Animals Around The World

Animals Around The World quilt

This is Joey's Animals Around The World quilt.  I made it from a cloth book pattern.  I cut the pages into blocks and put them on the design wall and using a lot of supporting fabrics ad-libbed until it was a quilt.  There are a lot of fabrics in it that are also in Aidan's Pirate quilt, and a few from Freya's Rubber Ducks quilt.  It was a lot of fun to make.  I used free-motion quilting on my machine at home.

detail of center of quilt

detail of Asia block and a wandering tiger.

detail of Australia block

detail of Africa Jungle block

detail of Europe block

I used a lot of 1" and 2" squares to fill in spaces.  Where the spaces didn't accommodate the 1" or 2" squares easily, I used beige map fabric, which is also on the back of the quilt.

backing of Animals Around The World quilt

This has pieces of rubber ducks, monkeys, beige map and colored map, lots of animals and pirate map, and ships at sea.

detail of label on Animals Around The World quilt

Down By The Bay

Down By the Bay quilt

This is Torrin's 1-year Birthday quilt.  I made it from a magazine pattern that was for selling Jim Shore fabrics.  I followed the pattern except where I ran out of fabric and had to improvise with something similar. 

Detail of pirate ship cornerstone on the Down By The Bay quilt.

I put blocks from Aidan's Pirate Quilt as cornerstones.  Three pirate ships and a pirate map are the cornerstones in this quilt.  I did free-motion quilting including outlining the lighthouses and buildings in the blocks.  I quilted in the sashing the words to the song "Down By The Bay", as well as each family member's name, and "Alaska 2013" and "Gig Harbor, WA 2013".  After quilting and binding and labeling the quilt I put red minky on the back.  So cozy!

Detail of lighthouse blocks.

Detail of lighthouse blocks.

Here I am showing off the backing.

Breezy Peonies

completed top of Breezy Peonies quilt

This was my first attempt at making an applique quilt.  It is actually a pieced and then appliqued quilt.  The large peony petals are pieced, then the rest of the block is embellished with applique.  It is a Laundry Basket pattern by Edyta Sitar titled "Prairie Peonies".  I altered the pattern by reversing the pattern on five blocks, so the peonies nod both ways.  I added a red inner border and made an extra wide outer border.

detail of Peony block

Detail of Peony block

I made the petals by strip-piecing 1-1/4" strips then cutting diamond shapes out of that.  Then sewed three diamonds together to make the block.  I made all these blocks first and applique was added later.

It took me about a year to make.  This was my handwork in the evenings after dinner.  When I had to stop working in my sewing room, I could come upstairs and do my handwork.  It was fun to do because all the blocks are different.

detail of label on Breezy Peonies quilt

I had it professionally quilted by Christina Boverman.  She did a beautiful job.  She made the background look like a pebbled wall, used rainbow thread for veins in the leaves, with feathers in the border.

Sun Bonnet Sue & Rain Bonnet Boy

Sun Bonnet Sue &  Rain Bonnet Boy quilt

This is one of my first quilts.  I think I made this in 1975.  I didn't know anything about quilting.  The appliques were done with a straight stitch on a sewing machine, and they have no arms or hands, because they were so small I just didn't do them.  The quilt has 2 layers of batting (I wanted it to be puffy).  I tied it using yellow embroidery floss, and its quilted in big rectangles that I did on the machine.  I bound it by taking the backing and folding it over the edge.  Its only good as a wall hanging because its so stiff from the extra layer of batting.  My quilting skills have improved dramatically since then.  The fabrics were the only calico prints I could find at the time - everything else was polyester.

This quilt is now in Alaska with Scott and Dalena.