Leisha Farnsworth 5/16/19 Leisha Farnsworth 5/16/19

Quilts...quilts...quilts!

Hello Quilting Friends,

Hope that your week has been a great one! I told you last time that I have some fun quilts to share with you...so here goes!

First up, this lovely quilt made by Beth, using the Mini Metro Rings pattern from Sew Kind of Wonderful. If you haven’t and you’d like to try a curved quilt, take a look at Sew Kind of Wonderful’s pattern selection. I’ve made a couple of their patterns, and they make sewing a curve easy peasy!!

Beth used mostly Porcelain by 3 Sisters fabrics, from Moda fabrics.

This quilt is small, and yet oh so lovely. So fun to custom quilt. I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Beth provided a batting...I think it was bamboo.

I used my 3” and 9” Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler to quilt the curves, except for the curve just inside of all the circles. I used a -10- curve ruler from Linda at www.thequiltedpineapple.com

My machine quilting circle ruler set, Circle2™, comes in a set of 6 ranging from 2”-14” circles. My sets are available in green or clear acrylic, on my website: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

Here is more info about my rulers: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set

These rulers are such a versatile set. Because they range in size from 2”-13”, that gives me a wide variety of options for curves.

I quilted a diamond shape, with lines 1/4” apart in the center. I freehand quilted swirls with a little tale, inside the “rings”. Pebbles and a little curve inside the rings, make the rings pop!! I love the combination all together.

Here is a great look at the backing. The backing is a minky, so the texture is lovely!!

Next up...Sherry’s Wagon Wheel quilt. This is a classic quilt block. Do a google search, I’m sure you’ll find a tutorial.

the black and white fabrics are so striking together!!

I used white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 batting for this quilt.

I gave Sherry a few options for quilting designs, and she chose my Beaded Clam Take 2, which is available on my website as well as Urban Elementz. Go here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/beaded-clam-take-2 or here: https://www.urbanelementz.com/beaded-clam.html

We chose this design to soften the hard lines of the quilt blocks, and it goes well with the fabric prints.

Look at all that fun quilty texture!!

I quilted this with my Gammill 22” Statler longarm machine. All of the other quilts and runners I quilted freehand or free motion.

Here is a look at the quilt backing. Love it!!!

Next up...this absolutely stunning quilt made by Joleene!!! Joleene is the mastermind behind the Sew Red Glasses.

Joleene made this one of a kind quilt to represent the last few years of her life. Family, friends, faith, service, her Sew Res Glasses and so on. Beautiful!! I love the red and white!!

When I quilt a custom quilt like this, I want the designs to flow throughout. You’ll notice orange peels, crosshatching, overlapping circles, diagonal lines, circles, and so on. I try and replicate a design in multiple spots to compliment the quilting designs and help the eye travel throughout the quilt. I love how this one turned out.

Here are some of my favorite blocks...first up, these 4” red stars were throughout the quilt. I thought the quilting on these were perfect to make the stars pop. I used my 2” Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler to quilt the curves, and an Edge ruler from Linda at www.thequiltedpinapple.com

I also love this star!!! If I remember right I used the 12” and 6” Circle2™ rulers to quilt the curves in the corners. Then I just echoed the Star with some simple lines.

On this block I used 4 different rulers...the Edge ruler, and 3 different sizes of Circle2™ rulers. It might have used the 3”, 6”, and 13” circles to create all the curves. I remember using the 13” circle, but I’m guessing I used the 3” and 6” for the smaller curves. I actually ended up using 5 of the 6 rulers in my set, to quilt this quilt!! I didn’t use the 5”/11” ruler. Which is a great example of the versatility of this set of circle rulers. I’m also loving how nicely they fit in my hand as I quilt.

Okay...those apples are too cute!!

Here is a look at the amazing quilt backing Joleen pieced. Cute, huh?!?!?!! I used white 30 tex thread, and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.

Here is a quick look at the clear set of my Circle2™ rulers. For more info or to purchase a set, go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

Here is a look at the smallest ruler, the 2”/8”. I designed them with the 1/4” hopping foot in mind. If you were to quilt a 2” circle, you would get a 2” circle. Not a 2.5” circle, like I’ve seen happen with other circle rulers.

Below is a look at the largest circle, 7”/13”. Check the link above to see a the other sizes. I’m loving seeing what your creating with these rulers. Please use the hashtag #circle2rulers on instagram, if you post pictures. I’d love to see them and share them. Thank you!!!

Next up, Barbara made these two lovely table runners.

This pattern is actually a quilt pattern by Down Grapevine Lane and is called Tumbleweeds Quilt, and she just made a runner.

I decided to quilt a variety of different designs to create some fun texture. Overlapping circles (video here: https://youtu.be/x0UNyEJdm9Y), swirls, ribbon candy, lines, feathers, and such!!

I love these fabrics with this pattern, so fun!!

I used white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread, and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.

And this lovely little runner is a pattern by Kim Diehl and is called Simple Whatnot’s 8.

I used a coordinating teal thread for the border, and a nice cream colored 30 tex thread, Dyed Natural, from A&E. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.

I freehand quilted a swirl feather in the center of the quilt, ribbon candy in the blue borders, and circles in the thin 1/2” cream border. Then I quilted a fun loopy freehand design in the 9 patches on the corners.

These fabrics are also from Kim Diehl.

I nice close up. Quilting just adds so much personality to a quilt, I love it!!

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great weekend!!

- Leisha

Leisha Farnsworth 5/4/19 Leisha Farnsworth 5/4/19

Make Yourself at Home + Pillows

Hope you’ve had a great week!! I spent most of mine with my baby sister and her husband moving and decorating their new townhome. It was so much fun!! I graduated in interior design, even though I fill my work time with quilting, it’s great to do some decorating every once in awhile.

So, I don’t have much to share with you in this week’s post. A wall hanging and some pillow fronts. I did freehand and or free-motion quilt them all. I do have lots of pictures!

First up...this amazing quilt made by Jeanenne!! It’s called Make Yourself at Home by Kimberbell Designs. This pattern, like several of Kim’s patterns, is available in a machine embroidery or hand embroidery option. Jeanenne did the machine embroidery version.

My goal with the quilting on quilts like this, is to create lots of different textures that compliment one another. Curves, pebbles, lines, ribbon candy, leaves with swirls, and grassy texture. Love it all together!!

My favorite texture has to be the 1/2” inch random angular lines in the border. I just love doing that on a border. It makes such a statement. I used Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple, to quilt the lines. I did a video tutorial on quilting out these lines awhile back. Head here to check it out: https://youtu.be/m5UXfRD_ujY

Its also a great way to fill a large border, or random borders and sashing like I did in the video.

Aren’t all those different angles so fun!! Yes, I do them randomly. No need to mark anything, just vary the angles from the ones you’ve already quilted.

I used my 4” and 10” Circle2™ (said...Circle Squared) rulers on the star blocks, pinwheels, the green quilt block, and the circular design in the 4 patch. My Circle2™ (machine quilting circle rulers) are so versatile. Let your creativity run...and you’ll create some amazing designs with them.

My Circle2™ rulers are only available in my shop in a set of 6 ranging in size from 2”-13”: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop For more info on them, check out this post: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set They are available in green and clear, high quality 1/4” acrylic. They can be used on a longarm or on a sewing machine with a quilting foot.

Aren’t all those textures great together?!?!?!!! And below is a closer look at the fun design I quilted in the 4 patch.

I decided on a windy background for the trees...and if wind is anything like it is here, it’s going in all different directions. Wind is fun to freehand quilt...here is another video on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/qsLJOyP62sc

I’m trying to share enough pictures, so you can see all the great designs together. That overlapping swirl design, behind the lamp, is also a favorite of mine. Go to this video to see how I quilt out this design: https://youtu.be/x0UNyEJdm9Y

When I quilt a design on a quilt like this, I try to do it again at least once if not twice. By doing so it makes the designs compliment one another and helps your eye travel as you look at it.

I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline, and Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread on the entire quilt.

I don’t like to quilt a ton inside the appliqués...the couches on this quilt got no quilting at all...yet I quilted the pot on the plants and doors on the house above. My rule of thumb for quilting in appliqué pieces, only do it if they need it. If they aren’t laying flat or are too big, I definitely quilt something, even if it’s just simple lines.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this quilt!! It’s definitely a fun quilt.

Next up...pillows!! Lots of them! I actually sewed the backs together in one long piece, because they weren’t big enough to pin to the machine. It’s also faster to quilt them all on one backing. Below you are looking at 7 pillow fronts all in one piece because of the backings being sewn together. I just center the pillow front on the backing, so the seam doesn’t end up on the back of the pillow. Sherry will cut them on the seam, so then she can trim them.

These are part of the pillow of the month kits that My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe has been doing for the past 8 months. They may still have some of the kits available, if not, I’m sure they have the patterns. Here is their website: https://mygirlfriendsquiltshoppe.com/

These were made by Sherry. A lot of these pillows will get more dimensional items added to them now that they are quilted.

Pebbles, swirls, and feathers for the background with a ribbon candy border.

She brought batting scraps for each of these, I think it’s an 8020 cotton poly blend. I used a white and a navy 30 tex Perma Core thread on this one, from A&E.

Next a cute witch hat! This one is quite simple, so creating great texture was important. I did that same line design, that I did on the border of the quilt above, on the brim of the hat. Add some crackle, 1/2” angled lines, 1/2” squares in the spider body, and ribbon candy sashing...a great combination! I used black and Antique Cream 30 tex Perma Core thread from A&E.

A closer look at the angled lines on the brim.

And squares on the spider.

Next the Valentine pillow. This one will have ribbons, like a bouquet of heart balloons.

Different quilty textures in the hearts with the pebbles in the background, add interest to this pillow. Bordering it with ribbon candy.

Next up...this cute gnome Santa!! He’s my favorite of the bunch. Sherry made four of these, which makes 7 pillow fronts in total.

I quilted that same freehand overlapping circle design in this background, link to the video is above. (With the lamp on the quilt). I added some vertical lines at 1/2”, in the hat and angled lines in the body. The beard has a wavy design and nothing is needed for the nose and the shoes.

The border has a repeat of these three designs, down both sides.

I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread on all 4 of these pillows.

For those who are wondering I have a $35 minimum, and so each of these pillows are $35 to quilt.

I’m off to quilt another quilt!! I have some fun quilts to quilt in the next few weeks, that I’m excited to share with you. Have a great weekend!!

- Leisha

Leisha Farnsworth 4/8/19 Leisha Farnsworth 4/8/19

Client Quilts & Pillows

Good morning! Hope you had a great weekend. This week I’m going to share with you a couple of quilts and then 4 pillow fronts, that I had the pleasure of quilting. This post has lots of pictures, tons of info, videos, and links. I’m just trying to share with you all my tips and tricks. I hope you find them useful.

First up, Beth’s quilt!

This quilt is amazing, and huge. So big, that I couldn’t get it all in the picture.

Beth used the Farmers Wife book to makes all these blocks. Such a labor of love!! She used all Bonnie and Camille fabrics from Moda. Which is my favorite!!

I sent Beth some options for quilting, and she chose Orange Peel. This design is by Marci Gore from Lily Street Quilts. Go here to check out her design: https://www.intelligentquilting.com/Orange-Peel-E2E-p/mg-orangepeele2e.htm

In the video above I share how I line up digital designs, using my Gammill Statler.

I love the orange peel design on this quilt, it compliments the blocks, instead of competing with them.

I used a white 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and my favorite Winline 8020 cotton poly blend batting.

Loving this angled picture...and the texture on the minky backing below.

Next up...This incredibly fun quilt made by Joleen.

This pattern is by Angie Peterson, who is in Joleen’s quilt guild.

Joleen requested that I quilt her quilt, like Angie’s was quilted. Bubbles chaining throughout, with stippling in the background to make the bubbles pop. I think it turned out fun!! I also did some light quilting here and there in some of the appliqués, so they lay flat.

I used my 4” Circle2™ (Circle Squared) machine quilting circle ruler, to quilt the petals in the windmill blocks, as pictured to the right of the letter Z. My rulers are available here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

This is the first of 4 different sizes of my Circle2™ rulers, that I used to quilt these client quilts or pillows.

I used a white and black 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread, in the white and black spots. I also used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline. I used an Edge ruler from Linda at thequiltedpinapple.com to quilt the lines in the black squares, and in some of the appliqués.

I’m loving the circles dancing around the quilt!

Next up... Sherry made these 4 super cute pillows. My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe, located here in Logan Utah, has a monthly pillow club. They are providing the patterns and fabrics. If you’d like to join, give them a call...435-213-3229 I’m not sure the cost or if they still have these available, but I’m sure they can help you out!

How cute is this apple?!?!?!!!! First the ruler fabric print on the background, love it!!

I wanted to have fun with the textures on this, something soft and curvy in the background with the pinstripe grid...that’s my kind of texture complimenting each other. I used a Edge ruler from Linda at thequiltedpinapple.com to quilt the lines. Her straight rulers are my favorite! I also did my favorite overlapping circle design in the background. I did a video a little while ago on how I freehand this design. Check it out here, if you haven’t seen it yet.

Overlapping circles is such a fun design to quilt...give it a try!

I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Sherry provided a 8020 batting on all the pillows. I do want to point out how nicely the white thread blends on each of these colors. It doesn’t distract from the pillow, and you can see the texture.

This snow pillow was fun to quilt!

I wanted to do a variety of lines in the background of the blocks, rulered lines and crackle. Crackle is a great design to freehand. It’s forgiving, easy, and a great design to quilt in the background when the shapes are hard to figure out what to quilt.

Here is a quick video on how to do a freehand crackle. (Note: I have a soft voice, if you’re having a hard time hearing me please try using a speaker of some kind.)

I used Linda’s Edge ruler again!! Seriously a great tool to have in your quilting studio!

For the bow tie blocks along the edge of the pillow, I used my 3” Circle2™ (Circle Squared) machine quilting circle ruler, to quilt the curves. These rulers fit so nicely in my hand, and are super fun to quilt with because of how easily I can move them around as I quilt. They are available here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

To see a video of me using one of my rulers to quilt a continuous orange peel design, click here: https://youtu.be/GWyDTymyzoE

I used white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread. This thread is my favorite. Why? It’s thick, I get nice stitches and it doesn’t break, like the thinner threads do on me. My machine just loves it!!

How cute are these leaves?!?!

I wanted to leaves to pop, so I decided on a circle and swirl background. This is a fun background filler to freehand quilt. I have another video here, you’d just need to add some swirls inside some of the bigger circles: https://youtu.be/-NNbKsFFYPg

I used the same white 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread. Once again, look how nicely the white blends on the vibrant colors.

I used my 2” Circle2™ ruler to quilt the curves in two of the leaves. My rulers are available here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

I used Linda’s Edge on this and the orange leaf. I just love this pop of red!

Lastly, my favorite pillow! Those bunnies, so cute!! Gets me more excited for spring to be here.

If you’ve followed along with my quilting for awhile, you may have noticed that I love to mix the curves with the hard lines. That’s what makes my quilty heart happy, and I think the combination is just beautiful.

I used the Same white thread, and Edge ruler from Linda to get those lines. Angled, pinstripes, and horizontal...lines are a great way to quilt something that you are quite sure how to quilt.

My last of the 4 different rulers used in my Circle2™ set, is the 7” circle. It’s how I got those beautiful curves in the border. To figure out which ruler works best, I first divide up the border or sashing in 2 or 3 sections...then I try out a few rulers to see what is going to give me the best curve. I just hold the ruler up to the markings. You’ll see the curves cross, it creates that beautiful shape. I don’t want to be too close to the seams, but yet I want there to be a good space between the curves. If you’re interested in me doing a video on auditioning rulers for a design like this, let me know in the comments. My rulers are available here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

I do want to point out, there are two sizes of circles in each of my Circle2™ rulers, which is why I named them Circle Squared.

If I’m quilting several things the same size, then I like to sew the backings together. Pin on one backing, the best!! I quilt one, roll the backing ...baste on the next one, quilt...roll...repeat...until complete. Haha! Seriously though, so slick.

Here is a look at my set of clear rulers, for more info on these rulers go here: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set

My rulers are available in green and clear, 1/4” high quality acrylic. Check them out here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

There are 1/2” measurements along the edges. Pictured below is the green set.

I mentioned these rulers quite a bit this post, because I wanted to share with you the need and versatility for each of the sizes in this set. If you’re a longarm or domestic machine quilter, this set will be a great asset to your quilting. You never know the size of curve that you’ll need. With 12 different sizes of circles, ranging from 2” to 13”, the possibilities are endless. If you kept track, then you know I used the 2”, 3”, 4”, and 7” circles. I get asked a lot about the difference between the clear and green, the only difference is the color. The green set is a little easier to see the lines on the ruler, when quilting on lighter fabrics. If you’re used to using clear ruler, the clear set may be a great option for you. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for following along. Have a great week! - Leisha

Leisha Farnsworth 2/28/19 Leisha Farnsworth 2/28/19

Sherry’s Adorable Easter Pillows

Sherry has me quilt a few of these bench pillow fronts, and they turned out so cute!! The pattern is by Kimberbell Designs, and she has a digitized version if you do machine embroidery.

It’s so fun to add all these fun little details to these bench pillows.

I used white 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline.

See that flower quilted on the green windmill block??? I quilted that using my 3” and 4” Circle2™ rulers.

My Circle2™ rulers can be used on a longarm and sewing machine (with a quilting foot). The circles range in size from 2” to 13”. They come in green or clear, and are made in America with high quality acrylic. AND right now they are 10% off, use code “THANKYOU10” at checkout. https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers

I also used Linda from https://thequiltedpineapple.bigcartel.com/ Edge rulers to quilt the lines throughout.

I love all the details...from the fabrics, to the embellishments, to the colors...it helps the quilting pop!

This overlapping circle design is something I just started quilting recently...and it’s so fun to do. I actually have a large quilt to do soon, and it will be the entire background filler. So excited!! Below is a video of me freehand quilting this design.

I will blog about this lamb quilt soon.

Okay, so how cute is mr. bunny??? I wanted to add some fur looking texture to his face. Check out the video below to see how to quilt this freehand grassy design.

I love how forgiving this design is, and it works on a variety of different quilts. Here are a couple of quilts I’ve quilted it on recently: behind Little Boy Blue - https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2019/1/1/beckys-nursery-rhyme-quilt?rq=Becky and behind a couple of umbrellas on this fun quilt - https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/11/17/cindys-raincheck-quilt-including-28-different-background-quilting-designs?rq=Raincheck