Amount Used: 6 yards
Batting: Mountain Mist Polyester
Size: About 54 x 66 inches
Date Finished: February 2016
What I learned:

• I can use a ruler on the long arm.  

XX,

Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out for great inspiration.  

Flannel Duo: A Finished Quilt

I am so pleased with how this quilt turned out.  It is a great stash busting quilt, using an old stack of flannel I was given years ago.  

This stack was mostly half yard cuts of fabric.  From sixteen of the fabrics I cut two eight inch strips.  One was for the front and one for the back.  Some of the half yard cuts were generous enough that I was able to cut a three inch strip for the binding.  I also cut three extra strips for the backing.

The front became a big plus quilt made from eight inch squares in sixteen different fabrics.

The backing was sewn together using my chunky race quilt calculations.  It has eighteen different fabrics.  A couple of the plaids were so big that I didn't want them on the front.

 Sixteen and a half strips were used for the main part, and then two more strips were added to the side to make the backing wider than the top.

It is important to have the backing bigger when quilting on a long arm machine.

Keeping with the stash busting, I used some old low/medium loft polyester batting which my mom had on hand.  While I don't like using polyester batting when sitting down to quilt, it wasn't too bad to use on the long arm.  I just had to be extra careful not to stretch it when I was rolling the quilt.

This process made for a fun, masculine, double sided quilt.  That is why I decided to name the quilt "Flannel Duo."  It really is as snugly as it looks and will be donated somewhere sometime this year.

I really love these big plus quilts.  I can piece one in a couple hours.

I also love the chunky race quilts.  I can piece and press one in less than two hours.

I planned it so the two sides would end up skinny.  That kept the seams all from lining up with the seams on the top and getting too thick.  I like how the stripes are vertical on the backing.

I quilted it in a loopy spiral in a light tan thread.

And used only blues for the binding.

It really was a fun, fast, stash busting quilt!

Quilt Stats #174
Name: Flannel Duo
Pattern Top: Plus quilt from eight inch squares

Pattern Back:  Race Quilt Variation
Fabric: Eighteen different flannels
Amount Used: 9 yards
Batting: Mountain Mist Polyester
Size: About 60 x 75 inches
Date Finished: January 2016
What I learned:

• Double sided quilts are awesome!  

Next, I have more stash busting quilts to share.  

XX,

Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the parties on my sidebar.  Check them out to see what other quilters have been making.

More Forest Friends: A Finished Quilt

I am happy to say that this quilt for my father is finished!  I made a smaller quilt with the same fabrics for my husband last March.  My dad saw it and said he wanted one just like it, but bigger.  My mom bought the fabrics last summer, but I didn't get around to cutting them until November.  I made the large blocks at the Quilt Bliss Retreat.

I finished the quilt top here at my parent's house, and quilted it with my mom's long arm machine.

I quilted it simply with a large meander to keep it cuddly.

I did the binding by machine, but cut it out at 2.25 inches instead of my usual 2.5 inches.  It worked well with the narrow pieces in the blocks.

I am so pleased with how it turned out.

There are moose, deer, bears, birds, leaves, and pine cones on the front.  There are elk on the back.

Just ignore the funny shadows on the quilt from this tree.  I was happy for some sunshine for the pictures.

Quilt Stats #171
Name:  More Forest Friends
Pattern:  Square in a Square
Fabrics Used:   Pine Ridge Panel
Amount Used:  9 yards
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20
Size:  About 60 x 80 inches
Date Finished:  January 2016
What I learned:

• I am getting faster putting quilts on my mom's frames, but it is still much easier with a helper.  

I made a drawstring bag for my dad with some of the leftover backing fabric.

However, I couldn't make just one.  Lol.  These bags are great for using up larger scraps, and I only had one left from my batches last year.

My dad loves the quilt and looks forward to using it at his cabin.  He plans to keep his headphones in his new bag, and I love seeing things I make used.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out to see what other quilters are up to.

My Niece's Fourth Quilt

I recently helped my niece S finish her fourth quilt.  (The other quilts I helped her with can be found here and here.)  I love how it turned out.

She has decided that she loves to make a quilt when she is visiting Utah, and I love helping her.  She looked through pictures of quilts I have made in the past and fell in love with the Layer Cake Lemonade pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop.  We made it bigger by adding to the bottom and side.  When I knew she wanted to make the quilt in teals, blues, and purples I offered for her to come shopping in my stash for her birthday.

We had fun cutting it out and determining a layout on my design wall.  We labeled all the pieces with Post-it notes and she took it to my mother-in-law's to piece.  Once the top was finished I helped her with the backing and I quilted it on my mom's Fusion.  She helps me when it is time to roll the quilt.  

She selected a breeze pantograph which came with my mom's machine and quilted it in a blue Aurifil 50 weight thread.

She really has such a good eye for color.  The blue thread she chose blended beautifully with the teals, blues, and purples.  Plus, it looks really neat on the solid black backing.

We were really short on time, so I took it back to my house and added the binding.  A nice teal solid which she selected.

I finished it the day before she flew home and quickly took pictures in my back yard.

My sweet niece has already given this quilt to a friend of the family who is 95 years old.  I know the recipient treasures this quilt and appreciates all the work that went into making it.

Also before she left, she bought a kit for another quilt.  It came in 5 inch cut squares.  She said that it will be an incentive to learn how to use her own sewing machine back home.  I am sure her fifth quilt will be coming soon.  ;)

Can you tell I am such a proud aunt?

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out for lots of quilty inspiration.

Cranes: A Custom Finish

My mom has now finished a queen size quilt for all eight of her children.  I have quilted three of them for her.  This quilt is for my brother W.  My mom had all the blocks pieced for a long time, but her health kept her from finishing it for a few years.

I recently went to her house and helped her pin the rows together.  Then I measured, cut, and pinned the borders for her while she sewed.  Another day I quilted it on her Fusion.  I could have quilted it on my Tiara, but I didn't feel like basting a queen size quilt.

This is the fourth Irish Chain quilt I have quilted, and the first one with an all over design.  I quilted swirls in the center.

And swirls in the border, but not in the stop border.  I used the walking foot on my machine to stitch in the ditch around the inner border.

Two of the four prints were directional, and my mom did a great job keeping all of the cranes and waves going in the same direction.

The backing fabric is the same as the background fabric.  I was careful to keep it going in the same direction as it did on the top.

The swirls were a little more difficult to quilt on the long arm, but I think they still looked okay.

Once it was all quilted I sewed the binding on.  I even stitched it to the back by hand for her.

My mom has an eagle quilt she wants to finish for my dad, then she will work on whatever she feels like.  She is now caught up with her children and grandchildren quilts.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  There is something fun for every day of the week.

P.P.S.  The quilt is not faded.  I found out after I took the pictures and brought the quilt to my mom that there were little finger prints and smudges on my lens.  I now have a clean lens... I think.  ;)

Finishing My Sister's Third Quilt

My sister wanted to make a table runner to give as a gift, so I went fabric shopping with her.  She fell in love with a Jinny Beyer jelly roll.  We did add three different fabrics to it so there would be fifteen different batiks for the quilt.

She wondered what to do with the rest of the strips, and decided to make a quilt as well.

This is only her third quilt.  Her first quilt took her ten years to finish.  It is a beautiful lattice quilt.

She quilted it at my house with my Pfaff twelve years ago.  Her second quilt is a baby quilt which was a hand quilted panel.  It took her fifteen years to finish.  We finished her third quilt together in one week.

She bought the fabric on Monday.  Sewed the strips together for the Strip and Flip quilt and the table runner on Tuesday.  Added borders at my house on Wednesday.  Quilted her table runner on her own machine on Thursday.  Helped me quilt the quilt on my mom's Fusion on Friday.  Watched me sew the binding on the quilt, then sewed the binding on the table runner on Saturday.  It was exhausting!
But we were so amazed that her third quilt was finished in less than a week.

She chose the field of flowers digital pantograph which came with the Fusion for the quilting design.

I got the biggest kick out of the fact that she matched her quilt when we were quilting it.

Once we finished the quilt and runner, they had to have a photo shoot at my house.  :D

First, here's the table runner.

I will admit that the binding is only glued down in these pictures.  She will use the ladder stitch to sew it down to the back by hand.

It looked so pretty outside.

And I really loved the quilt.  It finishes about 55 x 70 inches and used the Strip and Flip Tutorial at Cluck Cluck Sew.  I like using the full width of the fabric and adding a 5 inch border.

We quilted it in a light gray thread which looked great on the front.

And perfect on the back.

The binding is the same as the backing and adds such a great frame to the quilt.

My mom thinks she should start making more quilts now.

 I really am so proud of my (older) sister.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar for this fun joint finish.