Barbara’s Mystery Quilt
Hello,
I hope that you have had a great week!! It’s been a snowy day here. If you like where it snows, do you spend time sewing? Snow day = sew day? I didn’t sew…I was hoping to get started on another amazing client quilt. I will tomorrow! Hope you were able to sew.
This amazing quilt was made by Barbara!! It is a Mystery Quilt from Under the Garden Moon by Amy McClellan. Village Dry Goods in Brigham City Utah put together. It looks like they may have gathered blocks from several of Amy’s patterns to put this together. If you’re interested in more information, I linked the website above for Village Dry Goods. Their number is listed at the top of their website.
I love the mix of applique with the sewn blocks!!
We decided on my Sweet Orange Peel design for the quilting, and I love how it turned out. Sweet and traditional on this lovely quilt! Sweet Orange Peel is available in my shop. I believe I quilted this one around a 3” height. It is recommended anywhere from 3“-4”.
I used my favorite Winline 8020 batting and a light cream thread.
There are designs that are so versatile, and this is one of them. I have seen it on so many different kinds of quilts!! It can look traditional like it does here, or modern on a more modern quilt pattern. I love it when I create something that has such great quilty texture!!!
This was a quick one, thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!!
Leisha
Quilts, Designs, Sale, & Giveaway!!
Yes, that’s a lot to cover!! However, life is busy. So I thought a one and done blog/email, would be great.
I’ll get to the quilts in just a few minutes, first I wanted to remind you of the sales going on. Not only on my website, but also the 20% code from Flexi Fuse.
This Sunday, June 30th, is the last day to take advantage of my 25% off quilting designs and $20 off my Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler set. Use code “SUMMER25” at checkout for the quilting designs, and “CIRCLE2™” for $20 off of my Circle2 ruler sets. For more information about my Circle2 rulers, click here: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set • If you haven’t looked at my shop lately, you may have missed the few new designs that I have. I also uploaded 10 new designs by my friend Molly Dursteler, just last night. So go snag some while the sale is going on!! There are some amazing ones. https://www.quiltingit.com/shop
This is one of Molly’s designs, Luck O’ The Irish. Follow the link to my shop above to see her other fun designs.
Also, a quick reminder that my 20% off of Flexi Fuse expires on Sunday as well. Use code “leishakaye” at checkout: https://flexifuse.com/?ref:leisha
If you do any kind of appliqué, you need to try this interfacing. As a machine quilter I hate trying to quilt through appliqué, not the case when it comes to Flexi Fuse. Quilts like a breeze. I’m excited to make some things of my own.
Now onto the giveaway!!! This giveaway is HUGE! I haven’t blogged about it just yet. I have joined with some pretty amazing sponsors to offer one lucky winner a prize worth more than $800. I’m including a $100 gift card for machine quilting!! There are several ways to enter, check here for all the details: http://www.flexifusegiveaway.com/
Please stop by and visit each of our Instagram accounts. Mine is @leishakaye and there is also @sistersandquilters (my favorite online fabric shop), @flexiefuse, @rilerblakedesigns, @kimberbelldesigns, @aurifil, and @tiedwitharibbon
This giveaway ends the 6th of July. The prize package includes thread, patterns, fabric, fusible webbing, quilting, and a light box.
Now for the amazing quilts that I’ve been able to quilt lately!!
Laurel from @snowberrystreet (on Instagram) messaged me and asked if I would quilt her Madame Butterfly quilt, pattern by Vanessa Goertzen from Lella Boutique. These are also Vanessa’s fabrics. I was so excited!! Seriously, this quilt is gorgeous!
Laurel asked for the antenna’s, and then left the rest up to me. I love what Natalia Bonner did when she quilted Vanessa’s, by out lining around the butterflies 1/4”. I did the same on this quilt, which makes the butterflies pop!! I used my favorite Edge ruler from Linda at www.thequiltedpineapple.com • I also used those same Edge rulers to quilt my favorite pinstriped border. 1/4” for the thin stripe and 1” for the wider stripe.
I quilted most of the butterflies the same. Same circles and swirls alternating on the body, feathers and swirls on the inside wings, ribbon candy on the outside tips of the wings, however the inside of the wings differs on each of the butterflies on each row. I chose four different designs, and then just alternated them throughout the quilt, making sure each design ends up in each column. I will share each of those below. You’ll also notice the feathers/swirls for the antenna’s.
On this first butterfly I quilted overlapping circles on that middle layer of the wings.
Next, you know I love mixing hard lines with the softness of the pebbles, swirls, and ribbon candy. So above is a 1/4” pin stripe, and below a 1/4” stripe going the opposite direction on the left wing, than the right wing.
Lastly, I love a good grassy texture (what I like to call it) on that middle layer of the wings, pictured below.
I hope you also noticed the variety of filler with the pebbles...swirls, echoes, overlapping circles, arcs and so on, in the background. A great way to make everything pop!
I used White 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 batting for this quilt. I quilted everything, except the lines, freehand. Quilts like this, with so much incredible texture, are just my favorite.
Next up, this sweet baby quilt made by Maria. I love a simple pinwheel quilt like this!! Especially with mint, pink, peach and coral fabrics.
I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 batting on this quilt.
Maria asked for a simple Orange Peel design to be quilted on it. I used my 6” Circle2™, machine quilting Circle2™ ruler, to quilt it. My Circle2™ set of rulers is available in my shop....and is a great addition to every quilting studio. They come in a set of 6 and range in size 2”-13”. Like I mentioned above, they are $20 off right now until Sunday, use code “CIRCLE2™ “ at checkout. Watch here to see my rulers in action. https://youtu.be/GWyDTymyzoE and are available here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop
I love a simple Orange Peel!
A couple of close ups!!!
Kristin made this for her son who just turned 8! I love a simple quilt, yet striking because of the solid colors.
I don’t know the pattern name to this quilt, I bet the squares are around 6 inches and the rectangles 3”x6”, sewn. Add the 1/2” for seam allowance when cutting, and you’ll be good.
Kristin wanted simple 1” lines. I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline and white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread.
I quilt on a Gammill 22” machine, with a Statler Stitcher. This one and the next quilt, we’re done by the Statler (computer). However the first two quilts in this post, I quilted myself. It’s great to have both options.
This next quilt was made by Kara Jo or her daughter. Or maybe they made it together. Her daughter loves Star Wars, and has wanted a t-shirt quilt.
Initially we talked about possibly doing a Star Wars design, for the quilting. When I couldn’t find one that I loved. They decided on Diagonal Plaid, by Patricia Ritter from https://www.urbanelementz.com/?acc=12 and I’m glad they did. I don’t like doing the same kind of design on the same quilt, it’s just too much. I still want the design to compliment the quilt, but not be so matchy matchy or literal.
I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting and Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread to quilt this.
The block below is cool!! It’s two shirts sewn together. I do suggest when making a shirt quilt, that you iron the interfacing on really well. Especially when the shirts are a little thin. Otherwise the hopping foot can possibly cause a pucker, if the shirt starts to stretch. I have a spoon foot, but it’s difficult to mark the quilt as I advance the rows. So I prefer using my regular hopping foot.
Thanks for being here and reading through all of that. If you’d rather listen to my blog posts, click on the link at the end of the email that says read in browser, and then it should take you to my post. At the top of the post is a little sound icon. Click on that and you can listen while you sew. When I listen on my phone, it says to click here because my browser doesn’t support the audio. Click on that and it works great! Have a great week!
- Leisha
Summer Sales!!!
Starting today until the end of the month I have a sale on both my digital quilting designs (only in my shop) and my Circle2™ machine quilting circle rulers.
You can get 25% off all of my digital designs at https://www.quiltingit.com/shop • Use code “SUMMER25” at checkout. You can also get $20 off of my Circle2™ ruler sets by using “CIRCLE2™” at checkout.
My Circle2™ rulers come in a set of 6, ranging in sizes from 2” to 13”. Two sizes per ruler. They come in green or clear, high quality 1/4” thick acrylic. Made in America. For more info on these rulers head to this post: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set
To watch a video on them, go here: https://youtu.be/lDijS4EsPLY
To purchase a set of rulers go here and don’t forget to use the “CIRCLE2™” code at checkout: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers
Pictured above is my clear 2”/8” ruler, which is the smallest of the set. Below is the green 7”/13”, which is the biggest.
Below is an angled picture, to show the measurements along the straight edges of the rulers. The unique thing about these rulers, they were designed to give you the correct size of circle. The hopping foot adds a 1/4”, so I designed this set with that in mind. The 7” circle will quilt out at 7”.
I’m excited to introduce to you a few new digital quilting designs...first up Penelope©️!
Penelope actually comes with two different looks, using the same design. Pictured above is the original design, below is the same design offset at 50% and the vertical spacing adjusted until it looks as pictured.
Next up...Diamond Peel©️, which is a take on my Sweet Orange Peel©️ design. So excited to see this on lots of quilts.
Lastly, Steps©️! This fun geometric design has so much dimension.
All of these designs are available in my shop at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop • Don’t forget to use the code: “SUMMER25” at checkout to get 25% off all digital designs.
Happy Summer!!!
- Leisha
Quilts & a Prickly Pillow!
Hello Quilty Friends,
Hope you’ve been well! It’s about time that I share with you some of the things I’ve been quilting lately...
Starting with this super fun cactus pillow. I mean seriously!!! Love this!! If you’ve followed along for a little while, then you’ve probably seen some other pillows I’ve quilted recently. This is another pillow from the pillow of the month club that My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe, here is Logan Utah, has available. This was last months pillow. Go to their website to contact them about a pattern or kit: https://mygirlfriendsquiltshoppe.com/
This one was made by Sherry!!
I knew I wanted to do this line design for the background, it just adds such a cool texture. I used my favorite Edge rulers from Linda at https://thequiltedpineapple.bigcartel.com/
I also wanted to add some more movement to the quilting in the cactus’ themselves...between the grassy freehand design and ribbon candy (shown above), I think it looks awesome!
Some overlapping circles on this, play on the round shape of this one.
Sherry brought a scrap piece of batting, I’m assuming it was an 8020 cotton poly blend batting and I used the white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread.
A little wood grain in this one...which I love! It fits the style of the pillow. It’s fun that something so little can have such a punch.
Next up...this gorgeous quilt made by Chris for her daughter and soon to be son in-law’s wedding. Chris makes the most thoughtful, beautiful, and perfectly pieces quilts.
This quilt has a backing that is perfect for their wedding guests to sign. It will be such a treasure.
I used my favorite 8020 Winline batting and Antique Cream A&E 30 tex Perma Core thread. I also used one of Linda’s Edge rulers to quilt all the cross hatching lines. In the center of the heart and on the border.
Kind of hard to see, because the thread blends so well, but I quilted a feather design on the blue heart. Some of which you can see along the sides at the top. Then I repeated the same design on the outer border. Then I just freehand pebbles the rest of it, in a variety of different sizes of circles.
I just love all these quilting designs together. Quilting adds so much dimension to every quilt. The quilt pattern is called Family Heart Quilt by Sweet On Stitches on Etsy. It can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/225771503/heart-quilt-pattern-wedding-family-new?ref=shop_home_active_1&crt=1 Chris altered it a little, too.
Chris also made this for a girl who just graduated high school. She loved these fabrics long ago, and so Chris thought she would love them in a graduation quilt. If I remember right, the pattern is Turning 20.
Chris is a master at picking out quilt designs. She usually comes with an idea of how she wants it quilted, by looking at my machine quilting options here: https://www.quiltingit.com/machine-quilting-options-1 She picked this Moxie design, and it goes so well with these Verona fabrics from Riley Blake.
I used Dyed Natural 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline.
There is definitely a place for edge to edge quilting. I’ve heard people say that it’s cheating or there is no creativity involved when it comes to edge to edge designs. I think there is plenty of creativity when matching designs to the quilt.
Even more creativity for me, because this is one of Patricia Ritter and my designs, it’s called Moxie©️ design. It’s available at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/moxie.html
A close up and angled shot of all that fun texture!!
Next up!!! Denise made this amazing farm house quilt. I think she told me it’s one of Lori Holt’s quilt patterns, Farm Girl Vintage. Amazing huh?!?!?!!
Denise, her husband, and kiddos live on a farm...so she personalized some of the blocks to match their farm. Even some of the animals names are embroidered on the blocks.
If you notice, there isn’t a ton of machine quilting. I quilted the outside border, one of the inside borders, and the sashing. Now Denise is going to hand quilt each of the blocks. I can wait to see the hand quilting and machine quilting combo, I think it’s such a fun idea!
I used my favorite Edge rulers from Linda, to quilt the on point cross hatching. I pebbled the inside border and then quilted leaves inside the sashing. Love the combination of the 3. Great choices, Denise!!
I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and 8020 cotton blend batting.
Here are a couple of my favorites!!
Next up, this beautiful quilt made by Sherry! Sherry used to be one of my leaders at church when I was 16. She and some other women would teach us lessons on Sunday and plan fun activities for us on Tuesday, all done out of service. Now, that’s something I get to do. Which makes me so grateful for what they did for me. So, you can imagine how fun it was to see her again, and get to quilt for her. She made a quilt for her daughter, that I’ve already shared, however this one is for her. It was the first quilt she’s ever made!!
I shared the progress of this on Instagram and there were some who asked what the pattern was...it’s called the bullseye block. If you google it, you can find tutorials. I recently found this video tutorial: https://youtu.be/zDFdTe9d4Vc
I quilted a bullseye quilt in the past year or so, and this is how I quilted it. Pebbles and swirls. It is definitely time consuming, but I love it!!
I love the mixture of corals and mint, with s touch of gold. You can’t tell from the pictures, but she used a variety of different low volume or tone on tone whites for the backgrounds.
I used my 5” Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler to quilt the petals in the bullseye. If you follow me along on Instagram, you may have seen me sharing how I rotate the ruler while quilting. If not, go to @leishakaye on Instagram and check out my highlight bubble on my profile page, and watch the Circle2™ Rulers highlight. My rulers are available in a set of 6 on my website, click here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers
I do want to give you a heads up!! This weekend I’m going to have a sale on my Circle2™ Rulers and digital designs, so be watching for that announcement.
I just love angled shots, it shows off the quilting so beautifully.
I quilted some ribbon candy in the border and some swirly feathers in the outside border, a perfect frame for this quilt.
Lastly, I recently made this for a friend who’s daughter graduated from high school!
The embroidered blocks were done by a local shop, called the Logo Shop.
I gathered all the fabrics from https://www.sistersandquilters.com/ online store. They also have an Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SistersandQuilters They have such an incredible variety and selection of high quality fabrics and notions.
My mom finished off the binding for me!! She’s the best!
I used Soho by Sarah Ann Myers to quilt it, and it’s available at https://www.urbanelementz.com/?acc=12
This design is seriously one of my favorites!!
I backed it with Shannon Fabrics navy embossed dot.
Thanks for sticking around seeing what’s happening in my little quilting world.
I also recently started putting together my hexie flower quilt. Here are the first two of 17 rows. I started this almost 4 years ago. It’s fun to finally start seeing it come together. It may take me another long while to see it together. This is called English Paper Piecing, and I had a friend teach me how to glue and then baste. I’m sure there are some great tutorials out there on how to do this. Do a google search and find a method you like.
Happy Wednesday!! - Leisha
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
Urban Elementz 25% off Sale!!
If you follow along with me on Instagram or Facebook, or have received the Urban Elementz email...then you know that they are having a 25% off sale right now until Sunday April 28th. Everything is on sale and no code is needed. I have been designing with Patricia Ritter for 5 years now. We have such an incredibly fun variety of designs. Flowers, swirls (you know I love a good swirl), geometric, wood grain, and so on...
Most of our designs are available in paper and several different digital formats, with some having stencils or tear away options.
To see what we have available go to: https://www.urbanelementz.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=0&p=1&q=Leisha+Farnsworth
I appreciate all the support we’ve gotten over the years. It’s such a blessing and makes my heart happy to see our designs quilted over and over again.
Here are some quilts I’ve quilted using our designs...
Marmalade - our most popular design.
Trapeze
Arrowhead
Birchwood
Kindling
Liberty
Frost
Opal
Cupid
I also have some solo designs that are available on Urban Elementz...
Squared
Beaded Clam
Starlight
Just to name a few.
Check out this link to see the others... https://www.urbanelementz.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=0&p=1&q=Leisha+Farnsworth
The designs on my website will be on sale at a different time.
Thank you!! - Leisha
Client Quilts and Easter Runner...
Hope your week is off to a good start!! Here are a few things I had the privilege of quilting last week.
First up, this fun wall hanging made and kitted by Laser Cut Quilts! You may remember me sharing a quilt like this last fall in their kit release for Quilt Market. This time, I quilted the car differently. So, I thought I’d share it again.
I quilted this quilt all free motion or freehand. Free motion means that I am guiding the machine. I did use Edge rulers from Linda at thequiltedpineapple.com for all of the lines.
In my classes I preach, “keep your quilting as clean or neat as possible”. That it’s better to stop and start your thread over, than to travel and add tons of more thread to the quilt. That’s how I like to quilt. However, I recently saw this pebble quilting done by some other quilters, where they went around the circle a few times. Which I’ve done here. The reason behind it, it adds greater definition to the quilting, and lets it pop that much more. Especially because the batting I used here is just my regular favorite, Winline 8020 cotton poly blend. It definitely added extra texture. I only did the extra stitches in the pebbling, everything else is done neat and clean.
I used a lovely cream Perma Core 30 tex thread from A&E for the background. My favorite colors of cream are Antique Cream and Dyed Natural...I think I used the Dyed Natural on this one. I used a bright red thread for the truck, green for the trees, and dark grey for the road.
I also want to take a moment to share more about Laser Cut Quilts new fusible interfacing, Flexi Fuse. As you can see there are multiple layers of appliqué pieces on this quilt. The wonderful thing about their fusible, is the softness of it...even with those multiple layers. I noticed the machine needle doesn’t leave those big holes like it does with other interfacing, and also I can actually quilt and have it not feel like I’m dragging the machine. Check out those tiny circles in the tire rim above. They were easy to freehand quilt...even with multiple layers. So for your next appliqué project, give Flexi Fuse a try, you’ll be happy with the results. Go to their website for more info: https://flexifuse.com/
Okay, how cute is this bunny runner?!?!?!!! I think it’s one of my very favorite Easter anything, that I’ve quilted. It’s made by Barbara!
The pattern is Country Bunnies by Margot Languedoc from The Pattern Basket, and it’s available here: http://www.thepatternbasket.com/catalog.htm?item=234
Here are some close ups... I love the little tail. I used Linda’s Edge ruler to quilt these 1/2” squares. Once again, I love mixing hard lines with soft curves in the custom quilting that I do. It creates texture and definition.
To frame the blocks, I quilted ribbon candy in the sashing. I did a 45° angled line in the background and a swirly feather in the bunny.
1/2” horizontal lines and pebbles.
1/2” lines going the opposite direction and overlapping circles inside the bunny. I share how to quilt this design on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/x0UNyEJdm9Y
It’s fun to add all these different details, and yet they compliment each other so well. I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread on each part of this runner, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Next up...
My aunt Kristin, who is half of the www.sistersandquilters.com team, made these for her two grandsons. These turned out sooo cute. The fabric is Mighty Machine’s by Lydia Nelson from Moda. They have some charm packs still available on their Etsy. www.sistersandquilters.etsy.com
I actually quilted two of these, and cut one very long minky backing. It’s easier when smaller quilts are the same size, to quilt them on one backing.
On this close up, you’ll notice that the border around the square is even all the way around. The strips are the same size. Kristin is going to do a blog post on Sisters & Quilters blog, once she gets the quilts finished. Check their blog here for that future post. http://sistersandquilters.blogspot.com/?m=1
Kristin picked my Crosshatch©️ digital quilting design for the quilting. This is actually how the design looks before you offset it 50%, which made the perfect tire track look. Go to my shop here to get this design, and to see what the design looks like offset. https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/crosshatch
I quilted this design at a height of 2”. Seems small, but it’s the perfect height, as the design is complete with two rows together.
Its also available at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/leisha-s-crosshatch.html It’s available in paper and digital formats.
I love the texture I can get from a simple design. These are quilted with A&E 30 tex Perma Core thread in the Antique Cream. I also used 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline out of Ogden Utah.
Spring has definitely showed up in Utah, we’ve been getting lots of rain. Which means the grass is getting green and the flowers are starting to bloom. I love this time of year. Now, we just need more sunshine.
I hope you have some fun quilting to do this week. Thanks for taking the time to see what I’m up to. Have a great week!
- Leisha
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
Quilting Tips for Lining Up Digital Designs!
I’ve had some questions lately on how I line up designs, as I advance or roll the quilt. If you use something different, that won’t let you change the design, play with it and figure out how to tweak it. I’m using Edge to Edge mode, in CS7 by Gammill Statler. I also use place two pins on every quilt, so I can get a left and right reference point. Please let me know if you have any questions. Happy weekend!
More pictures and info about this quilt will be coming in my next blog post. The design I’m using is by Marci Gore from Lily Street Designs, and the quilt was made by Beth.
- Leisha
Client Quilts!
Good morning!! In an effort to keep up with everything I’m doing, I may possibly do some blog posts where I share multiple quilts from some of my clients. For example, the following quilts were made by Loranne, Jeanne, and Kate.
Let’s first start with Loranne’s beautiful quilt...
Loranne is amazing!! She gets inspired by quilts and often makes up her own thing, I wouldn’t be surprised if this were the case.
I used an Omni dark grey thread for the background, and 3 coordinating variegated threads to quilt the stars. I also used 2 layers of batting. An 8020 cotton poly on the base, and Hobbs wool on top.
Loranne loved the overlapping circles design that I quilted recently on another quilt, and wanted it on this one. I love how it turned out. Such a fun design to do as background filler. I wish you could reach through the screen and touch that texture, it’s awesome!!
Next up Jeanne made this awesome t-shirt quilt for her daughter!!
Many of the shirts are from her college days at Loyola University, but some are to honor family and friends who’ve suffered from cancer. Love that!!!
I used a light gray 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Jeanne’s daughter chose my Squared©️ design for the quilting. It’s available: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/squared
A nice close up!! This design is great on so many different quilts.
Next up, Kate! Wow, huh?!?!!
Kate made this amazing collage quilt for a friend, of course the bear claw block is a perfect fit to border around the bear.
I used a brown 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread to quilt wood grain in the border, and also to define the bear. I used a toupe tan color to quilt the grassy design in the background behind the bear and also the orange peel shapes in the bear claw blocks. I also used my favorite 8020 cotton poly winline batting.
Here is a short video on how to quilt a wood grain design in a border.
Isn’t that bear so cool??!!
I used my 7” Circle2 ruler to quilt the large orange peel curves.
I used my 4” Circle2 ruler to quilt the small orange peel curves. These are such fun rulers to use. Easy to rotate around the hopping foot.
The rulers can be found in my shop: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop?category=Rulers
Thanks!! Hope Spring has found you...it’s starting to show up here. - Leisha
Liz and Pat’s quilt and runners...
Liz and Pat made this mini quilt and runners together.
This beautiful unicorn pattern is Lisa the Unicorn by Elizabeth Hartman. Fabrics are Ombré Confetti by Vanessa Christensen from Moda.
I was excited to quilt this one custom because of all the quilty textures I wanted to create. I love how it turned out!!!
I love the look of the hard lines in the mane and horn, with the softer swirls in the background and grassy texture on the horses face. I used white 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread and my favorite winline 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
With a little border around it, ribbon candy was just the thing to frame this quilt off nicely. I used a couple of different Edge rulers from Linda at thequiltedpineapple.com to quilt the lines in the mane and on the horn. Those straight rulers are my favorites!! The lines make it easy to quilt without having to mark a thing.
Pat and Liz each made one of these Halloween runners...one with black borders, and one with orange.
It’s from a Halloween panel. I’m not sure who the fabrics are by, sorry!!
Pat requested the Haunted Web quilting design by Apricot Moon Designs, it’s available at www.urbanelementz.com/haunted-web.html
I used a Dyed Natural 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting for both of these.
Hope you are enjoying your holiday break!! Happy New Year!
- Leisha
Mary Ann’s t-shirt quilt!
Mary Ann made this for her daughter for Christmas. I think this is one of my most favorite t-shirt quilts. The reason being, the light grey sashing. It frames the shirts nicely, without competing with the colors in the shirts.
I made a t-shirt quilt in the spring for a client, and if your interested in some tips, read this post: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/3/26/t-shirt-quilt-a-first-for-me?rq=T-shirt
I used white Perma Core A&E 30 tex thread, and my favorite Winline 8020 cotton/poly blend batting.
When Mary Ann was showing me the quilt, I knew exactly the design I wanted to quilt on it. My Beaded Clam Take 2. Mary Ann’s daughter played tennis, and I told her the design reminds me of a tennis ball bouncing. So, it’s a hint of tennis without being so literal. I think it looks awesome quilted on this quilt. Beaded Clam Take 2 is available in my shop. The original Beaded Clam design needs to be offset every other row, Beaded Clam Take 2 doesn’t. It’s available in my shop, in several different digital formats. Go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/beaded-clam-take-2
See that tennis ball bouncing???
Mary Ann did pretty great for this only being her second quilt.
Loving all this beautiful texture!
Hope that you’re having a great holiday season!!!
-Leisha
Early Holiday Sales!!!
With the holidays fastly approaching, I thought I would do my holiday sales early, so you don’t miss out on them...if you’re a Black Friday shopper. These are going to be my best sales, and they both last until Saturday November 10th at midnight. (EST)
First up...25% OFF all my digital quilting designs...use code “HOLIDAY25” at checkout, available only on quiltingit.com go to this link to check out all of my designs: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/?category=Digital+Quilting+Designs each design is available in several different digital formats, which are listed in each design listing. Here is a sample of a couple of the designs...
My Squared©️ design, More on this quilt, in this blog post: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/4/baby-quilt
This design quilts out beautifully!!
My Beaded Clam©️ design. For more info on this quilt go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/8/26/beth-sweet-quilt
Here is Beaded Clam on the minky back of Beth’s quilt. Love this texture!!
There are many more to choose from, go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/?category=Digital+Quilting+Designs
I’m also offering $15 off, my Circle2™, machine quilting ruler sets...which is in addition to the sale I’m already having. Go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/?category=Rulers
So it’s like you’re getting free shipping in the US and $15 off shipping for those of you who are International. Use code at checkout: “HOLIDAY”. This also lasts until Saturday November 10 at midnight (EST), while supplies last. This is the best sale I’m offering on my rulers, so if you’ve been wanting a set, don’t hesitate. For more info on these machine quilting rulers go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/blog/2018/10/10/introducing-my-circle2-longarm-circle-ruler-set
If you prefer watching a little video about my Circle2™ rulers, check this out!! https://youtu.be/lDijS4EsPLY
This set is everything I’ve ever wanted in a circle ruler set. You’ll get 6 different rulers with 12 different sized circles, circle sizes ranging from 2”-13”. These will be a great investment to add to your quilting rulers!
The Circle2™ ruler sets come in either clear or green high quality acrylic, as pictured.
Above is the biggest ruler, the 7”/13”, and below is the smallest at 2”/8”. The measurements indicate which size of circle you’ll get. And yes, if you were to use the 2”/8” ruler to get a 2” circle, your circle will actually measure 2”. That’s what is unique about these rulers, correct sized circles.
If you’d like to see more tutorials on how I’m using these rulers, head on over to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/QuiltingIt more tutorials will be coming all the time, so hit subscribe while you’re there and you won’t miss any.
Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback, that I’ve gotten on my rulers and digital designs. I’m so grateful I get to do what I love, and share it with you!!
-Leisha
Shelley’s 2 baby quilts
Shelley is amazing!! And, I’m sure one of the favorite aunts in her family. She made these beautiful quilts for nieces and nephews, when they start having kids of their own.
I love her choice of funky fabrics on this one...plus the circles and squares are a great contrast. I also love it when my clients mix such a diverse variety of fabrics together.
I used a white 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and my favorite 8020 cotton/poly blend batting.
I quilted the Malachite digital pantograph design, on one of Shelley’s quilts before, and she loved the density of it! It’s by Patricia Ritter and is available at https://www.urbanelementz.com/malachite.html
Look at that quilting on that Shannon Fabrics minky. This is why I love solid minky. The quilting just sings!!
The navy and soft pinks in this quilt, are just so pretty!!
Once again I used white 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Those touches of gold in the Ombré Dots, by V & Co for Moda, make this quilt shine!
Shelley also wanted the Malachite quilting design for this quilt as well. It’s a perfect wonky swirl.
Look at that texture on that minky!!! Love what I do!
happy quilting!!
-leisha
Baby + Quilt
My sister Amanda, made this fun quilt for her sister in-law who is about to have a baby boy! I love it!
Those dark grey plus’ are just so striking!!
My sister got her fabrics from https://www.sistersandquilters.com/
She used moda’s black cross weave, and Zen Chic’s dotted line fabric from their new White Christmas line. It has a gold dot every once in awhile.
She decided on my Squared©️ digital machine quilting pantograph design, for the quilting. It quilted out beautifully and is available at https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/squared
Seriously loving the texture this quilting design gave this quilt. The on point square is a great contrast to the large +’s.
I used Antique Cream 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Love what I do, especially when I get to do it for family!!
Thanks for stopping by! Happy quilting!
- Leisha
Jen’s 100 Good Wishes quilt!!
What is a 100 Good Wishes quilt? After searching, this is what I came across. “A custom that originated in China, the “100 Wishes Quilt” or Bai Jia Bei, was originally created by having friends each contribute a quilt square as a show of love for the new child.”
Jen and her husband adopted their daughter from China in 2012, and she has a special birthday coming up...8! She wanted to have this quilt quilted and ready to give to her in November when she gets baptized.
Each of these fabric squares were sent to Jen to add to this quilt from family and friends.
It reminds me of a postage stamp quilt I made years ago. One of them even came with a cute button sewn in the middle. I did remove it to quilt the quilt, and sewed it back on afterwards.
Some of the squares even have sweet hand drawn pictures.
I decided to quilt Soho on it by Sarah Ann Myers and it’s available at https://www.urbanelementz.com/soho.html
I also used a white 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread, and 8020 cotton/poly blend batting.
Look at that minky and quilting!!! This is why I love quilting minky that is solid. The quilting texture is always amazing when the minky is solid.
I hope Jen’s daughter feels extra loved by her 100 Good Wishes!
- Leisha
Barbara’s picture quilt!
Barbara made this quilt and another one...here ready to be quilted...for her granddaughters. This one is awesome!! I mean, look at that awesome minky backing...(you may need to go to my blog, if you get these posts through emails, to see the post header picture that has the minky backing.)
Her granddaughter plays soccer for the local high school, and so I wanted the quilting to go along with the theme of the quilt...without being too cheesy. I thought Mod Dotz by Patricia Ritter at Urban Elementz would be a great fit. I did it at a larger scale, because of the minky backing texture. I don’t love tight quilting on minky quilts, either...it takes away from the softness of the minky. Go here to get the Mod Dotz design: https://www.urbanelementz.com/mod-dotz.html
I used a white 30 Tex Perma Core A&E thread and Winline 8020 cotton/poly blend batting.
I quilted this using my Statler (computer/software for the Gammill longarm machines) and so I trimmed around the pictures so that the quilting wouldn’t quilt the pictures...then I used my favorite Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple to quilt in the ditch around the pictures.
Look at that minky texture + the quilting!!! Love it!
thanks for stopping by! - Leisha
For those of you interested, this is what Barbara used to print the pictures onto the fabric. She buys them at JoAnn’s.
Sherry’s Butterfly Garden quilt~!
I love love this quilt!! The navy solid background fabric makes all those vibrant colors pop. This pattern is called Butterfly Garden by Lori Holt and is in her Quilty Fun book.
Such a fun happy quilt!!
I love the variety of fabrics, it’s quilts like these that are perfect scrap bin quilts.
Some close ups of the butterflies and the quilting. I chose to quilt my new “Foil©️” design on this quilt, and I love how it turned out. It’s available in several different digital formats on my website: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/foil When I saw this quilt for the first time, I knew this is what I wanted to quilt on it. I think it fits well with the modern butterflies and flowers.
My Foil©️ design, pictured below.
I used a white 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread and my favorite Winline 8020 cotton/poly blend batting. When it comes to using different colored threads on contrasting fabrics...especially when doing edge to edge quilting...I prefer lighter/neutral thread on darker fabrics, than darker thread on lighter fabrics. I think the lighter thread blends in pretty well, and doesn’t stand out or take away from the quilt pattern and fabrics used. Custom quilting is completely different. Matching thread colors to quilts is key.
Here is Foil©️ with the flowers. Love these sweet flowers!!
Thank you for coming by!!! Happy sewing!
- Leisha
Holland baby quilt!
One of our neighbor friends is having her first little girl, and she hoped and waited for her, for awhile. My mom and I joined forces with another friend, who sews with us a lot, to make this for her. Baby is coming any day!! We are so excited for them.
The pattern is called Holland and it’s by Vanessa from Lella Boutique. I first fell in love with this pattern after I saw her navy background Holland quilt. The tulips are huge, so cute, and fun to make. We also used two of Vanessa’s fabrics...the green stems and the flower tips, which if I remember right are both from her Nest line. The coral mini heart fabric is from Stacy Hsu. The grey background is a Bella solid from Moda.
I used New Moon Loops by Wasatch Quilting, to quilt it. I made the loops bigger than the standard size that comes during setup, because the backing has minky on it, and the tulips are so big...I like the quilting to be at a proper scale.
I used Antique Cream 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread and 8020 batting to quilt it.
This quilt is being bound as I type this, with the sweet mini pink hearts. Can’t wait to give this one away. Thanks for coming by!!!
- Leisha
Laurie’s baby quilt
Laurie and her sister made this simple baby quilt for her sisters daughter, who is having a baby girl. They used Bonnie and Camille’s Vintage Holiday fabric line, and took out all of the Christmasy fabrics.
I used my and Patricia Ritter’s “Chantilly”©️ pantograph design, that is available in paper and digital formats at Urban Elementz. https://www.urbanelementz.com/chantilly.html
A sweet close up on the swirls and flower petals.
I used Antique Cream 30 Tex Perma Core thread from A&E, and 8020 cotton/poly blend batting from Winline.
I must note, my favorite Cuddle™️ (Minky) is the solid ones from Shannon Fabrics. For the bigger throws, it even comes in 90” wide. I love our Chantilly©️ quilted out...or rather, dancing across the quilt.
Thank you for stopping by!!!
- Leisha