Crimson Tweed Update

 Last weekend I had a small SIYOB Retreat at my shop. SIYOB stands for Sleep In Your Own Bed. I got to work on my Crimson Tweed the whole time, except when I was helping customers.

I started quilting the center snowflake block. When the retreat started I had less than a 1/4 of that block quilted. Now I have about 1/4 left to go. See below for a detail shot of this section.

Seed stitching is slow going but I really like the effect. This is going to take a while, which is why I decided that every Thursday afternoon at my shop is hand sewing group. That may be the only time I get to work on this but eventually it will be done if I stick with it!

Home Sweet Holidays Sample :: A Finish

 It's all quilted, labeled and bound now.

The panel is from the Home Sweet Holidays collection as are three of the five fabrics that surround the panel. This collection is a Moda collection from last Christmas. It arrived really late last year (the week before Thanksgiving) so I didn't even bother making a sample with the collection last year. I have a few kits available using the exact fabrics shown in the photo above - no substitutions. 

The quilt finishes at 47 1/2" by 67 1/2". The pattern used is called Panel Squared Quilt. If you purchase the kit from me then the pattern is included so don't purchase it again!

The pattern is well-written and easy to follow. I had to adjust the inner border dimensions to fit this particular panel. If you purchase the kit from me then I include this information in the pattern so you don't need to figure it out yourself. 

A "Ghastlie" Quilt

 While I was searching for patterns that feature panels, I came across this one. It doesn't feature a panel, but does feature large scale prints. It's called Sidelines.

It's by the same company that wrote the pattern for the quilt I shared in my previous post. Again, I only ordered one copy because I wasn't sure if the pattern would be good or not. It is great! The quilt looks very complicated but it is really easy to put together.

I used the Ghastlie Getaway collection for this sample, plus two basics from my shop.

This is one of the other 4 quilts I recently took to my long arm quilter. It is quilted now but I am working on getting the binding sewn on. I'll share a photo of the finished quilt when I get it done and post links to the pattern and the kit. Yep, gonna kit this one because it's just too cute. I had several customers ask for a kit while I was working on it!

Panel Pattern :: Diva 5

 I have been on a mission lately to find some new patterns that feature a panel. This one is a "keeper."

I don't yet have any of these patterns in stock in my shop. I only got one copy since I was not familiar with this pattern company. Lots of folks have great ideas for quilt patterns, but it is a lot harder to write a good quilt pattern than most folks realize. I am happy to report that this is a great pattern! 

Here is my version of this pattern.

Unfortunately, I don't have this panel listed on my website! Sheesh! I will fix that soon, but not today. When I do, I will update this post with a link to this particular panel. I have lots of other panels on my website though. You can view all the panels I have on my website by clicking the following link: Panels at Alamosa Quilt Company I've got several that would be awesome made up in this pattern.

I have already ordered copies of this panel for my shop. When they arrive I will list them for sale online as well as in store. If you want me to contact you when the patterns arrive and send you a link to them on my website, just let me know.

The quilt is currently being quilted by my local long arm quilter. When I get the binding on I will share a photo of the finished quilt and post links to the panel and the pattern. I took 4 quilts to her recently so I will soon have 4 finished quilts to share with you.

Panel Squared Quilt Pattern

 I have been searching for patterns that feature panels recently and found several that I like. This one is called Panel Squared Quilt.

I picked a panel from my shop and whipped up a sample.

It's not quilted yet, but will be soon. The binding will be the same red as the inner and outer borders. I liked it so much that I kitted up a few of these. So if you want to make one just like mine, you can!

Home Sweet Holidays Quilt Kit

Or if you just want the panel I have that option too.

Home Sweet Holidays Panel

If you buy the kit you don't need to buy the pattern separately. Patterns are always included with all the kits I sell in my shop. But if you just want the pattern I have that option too.

Panel Squared Quilt Pattern

I did a little extra work for you. I was not able to cut my panel the length called for in the pattern, but it was easy to adjust. If you purchase the kit from me then I included the exact instructions for making it with this panel. However, if you buy the pattern from me, I added a little extra information that was not included in the pattern - like how big the panel with inner border should be. This way, whatever size you need to cut your panel to, you know what size it needs to be with the inner border attached. I am including this information in all of these patterns that I sell.

A Finish :: My bright kids quilt

 I worked hard last week at the shop getting this adorable quilt finished up.

I put the hearts on black fabric from the collection on the back.

And here is another shot of the finished quilt.

The quilt finishes at 54" by 65" and I made up a few kits. Originally I was planning on using a rainbow stripe fabric for the binding. It looked fine, but felt a little busy to me. So I opted for the bright lime green dot fabric from the collection instead.

Black, White & Bright Quilt Kit

Black, White & Bright fabric collection

The pattern is not difficult. A confident beginner could easily make this project.

Crimson Tweed Update

 I finally decided that I am finished with the embroidery on my Crimson Tweed. Here is the final layout, before quilting.

Would you believe that I didn't have ANY of the thread colors that I needed to seed quilt this with!? I was a bit shocked, but I gravitate toward the brighter colors and I need neutrals for this.

The tin shown in the photo above contains the 5 colors of thread, size 8 Eleganza solid colors, that I will use for the seed stitch quilting. This style of quilting takes quite a while to do, but I'm not in a hurry. 

Quilting

 I decided to quilt this one myself instead of taking it to my long arm quilter. Click here to read my previous post on this project and for fabric information.

I outlined all the animals in the center and did a little stitch in the ditch. Did some back and forth quilting along the top and bottom of the panel.

I am using a ruler for the stitch in the ditch and straight line outlining I am doing. I'll probably do some more back and forth in the blue areas of the borders. I'm not quite sure what I will do in the squares in the border. I'm there yet though so I don't need to know yet!

I am still trying to decide on the binding fabric. My current favorite is a rainbow strip on black fabric. I just love a striped binding! 

Kits aren't available yet because I don't know what I will use for the binding. I hope to have this quilted by next week. Then I will make a binding decision and make kits.