Leisha Farnsworth 3/12/24 Leisha Farnsworth 3/12/24

Denise’s Mom’s Cross-stitch Quilt

My friend Denise texted me a picture of this incredible quilt that she made using all the cross stitching her mom did and asked what we could do for the quilting. For starters I was in awe!! Look at all of those quilts perfectly stitched in each square.

I’m not sure what the pattern is for the cross-stitch. Denise just figured out the sashing…she’s amazing! She did put interfacing behind each block.

Back to the quilting we talked about me doing light custom, because I was leery of quilting on the cross-stitch and I didn’t want to take away from all her mom’s amazing work.

I started by quilting in the ditch on the inside border of each block. Then I quilted a swirly feather in each colored border. I knew I wanted to do the curved design in the sashing…which I’ve done several times before, it my favorite way to quilt sashing…but it’s definitely tricky when the blocks aren’t square. I pulled out my Circle2 rulers and figured out which two to use. I used the 7” on the sides and the 10” on the top and bottom. You’ll see below the 7” circle is on the inside of the ruler, on the 4”/10” ruler the 10” is on the outside. That means there are two different sizes of circles on each ruler. My Circle2 rulers can be found in my shop at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop

I created these rulers back in 2018 because there was nothing like them and I desperately needed a circle ruler set. The circles range in size from 2” to 13” and are made from 1/4” high quality acrylic in America.

For the x’s in the corners I used an Edge ruler from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple. I also quilted in the ditch around the little 1/2” square and strips to accentuate them with the x’s surrounding them. Together the overall design frames each cross-stitch block beautifully.

You may be thinking, what about leaving those blocks un-quilted, doesn’t the batting need to be quilted…yes!!! Awhile back Denise had me custom quilting the sashing on a quilt and she went back and hand quilted part of it. I suggested she do the same with her mom’s quilt. She did! Little stitches around little parts in each block. I know battings have recommended sizes for how close the stitching should be so it doesn’t bunch up weird when it’s washed. I personally don’t like anything over 4” square, but I understand when something needs “less” quilting. Hand quilting was the perfect solution in this case.

I used a cream Omni thread from Superior Threads and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

It’s so fun for me to be apart of quilts like this!! The end result makes me so happy!

If you’re interested in having me quilt edge to edge for you, check out my calendar and schedule a day. https://calendly.com/quiltingit

Thanks for stopping by! Happy quilting!! Leisha

Leisha Farnsworth 3/6/24 Leisha Farnsworth 3/6/24

Kathy’s Star Storm Astros Quilt

So excited to share this amazing baseball quilt with you!!!

Kathy made this for her son who is a huge Houston Astros fan!!! She asked that I quilt it custom, and I think it turned out so awesome.

The pattern is called Star Storm by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, you can find the pattern here: https://vfwquilts.com/products/star-storm-pattern

In the very center of the star I started with a line from point to point in the star and then added 5 lines, one is in the ditch of the navy and orange seam, in each point of the star. In the white grunge fabric I quilted my Overlapping Line design, which is something I teach in my Quilting It Freemotion Course. Go to: https://www.quiltingit.com/quilting-it-freemotion-course

Next, on the Houston Astros fabric I did line bursts which are a quick easy way to add some fun texture to a quilt. It worked beautifully in these long sections so I wasn’t measuring and trying to make a motif fit. In the orange I quilted 1/4” pinstripes with a 1/2” gap from each edge and it made the center stripe a little bigger, but it is centered so it worked great!! In the baseball fabric I quilt 45° lines 1/2” apart on the entire quilt. The lines on my ruler made that easy peasy. I repeated each design in the same fabric.

I used my 16” Edge ruler from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple for every single stitch on this quilt. Her straight rulers are my favorite!!! Go to: https://www.thequiltedpineapple.com/shop/

We decided on grey thread, so I used Silver Omni thread from Superior Threads and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

Here is a close up on all the different lines!! So excited to see how simple lines together can harmonize so well.

Another view of the lines from the center out. I start quilts in the top left and work my way to the right before rolling to the next section. I even did that with this quilt. It would be a saggy bubbly mess if I started in the center and worked my way out.

The back looks so good, too!!! I couldn’t be happier.

It’s amazing what comes when I quilt the shape of the pattern from the front. Kathy was thrilled!!

Thanks for stopping by!! If you’re interested in having me quilt edge to edge for you, check out my calendar and schedule a day. https://calendly.com/quiltingit

Happy quilting!! Leisha

Leisha Farnsworth 2/8/23 Leisha Farnsworth 2/8/23

Susan’s Tulips for Oma Quilt

Hi there,

I’ve been quilting away the last month, and have some beautiful quilts to share with you…let’s start with one of my recent finishes…Susan made this incredible quilt and asked me last fall if I would quilt it for her. It was an absolute pleasure adding all the beautiful quilty texture to this quilt.

The pattern is called Tulips for Oma by Christa from Cotton Berry Quilts. Amazing, huh?!?!!!! Christa is a longarm quilter, too, and I got some inspiration from her quilting on her quilt.

Susan and I talked about how great a double batting would be, and she decided on the 8020 cotton poly and wool combo, which I’ve used on a few of my own quilts. I put the wool layer on top which creates the added puff to the quilt top. It’s so lovely. The wool I use if from Hobbs and the 8020 is from Winline Textiles out of Utah. I also used Natural White Omni thread from Superior Threads.

I love how all the blocks turned out together. I never know what the overall look is going to be until I pull it off of the quilting frame. There are five of one block, as pictured above in the center, and four of the other…as pictured below. I used the -20- curve ruler from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple to create the curves that go around the flowers in the block below. Then I freehand quilted my Overlapping Circles design in the center surrounding all the flowers and leaves. For the finishing touch I quilted 1/2” lines using one of Linda’s Edge rulers. I struggled to know what to do in the other block…as pictured above…I decided to quilt a few tiny pebbles to close off the circular design, and then quilt the same Overlapping Circles in the background with the same 1/2” lines outside.

To carry the Overlapping Circles to other parts of the quilt, and have the overall design by cohesive, I also quilted them in the border. I quilted some freehand Pebbles along the edge of the border to add some fun interest in there as well. In the dresden flower I quilted some feathers, and so light quilting in all of the appliqué. For the checkered border, I quilted an x in the gingham fabric, a pebble in the white, and a simple orange peel petal in the blue square using my 2” Circle2 ruler. That checkered border is one of my favorite parts on this quilt…one of…haha!! There are many favorite parts.

I quilted two 1/4” lines on both sides of the sashing, and then freehand quilted the circles in between.

Here is a look at all of the textures together. Love it!!!

I also used my 3” Circle2 ruler, as pictured below, for the petals in the blue post squares with the sashing. My Circle2 rulers are such a great asset to have when I’m custom quilting. They are my go to for any curve I need. They are available in my shop.

- Design Patent D875,574 -