Client Quilts • 2020
What a crazy time. I hope each of you are healthy and well!! Maybe you’re taking this time to do a little more sewing. I hope to! I have been meaning to do this blog post for awhile, sorry for the delay! These are some of the client quilts that I’ve worked on in the past couple months.
A quick reminder, I am having a sale right now on my Circle2™ machine quilting circle rulers and all of the digital quilting designs in my shop. $20 off my Circle2™ rulers using code 20SPRING20, and 20% off of all digital quilting designs using code LEAPYEAR at checkout. I appreciate your support, like many other small business do, especially right now!! Thank you!!
If you follow me over on Instagram…. @leishakaye then you may have seen me post about this first quilt made by Sherry! It’s called Happy Together by Sew Kind of Wonderful.
Sherry loved the lines quilted in the one Jenny from Sew Kind of Wonderful quilted, and I loved the quilting she did around each person…so I did that too, with some freehand background filler.
I used one of my Circle2™ rulers to quilt the curves that outline each person, and I should have written it down…I can’t remember which one. Remember they are $20 off right now, using code 20SPRING20 at checkout. I also used Linda from The Quilted Pineapple’s Edge rulers to quilt the straight lines.
I used an Omni grey thread for the background, and a cream A&E thread for the quilting in the people.
I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline. This was such a fun quilt to quilt!!
Next up, this fun wall handing that Laurie made…. she actually won the blocks from her guild, and then sewed them together. The pattern is by Vanessa from Lella Boutique, and is called By the Chimney mini.
How fun!!! I used a cream A&E Perma Core thread and winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
She wanted something Christmasy, so I decided on Patricia Ritter and my Merriment©️ design, which is available at Urban Elementz. It’s such a fun universal Christmas design.
It’s never too early to get your Christmas quilts quilted!!
Next up, this beautiful quilt that Liz’s sisters help her make.
This quilt pattern is by Sandy Gervais called Rubies and Diamonds.
If you look super close, there are heart fabrics in this quilt…which I don’t know the name of, so she wanted a heart quilting design. I showed her Patricia Ritter and my Cupid©️ design, and she loved it. I think it looks so beautiful!!
I used 8020 cotton poly blend batting and cream A&E Perma Core thread.
That swirly heart texture is my favorite!!!
Next up…this incredible quilt made by Denise.
The pattern is called Heritage Square by Whirligig Designs.
Seriously incredible quilt!!!
Denise wanted my Squared©️ quilting design on this one. Which is great with all the blocks being on point.
I used a king size 8020 cotton poly blend batting and cream A&E Perma Core thread.
This next one, is one I’ve wanted to make for awhile…someday! Also made by Denise.
This is called Vintage Lace by Lo & Behold Stitchery. This is also king size, and I couldn’t quite get the whole quilt in one picture, so head to the link above on Lo & Behold Stitchery’s website, to see the full quilt.
I used cream A&E Perma Core thread and winline’s king size 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
To go with the Vintage Lace theme of the quilt, we decided on Taka by Keryn Emmerson which is available at Urban Elementz.
This quilt is backed with a fluffy Minky, which adds a puffiness to the quilting texture.
Also made by Denise, this fun tree wall hanging is called The Giving Tree and is in the book by Sew Kind of Wonderful called Mini Wonderful Curves.
She wanted wood grain quilting, which I did freehand. Then I used my 4” Circle2™ ruler to quilt the star.
This texture is so fun!!
I used Linda’s Edge ruler to quilt the echoed v’s on the trunk.
I used cream A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Next up, this beautiful Charcoal and Cream block of the month quilt, made by Barbara. Pattern by Fig Tree and Co. This was a block of the month that ran last year. So, you’ll have to read the details in the link above for more information on if it’s still available.
Sorry these pictures aren’t the best…even with editing the pictures, it’s just hard to get good pictures in the gloomy winter days we’ve had in January and February.
I decided to quilt Patricia Ritter and my Sweet Indigo©️ design, which is available at Urban Elementz. Which I think was a perfect choice for the vintage look to this quilt.
I used cream A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 batting.
My favorite swirly flower design that we’ve created.
Next, this super fun Lella Boutique quilt called Butterfly Patch, made by Chris.
The fabrics on this quilt are fun and bright, sorry the pictures just don’t do it justice.
Chris chose Patricia Ritter and my Capri©️ design for the quilting. It is such a fun design for this quilt. It is available at Urban Elementz.
I used a cream A&E Perma Core thread, and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
A close up on that quilty texture and some of the fun fabrics that Chris used.
Next, this adorable panda quilt that Chris made for her granddaughter.
It’s called Cursive Panda Quilt by Vintagedoor. Chris added flowers, changed a few things on the pandas face…and it turned out so sweet.
I used one of Linda’s Edge rulers to quilt the lines, and then everything else was done freehand.
I used black thread on the back and white on everything else. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Love what simple lines or squares can add to the quilting texture on a quilt. Adding a variety of quilting designs, that harmonize together, creates fun textures and makes different parts of the quilt stand out more.
I love that “hello”! To see some of these designs and others quilted on video, head on over to my YouTube channel and check out those videos.
Last one for today…this sweet quilt was made by Sherry for a dear momma who is dying from cancer, to give to her daughter. Sherry’s sister made some more quilts for this momma’s other children. She wanted to leave her kids with a reminder of how much she loves them. When I have the opportunity to quilt a quilt for someone like this, it makes my job mean sooo much more. It adds a greater purpose to fabrics, threads, batting, and quilting designs.
The pattern is called Merry-Go-Round designed by Regina Girard and is in The Big Book of Strip Quilts by Karen M. Burns.
This quilt is jelly roll friendly…I have a jelly roll that would be perfect for it!!
I love these fun happy fabrics and colors.
With the hexagon fabrics, I decided to use Hexies by Patricia Ritter to quilt it. It’s available at Urban Elementz. I just love this quilting texture!
I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting. I hope this little girl feels extra love from her momma each time she is wrapped up in this quilt.
Patricia Ritter and I have a new design called Scottish Plaid - Hexies and it’s available at Urban Elementz. It is not part of the 20% off sale that I’m currently having in my shop.
Another reminder about my Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler set that is $20 off right now using code 20SPRING20 at checkout. Quilting designs are 20% off using code LEAPYEAR at checkout. Thanks again for supporting my small business. Appreciate you all so much!!
Thanks for being here!! Take care and I hope you each stay healthy.
- Leisha
Quilting Galore!
Between working and life, I haven’t blogged the amazing quilts and fun runners that I’ve had the privilege of quilting…for awhile. I hope you enjoy the variety of custom and edge to edge quilting, that I’m going to share with you.
First up, this amazing quilt made by my friend and neighbor Karen. She’s made several quilts, and has never had one custom quilted. It was so fun to quilt this for her, especially knowing she was going to keep it and enjoy the quilting. This pattern is by Carrie Nelson. It is from Miss Rosie’s Farmhouse Favorites book and is called Stella Blue.
I just love softening the hard lines in a quilt pattern, with curves in the quilting. That was my plan with this quilt. I love the end result.
I used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly batting, and Dyed Natural 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread.
A close up on the two main blocks.
I used four of my Circle2™ (Circle Squared) rulers to quilt these lovely curves. I used the 3”, 4”, 6”, and 9”. It’s so great to have such a versatile set, ranging in size from 2”-13” circles. These rulers are made from 1/4” thick, high quality acrylic. They are available in clear or green in my shop. For more details go here: Circle2™ . My machine quilting circle rulers can be used on a domestic machine with the correct quilting foot and on a longarm machine with a ruler foot. To check them out in action, go to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/QuiltingIt
The above picture shows the 3” and the 9” circles. Each ruler has two sizes of circles. The reason being, you get 12 different sizes of circles and you only need 6 rulers. Saves space in your quilting studio and saves you money…because you’re not buying 6 more rulers. (Green set is pictured below)
The quilting in each block is so cohesive and pairs nicely together, while enhancing the quilt blocks. I used the 6” circle ruler to quilt the large orange peel on the corners of the star block.
That beautiful arc diamond design is so fun to quilt, and is my favorite part of quilting on this quilt. I use the 9” circle ruler on that design.
For all the orange peel designs inside the star blocks I used the 3” circle. As pictured above and below.
I used the 4” circle ruler to quilt these petals in these flying geese. I also used an Edge ruler from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple, to quilt all the lines.
All those different sizes of curves just fit so nicely together.
A few pictures of the back. Love it!!
Next, some cute table runners…made by Barbara!
How sweet are these popsicles?!?!?!! The pattern is by Ribbon Candy Quilt Company and is one of their Sizzlin’ Summer Skinnies. Click on their name above, and it will take you right to their website.
I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread, and Winline’s 8020 batting. I mixed the quilting up, by adding a lot of different shapes and textures. Ribbon candy borders, overlapping circles in the background, and a variety of different designs in the popsicle stripes.
Next up, Barbara made this flag runner, using the FREE Wave Your Flag table runner pattern by Fat Quarter Shop.
I used Good Vibrations from Patricia Ritter at Urban Elementz to quilt it. I spaced the wavy lines 3/4ths of an inch apart. I love the texture from these simple wavy lines. I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and more of my favorite 8020 cotton poly Winline batting.
I love the dimension that comes from offsetting the flag stripes. I love all things 4th of July. I was born after the fireworks, on the morning of the 5th.
Okay, this watermelon runner…also made by Barbara, is just so fun!! The pattern is by Primrose Cottage Quilts and is called Summertime.
I may be a little biased, but that Sweet Orange Peel quilting design, is a perfect fit for this!! It reminds me of the shape of watermelon seeds. Sweet Orange Peel©️ is available in my shop at www.quiltingit.com/shop and is one of my best sellers!
I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Now, a few fun projects made by Sherry.
This cute pillow front is from My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe, here in Logan Utah. It’s part of their pillow of the month club. You’ll have to contact them for a pattern.
I used Good Vibrations from Patricia Ritter at Urban Elementz again to quilt this. I spaced the wavy lines 1/2 of an inch apart. Because it’s a pillow, it works being that tightly quilted. Sherry brought a cotton poly scrap of batting, and I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread to quilt it.
Next up, these lovely runners made by Sherry. Designed By Heather Peterson from Anka's Treasures. This runner is in the Trendy Table 2 book.
Once again I used my Sweet Orange Peel©️ design to quilt it.
I used a Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 batting.
Sherry made two, so I quilted them onto the same quilting back. I quilt on a Gammill 22” machine. So I set the boundary when doing Edge to Edge quilting, as if it were all one quilt. Saves on time. I quilted the first one, rolled it to the next one and easy peasy, done!!
Loranne is a master at making her own patterns from things that inspire her. This lovely quilt was made for her friends new granddaughter.
Loranne requested a double batt, which adds some beautiful texture to the quilt/quilting. I did a bottom layer of the 8020 cotton poly blend batting that I love from Winline, and a top layer of Hobbs Wool. Love the combination of the two. I’ve done the same thing with some of my own quilts.
Pictures really don’t do this quilt justice.
I used the -20- curve ruler for the petals, and some of the Edge rulers for all the straight lines, both are from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple.
Because this quilt has lot of borders, I wanted to make each of them stand out with different yet cohesive quilting designs. I especially love how these corners turned out. I also share a few more pictures to show the border details. The pinstripe border below is done with a 1/4” line and then a inch section.
Airen’s amazing Double Wedding Ring quilt is up next!! It was such a gem to quilt, knowing it is going to be a family heirloom. Airen used Double Wedding Ring Templates by Sharlene Jorgenson which are available here.
I used white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
I wanted to keep the quilting classic, yet show off all the amazing piecing that Airen did.
I used 3 of my Circle2 machine quilting circle rulers (the 4”, 5”, 13”) and Linda’s -15- curve ruler from The Quilted Pineapple.
The quilting inside where the rings overlap, is dainty. A double curved line at a 1/4” spacing, with tiny pebbles, enhances the curves of the rings and the negative space. I quilted swirls with a hook, inside the rings. Checkout the backging pictured below to see the hooks better.
I used this 4” Circle2™ ruler for one of the sets of petals inside the double arcs of the wedding rings.
I used this 5” Circle2™ ruler for the other set of petals in the double arc.
I used the 13” Circle2™ ruler to quilt the 1/4” lines inside where the rings overlap.
I also used the -15- curve ruler from Linda, to quilt the 1/2” arched curves inside the center of the rings. (As pictured below) I hope that makes sense. The reason I share which ruler I used where, is so you can see the benefits of having a great selection of circle rulers and curve rulers. I lay out my circle rulers to see which curve fits in the best spot. No two quilts are the same. It’s such a great asset to have a great set of rulers.
Front/back!! Love it! You can also see the hook on the swirls in the bottom picture. I love the look of the diamonds in each corner.
I wish each of you could see this beautiful quilt!!
Lovely sunlight highlighting all that quilting texture.
These sweet butterflies were made by Lori for her granddaughter. The pattern is by Nadra Ridgeway from Ellis & Higgs and is called Butterfly Dance.
This is such a sweet sweet quilt!!
Lori chose Flower Child by Apricot Moon Designs, and it’s available at Urban Elementz. This is such a fun design to quilt. It looks like the flowers are dancing along with the butterflies.
I used a 30 tex Silver Omni thread from Superior Threads, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline.
I hope you have fun snuggling your new granddaughter soon, Lori!!! She’s lucky to receive such a beautiful quilt.
I love this bright fun runner, made by Laurie. The pattern is Mini Popsicles Table Runner and is available at Annie’s Catalog.
Made with the Crayola Fat Quarter Box from Riley Blake Designs.
I custom quilted this with overlapping swirls in the background, and a variety of fun textures in the popsicles.
Such a fun summery runner. I used Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Laurie brought a cotton poly batting scrap.
This house quilt is just so fun, it was made by Kara Jo. The bold reds, pinks, and oranges…next to the black and white low volume prints…make this quilt pop!! I’m guessing these red/pink/orange fabrics are by Kaffe.
I used a Antique Cream 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly batting.
Look at the combination of these bold prints, even next to some of the bold low volume prints. Such a fun combo.
I’m not sure who this pattern is by, if I find out I will edit this post. There are a fun variety of house quilts.
I suggested Malachite as a design for this quilt, and Kara Jo agreed. It’s by Patricia Ritter and is available at Urban Elementz. I love it with the variety and style of these fabrics. It’s such a versatile design.
That quilty texture is just so so good.
Lastly…this absolutely cute quilt, made by Sherry. It’s called Ghost Quilt by Then Came June. She has some pretty fun quilt patterns.
I’m not a huge Halloween fan, but this quilt just might change my mind. I love the different colors of ghost eyes and mouth. Light grey to black.
I stewed and stewed on how to quilt this. I saw a couple quilted that I liked, but one was custom and I knew I wanted to do something edge to edge. So I took a look at Sarah Ann Myers designs at Urban Elementz, because some of my favorites are hers, and I found Gale. The movement in this design, is just my favorite!!! It quilted beautifully!!
I used a white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
I think the point in the Gale quilting design, goes so well with the point on the ghost. That’s why I love them together.
I can’t believe it’s that time of year, when Halloween quilts are starting to get quilted. Anyone else feel like this year has flown right by.
The ghosts seem to be glowing in the picture below.
What have you been sewing this summer??? I’ve been making great progress on my Hexie Flower quilt, that I’ve been sewing together by hand…for the last 4 years. I shared a picture of a couple of the rows, a few posts ago. Right now, all the rows are sewn, and I’m starting to sew them together. That definitely takes more time, but it’s finally starting to look like a quilt. It’s been such a fun project. (Previous picture, so you don’t have to go looking for it)
Also, my Modern Vintage quilt is finally getting quilted!!!! Yay! It’s a pattern by Bonnie and Camille, and is in Bonnie’s Cotton Way Classics book. I used several different charm packs from several different Bonnie and Camille lines of fabric, to make this quilt. I’m so excited!! I’m going to quilt my Sweet Orange Peel©️ design on it, and it has a layer of Hobbs wool inside. This quilt was started almost two years ago. Yes, I’m slow at sewing. I prefer it that way. Take my time and enjoy the process.
Thanks for sticking around. I know that is a whole lot of pictures and quilts. But I love seeing a variety of ideas • for quilts and quilting. I hope you enjoy it, too. Happy sewing! • 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
Shelley’s Pixelated Heart Quilt!
(This post was written awhile back, and was meant to be shared elsewhere. When that didn’t work out, I knew I wanted to share it here...enjoy!!)
I’m so grateful I get to do what I do!! My sweet as they come client, Shelley, made this for one of her friends who has cancer and is going through chemo. This is when quilts and quilting mean far more to me. Being able to machine quilt something that is bringing warmth and love to someone during a difficult time, is such a gift and a privilege. I hope her friend finds healing and is on the road to recovery soon.
If you’ve been on Instagram and you follow quilters, you may have seen this pixelated heart quilt. It’s been everywhere lately. Judith Hollies from Just Jude Designs is selling this pattern on her Etsy. I’m loving the scrappy look to this quilt, from the low volume background to the reds and pinks in all different varieties of prints.
Some of my clients look on my website www.quiltingit.com to see which edge to edge machine quilting designs I have available, unless they request custom quilting which I do free motion. Shelley came with a few ideas, which is great!! I appreciate it when they help me narrow it down to what they like. However, after I saw this quilt I showed her our Cupid©️ design. This design is by Patricia Ritter and myself, and it’s available in paper and several different digital formats at https://www.urbanelementz.com/cupid.html She said yes!! I was excited. I’ve quilted this particular design out once or twice, and each time it’s just one of my very favorites, and I think it’s a perfect fit for this quilt.
When I pick a quilting design, I take into consideration everything about the quilt. The fabric prints, the textures, the quilt pattern, and so on. I often draw inspiration from a quilt, like I did with Shelley, and I just know when I look at it what will look great. Other times I have to think about it for awhile. When deciding on the quilting design, I often choose something that will complement the quilt without it being the exact same design. For example I don’t love to quilt flowers on a quilt that has flower quilt blocks and flower fabrics. I think that’s when the quilting can compete with the quilt. In that case I would rather choose something with leaves or a geometric design. I feel like quilting isn’t supposed to be the focus of a quilt, rather the focus should be the quilt as a whole. Everything, fabrics...pattern...and quilting. If done right each part is complimentary to each other. Now, you may be smiling. I quilted hearts on a heart quilt. Yes, however not every fabric on this quilt has hearts on it. That’s why quilting hearts works. Cupid enhanced the hard edges on the giant pixelated heart, and softened it up quite a bit. I also love to soften the hard lines on a quilt by doing curvy or swirly designs for the quilting. My best advice, be inspired by the quilt. Everything about it. You never know, you may be inspired to do something amazing, by just thinking outside the box. Urban Elementz has an incredible selection of quilting designs from a wide variety of designers, I recommend choosing a variety of different designs that will look beautiful on a variety of different quilts.
The swirls in this design add great movement, and almost dance across the quilt. I also love the texture that quilting adds to a quilt. You can see pictured below the difference of the design on the beautiful red, and the softness of the cream background.
I used Dyed Natural A&E 30 tex Perma Core thread, which is the most lovely creamy color of thread, on the front and back. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting. Which is a perfect combo, with this super soft Cuddle™️ (minky) backing. Cuddle is the brand name for Shannon Fabrics minky. This particular one, was one of their 90” wide minky’s. I love the 90” for those quilts that are too big for the 60” minky.
I’d like to mention something about plush quilt backings, like minky or Cuddle. I prefer the solid minky with no textures or prints or embossing, 10 times out of 10. The reason being, the quilting you’re paying good money to have done, can be your texture. I mean look how absolutely beautiful our Cupid design is on this Cuddle. With the textured or printed minky’s, they compete with the quilting, and you miss the texture the quilting gives the quilt. What you really want the quilting to do is enhance your quilt, front and back. I’ve often heard that quilting is like the icing on the cake. If you love those textured minky’s, great!! Go for it! For me, I’ll just be over here swooning over those swirly hearts.
Thank you for spending your time with me today! In the future, I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the size/scale of a design. Until then, I hope your quilting journey is a happy one. I love creating designs that you love to use. I for one am excited to see what we can continue to do together in the future. Happy quilting!!
Have a great day!!
- 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
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 - April
Happy Spring!! If you’ve had winter the last 6ish months, like we have, I hope spring is on its way for you!!
I hope you’re enjoying having a variety of quilts to look at in one post. It’s definitely easier for me to share all the amazing quilts that I get to quilt, in one post. Thank you for being here!
This first quilt was started by Jessica years ago, I taught her how to make a quilt when she was in junior high...and then she wanted to start her next quilt. So she picked out a couple of blocks from the book: Marsha McCloskey’s Block Party book. It’s such an awesome book. There are a variety of different block patterns, and all the blocks are the same size, which makes mixing and matching easy. It’s an older book, so it may be out of print. But I did find one for sell on amazon... https://www.amazon.com/Marsha-McCloskeys-Block-Party-Extravaganza/dp/1579542662/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=2UTFJI90XBG65&keywords=marsha+mccloskey+block+party&qid=1554150636&s=gateway&sprefix=marsha+mc&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
As the years went by, here and there Jessica would remind me that she wanted to work on her quilt. Unfortunately we never got together to work on it again. When Jessica got married, her mother in law...who is an amazing quilter, said she was going to finish it for her.
Marla finished it...isn’t it beautiful?!?!?!! I was lucky enough to quilt it! I know Jessica is going to be thrilled!!
I used my favorite 30 tex Perma Core cream thread, Dyed Natural, from A&E. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton/poly blend batting.
These fabrics used to be available at my mom and aunts fabric shop www.sistersandquilters.com or www.sistersandquilters.etsy.com but unfortunately, that was awhile ago. They do have a pretty fabulous selection of fabrics...patterns...and notions, you should totally check them out.
I sent Marla a few options for quilting...all feathers, that Patricia Ritter and I have designed. To check out our designs go to: https://www.urbanelementz.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=Leisha+farnsworth
Marla chose our Vintage©️ design and I think it’s a beautiful match!! Vintage is available at Urban Elementz in paper and several different digital formats. Go to: https://www.urbanelementz.com/vintage.html
Here is a look at the beautiful cream Cuddle or minky, from Shannon Fabrics. It comes in 90” wide...which is wonderful! Makes quilting all those big quilts easier for me. plus it only comes in the solid, which is great!! The quilting becomes the texture on the minky.
Next up... Jenn made this for her daughter who just made cheer for her second year, at our local high school.
This quilt will be the perfect size for her to take on all those bus trips. If I remember right, the squares were cut 6”, which makes them 5.5” sewn.
I used a silver thread from signature, that looks like it has a little metallic to it. It doesn’t...just looked like it does. I have used a metallic thread before, and it quilted great. It was years ago, but I think it was a Superior or Signature thread. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
Jenn picked 90” wide minky too, which changed the way that the quilt was pinned on. I always pin minky on my machine, on the two ends that are cut. Otherwise stretching happens. So, I gave Jenn a handful of options, some of which would end up looking like they were quilted vertically. That was the case with this Mod Dotz design by Patricia Ritter. It’s available at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/mod-dotz.html I think it turned out great!! I love the vertical look of the design.
Look at that minky/quilty texture!!! Love it!
The next two quilts were made by Kristen!
This first quilt is a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman called Dogs in Sweaters. How cute!!! Those glasses are a fun touch.
I used the same 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread in Dyed Natural, that I used on Marla’s quilt. I also used Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting. It’s my favorite cotton poly blend because it’s a little thicker than the others, and it’s so much softer.
I asked Kristen if it would be okay to use my new Double Squared©️ quilting design, she said yes!! I love how it turned out.
Double Squared is available on my website: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/double-squared or Urban Elementz website: https://www.urbanelementz.com/double-squared.html If I remember right, I quilted this one at a height around 5.5”. Double Squared is a new take on my Squared design, that quilts out on point. I think it’s fun to have both options, and I hope you enjoy quilting with this one, too!
This is such a fun quilt!! I know several people who’d love one.
Kristen’s Grandma’s Flower Garden quilt!
If you’ve been following along on my Instagram for awhile, then you know I’m making a hexie flower quilt. I started it nearly 4 years ago. It’s sewn by hand using the English Paper Piecing method. It’s definitely a labor of love, and I’ve enjoyed making mine. I still have edges to make, but I’m ready to lay mine out...so excited, especially now that I know how to quilt it. One of the reasons that I was okay with mine taking me so long, is because I had no idea how to quilt it. Until now!! I searched Pinterest and Instagram, and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t either too time consuming or I liked. Then I thought of my digital cross hatching design, On Point.
I used the same cream Dyed Natural A&E Perma Core 30 tex thread, and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
I’m loving all these floral prints!!!
On Point©️ Is available in my shop at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/on-point or at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/leisha-s-on-point.html The great thing about this design, if you offset it at 50% on every other row, then no lines quilt over other lines. It’s clean and beautiful.
I love the mixture of colors and florals on this quilt!!! The squares ended up 3/4” big. Tiny and sweet, if you ask me.
Close ups and a nice angled picture!
Here is a look at the backing. I love lines and squares, to me this is a perfect fit. Now, I can wait to get mine sewn together, so I can quilt it the same way.
I quilt on a 22” Gammill Statler. I only use the computer on edge to edge designs. When I custom quilt, it’s all me and some rulers. I hope you have a great week!! I have some fun things to quilt this week.
Take care, happy quilting!! - 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
Simple Strip Block Quilt
My mom made this sweet strip quilt for my new niece, Lucy! I had leftover 1” strips, that I cut off of charm squares for the quilt that I’ve been working on for awhile. So she sewed the 1” strips together in sections, and added sashing. All of the fabrics, except for the background, are from several of Bonnie and Camille’s fabric lines.
Isn’t that just so fun...all those bright colors and prints.
My mom chose the Flower Child design by Apricot Moon Designs and it’s available at: https://www.urbanelementz.com/flower-child.html I cant remember the height that I quilted this one, I’m guessing between 4”-5”.
I used white 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread and Winline’s 8020 cotton poly blend batting.
This bright happy quilt has me dreaming of spring. Plus it’s even more wonderful to know this one is for our sweet Lucy!!
Have a great weekend!! What projects have you been working on???
- Leisha
Monica’s Layer Cake Lemonade quilt!!
Monica from @sewnbylovey on Instagram, made this quilt for her sister. The pattern is called Layer Cake Lemonade, free from the Fat Quarter Shop. The fabric is from Art Gallery and is by Katarina Roccella from her Skopelos Sea line.
This is the perfect quilt pattern to show off all of your favorite fabric prints.
I asked Monica to look at my quilting options on my website, and she close a few. I recommend my Lotus design from all her choices. I think it’s a great pairing with the fabrics she chose. Lotus’ are extra special to Monica and her sister, which makes this even more wonderful for this quilt.
Lotus can be found on my website here: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/lotus
I recommend quilting this design around a height of 1.5”, which will put the width around 3.75”...depending on the boundary you set, that width and height could differ. It seems small for the height, but the width when it comes to a clamshell type design is more important.
Love how sweet this design looks on this quilt!! And that plus fabric ((above)) is my favorite.
Monica sent one of her favorite batting’s...I think it was an 8020 and I used 30 tex Antique Cream A&E Perma Core thread.
These beautiful flowery fabrics make me soooo excited for spring. Right now I’m listening to the snow melting off the roof...such a wonderful sound!!
- have a great weekend! Leisha
Sherry’s Cottage Blossom Quilt!!
This beautiful quilt is Cottage Blossoms by Vanessa from Lella Boutique. These beautiful fabrics were put together in a kit by My Girlfriend’s Quilt Shoppe in Logan Utah. For details or more info on that, google them and give them a call.
Sherry made this for her future daughter in-law. She said it came together pretty fast.
I decided to use a digital machine quilting pantograph, that I bought recently from Urban Elementz. It’s called Hexies by Patricia Ritter and is available here: https://www.urbanelementz.com/hexies.html
I love the texture this design created. I decided to do it pretty big, so it fits with the scale of the flower blocks. I quilted it at a 5.75” height, for the design. Something a lot smaller, would have been too small.
I used a 30 tex Antique Cream A&E Perma Core thread, and my favorite Winline 8020 cotton poly batting.
Ya know, some designs were just made perfect for certain quilts, this is one of those!!
Hope you’re have a great Monday!!! Happy quilting!
- Leisha
Chris’ Wedding Signature Quilt
Chris made this beautiful quilt for her daughter and son in-law, who got married last fall.
She used a block from a sampler quilt, that she’s done in the past. This is one of the most beautiful signature quilts that I’ve seen!!
These soft pretty colors, were her daughters wedding colors.
I used my favorite Winline 8020 cotton poly blend batting and Dyed Natural 30 tex A&E Perma Core thread. A hint of cream, was the prefect thread color, to blend so nicely.
Chris picked Marci Gore’s Orange Peel design for the quilting. It’s a great design, quilting out an entire row all at once. Lines up pretty great. Sometimes there are spots here or there, that don’t...so I have a couple quick tips, in the video below, on how to deal with designs that don’t line up the best when computerized quilting. While you’re there please subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/QuiltingIt
Sometimes it’s the little tips that make everything look this beautiful...I love this design.
Yes. That is navy minky/cuddle on the backing from Shannon Fabrics. It comes in 90” wide...you have no idea how grateful I am as a quilter, that they offer this length. I certainly quilt a lot less pieces minky, which makes me sooo happy!
thanks for stopping by!!! Have a great weekend.
- Leisha
Barbara’s Quilts!!!
Barbara made both of these amazing quilts!! This first quilt pattern is by Bonnie Sullivan and is called Color Wash. Its such a cool quilt!! The front is made up of flannels.
I know for some computerized quilting doesn’t seem a worthwhile thing to blog about, however...for me, this is my quilting design and I love seeing it on a variety of quilts. Which is why I keep blogging all sorts of quilts with this Squared design on it. To share it’s versatility. Also, it’s a great way to see new quilt patterns, that you haven’t seen before, and how they were quilted. I do hope you find these blog posts enjoyable and helpful!!
I thought my Squared©️ design would look awesome on this plaid quilt!!! Love how it turned out. Squared is available on my website at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/squared (in several different digital formats) or at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/squared.html (available in paper and digital formats).
I can’t quite remember what size I quilted this design, but if I remember right it was between 5”-6” in height. I did the quilting design size larger than I normally do because of the size of the large quilt blocks, but also most importantly because the back is minky. I don’t love overquilted minky backings...otherwise they lose some of the coziness.
I used an 8020 cotton poly blend batting and an Oxford gray color of 30 Tex A&E Perma Core thread, to quilt it. I typically don’t like thread when it is darker than some of the fabrics. But this gray oxford color blended perfectly on the black, red, gray, and white fabrics. Plus the minky backing was gray as well.
I just can’t get over how awesome the texture is on this quilt, the diagonal of the quilting design with the square plaid, is just an awesome combination.
Isnt this traditional Log Cabin quilt stunning?!?!!! I love the black centers, they pop right off the quilt and make it look soooo striking.
I love the movement of this quilting design across the quilt!!
This lovely quilting design is one of Patricia Ritter and my designs, it’s called “Viola”©️ and is available at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/viola.html the great thing about this design, it comes with a variety of different blocks and even a petite version this edge to edge design. To see all the variations of this design, head over to: https://www.urbanelementz.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=Viola
This design has such a fresh take on the traditional quilting feather. If you notice on the quilt, as well as the picture above, the individual feather petals are spread apart more, also some variety in the design...that you don’t see in traditional feathers. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but Urban Elementz has a suggested size on their website. I did go a little smaller, and set this design up a little less than 9” in height. The height of a design consists of the highest and lowest points of the motif.
I love a good close up picture on a quilt...showing the fabrics, which helped me choose this design for this quilt, and to see that beautiful quilting texture.
Thought I’d even share a little of the quilt backing, with that beautiful feathery vine.
Thanks for coming by!!
I had a recent request to have my blog made audible for those who have a hard time seeing/reading. There is a audio button at the top left of each blog post, and in several other parts on my website. I’m not sure if the audio button will be an option in my emails, if not go directly to my posts by clicking the link at the bottom of the email that says “read in browser”. It will take you to the blog post on my website.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Happy quilting!! - Leisha
Courtney ‘s Hexie quilt!
Isn’t this quilt so amazing!!! This is Courtney’s first quilt...I’m impressed. Now I want to make one...it’s a jelly roll friendly quilt, too...more details on that in a minute. First, I think we ought to pause in amazement....
When I saw this quilt, I knew it was one of Emily Dennis’ brilliant patterns...no Y seams either. Emily’s patterns can be found on her website quiltylove.com and she has some pretty amazing ones. My Ombré Gems quilt, that I recently quilted and blogged about...is one of hers. She’s awesome!! She loves her patterns to be precut friendly. It’s hard to find great jelly roll patterns...she has quite a few. This particular quilt is called Hexie Framed quilt, and can be found...right here... http://www.quiltylove.com/introducing-hexie-framed-quilt-pattern/
For the quilting I used Patricia Ritter and my Arrowhead©️ digital quilting design. I quilted the design at 3 7/8” height for this particular quilt, because that’s a great scale for these cute hexie blocks. Arrowhead is available at... https://www.urbanelementz.com/arrowhead.html
I suggested this pattern to her because of all the fun southwest looking fabrics...I think the angles of the Arrowhead design just flatter all the work she put into this quilt.
I used 8020 cotton poly blend Winline batting, and white 30 tex poly wrapped poly Perma Core A&E thread.
A quick tip...I use the Lightroom app, and it’s free in the apple store. It should be available on Android too. Anyways, I use this app to get these fabulous colored and sharpened pictures. Sometimes pictures are just horrible and nothing can really help them. It’s all about light!! I try and get great, well lit pictures, but at this time of year it’s just hard with the overcast wintery sky. I use the sharpening and exposure features the most. Sometimes I’ll change the color, too. I take my photos and a lot of my videos on my iPhone X... it’s handy, I use Lightroom, and then my photos are ready to blog and share.
This picture is the original, and the edited picture is posted above, can you see how amazing this app is? It’s free...what are you waiting for. You’re welcome!!
I hope if you’re in the part of the world that it’s cold/rainy/and snowy...that you’re enjoying some extra sewing time. For those who are enjoying warm temps and sunshine...enjoy every minute! Here’s to hoping for warm days and plenty of sunshine for us all!!
- Leisha
Quilt of Valor
Recently I visited a quilt guild in my area, and they mentioned in their announcements that they were going to try and make as many Quilts if Valor, that they could. I learned last night they made 5 in one day. That’s awesome!! This is one of them.
My dad served 30 years in the military and my brother served as well, he was even deployed. So, I love to quilt one of these a year...knowing they will go to someone who fought for our freedoms. For those of you who aren’t sure what a quilt of valor is click here and read more about it: https://www.qovf.org/make-a-qov/
I chose to use Patricia Ritter and my Liberty quilting design, to quilt it. I love how it turned out!!! Liberty©️ Is available in paper, digital, self print and design boards... go here: https://www.urbanelementz.com/liberty.html
This design is a take on our Marmalade©️ design.
I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly Winline batting and 30 tex Dyed Natural A&E Perma Core thread.
The quilting texture looks awesome!!
Here is a better view of this design on this backing!!
Thank you for stopping by!! Happy quilting!!
I’m off to quilt something that is getting published in a magazine...excited to share, someday.
- Leisha
Quilting Fabric
Also before Christmas, my sister wanted me to quilt some fabric, so she could make her and my brother in-law some stockings. She didn’t get around to making any before Christmas because of all the fun parties they were going to. Even though I don’t have a stocking to share, I want to show you this amazing quilty texture on this Bells Solid the 97 or 98 fabric. She had me quilt 3 yards, for future kiddos...then their stockings will match. The backside is the super cute trees from Zen Chic’s White Christmas line...with the gold tree randomly throughout. (See last picture) These fabrics were found at https://www.etsy.com/shop/sistersandquilters or https://www.sistersandquilters.com/
They chose my Starlight©️ design for the quilting. It’s available in my shop at in several different digital formats: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/starlight or at Urban Elementz: https://www.urbanelementz.com/leisha-s-starlight.html
I quilted this design at 3” high. which is definitely great for what my sister wants.
I used Antique Cream 30 tex Perma Core thread from A&E and 8020 cotton poly blend batting. Because of the fold creases that can happen with 8020, I rolled this up until she makes her stockings.
When my sister finishes their stockings, I’ll be sure to share. Another reason I’ve wanted to share this, I’ve always wanted a quilted bedspread...just solid fabric. Even more so now. So, now I just need to decide on a design to quilt out.
hope you have some fun projects going on!! Happy Quilting!
- Leisha
Florence Flamingo and her friends...
My mom made this quilt for my sister and brother in-law, for their wedding quilt. They have a slight obsession with Flamingo’s!!!
My mom and aunt own a fabric store online, https://www.etsy.com/shop/sistersandquilters or https://www.sistersandquilters.com/ they have a great selection of a wide variety of fabrics, as you can see. This pattern is available in their shop, it’s called Florence Flamingo and is by Elizabeth Hartman. I love it!! The ombré look to each flamingo is so much fun.
I gave my sister and brother in-law quilte a few designs to choose from, for the quilting...they chose my “The Climb”©️ design, which is only available at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/the-climb
I quilted this design at 2.5” height. That seems small, but it’s the most perfect size. Especially with all the negative space in the design. I love it with these fabrics and the flamingos.
So...let me introduce you to Florence Flamingos friends, yes...we named them. Haha! Not only do we want to remember their names, but I want to show you a close up on all the fun fabrics they picked for this quilt... note...these names are random and were chosen over a facetime call with my other sister and brother in-law...you know, as a gift or added personal touch to this quilt. Haha!
In all seriousness as you scroll through these pictures, notice the trianglular theme in the fabrics, which makes the quilting very fitting.
This is Guyus...
This is Francene, isn’t she lovely!
Crabby, fitting for sure.
Gaquille, perfect spelling by my bro in-law...
Gringo...
Dalas, aka Salad (they are reversible I learned)
Aquafina...she’s quite possibly my favorite!
Steven (inside joke between the bro in-laws...from some funny video)
Shaniqua
...have you ever had fun naming your animal quilts???
I used my favorite Winline 8020 cotton poly blend batting, and 30 tex poly wrapped poly Perma Core A&E thread. I bound it in the pink, because it’s just like the pretty pink flamingo legs, plus that pop of color is fun!!
This was the last quilt I quilted before Christmas!!! Love how it turned out.
- Leisha
Honest Fabric
During fall 2018 International Quilt Market, Karlee Porter...Renowned Longarm Machine Quilter and creator of Graffiti Quilting...announced that she started a fabric company. Not just any fabric company, but a one of a kind, custom printed quilt top company. She has a three fold mission, to give you great quilt tops that are fair trade, eco friendly, and USA made. Go to https://www.honestfabric.com/ to check it out. I thought it was an amazing idea!! I’ve quilted several quilts that are custom printed onto fabric...some of you may be shocked which ones they are...but to be fair to those I quilted for, I won’t tell you which ones. My point, you wouldn’t know the difference. Not everything would be easy or possible to piece. AND, if you’re like me...you don’t love appliqué, yet you love the quilt. So...with Karlee’s debut of Honest Fabric, she decided to do a giveaway. To win you had to tag someone in the comments, and you both had to be following Honest Fabric on Instagram. So...of course I entered, and tagged some quilty friends who I knew would love one, too! And guess what!!!! I WON! I hardly ever win anything. My quilty friend Molly from Molly Lovely Threads was the lucky person that I tagged. Yay!! Thanks Karlee for such an awesome giveaway!!!
So, I was talking to Molly about which design she was going to choose, and she told me her sister Bonny Steele was designing some designs. I saw this yummy striped orange peel in the most wonderful colors, and knew this is what I wanted to pick! This design is available right here... https://www.honestfabric.com/shop/modern-orange-peel-2/
Now let me tell you about this fabric... Karlee said it will be printed on the most soft colorfast polyester fabric, and that’s the absolute truth! I’ve quilted polyester before...not my favorite, but this fabric is seriously so soft and yummy.
To make this quilt even better...I used Hobbs wool batting in it...oh the texture is fabulous!!! The first time that I’ve used only wool in one of my quilts...love love love it!! I’ve used wool for other people’s quilts, or done a double batting in some of my own quilts...never just wool. Now, I may need to do it in every quilt. Haha!! I used a white 30 tex Perma Core A&E thread. I quilt on a Gammill 22” longarm machine, with a Statler. (Computer)
Funny thing... the quilt top is polyester, the backing/binding fabrics are cotton, the batting is wool, and the thread is poly wrapped poly. Lots of different kinds of materials, and yet it turned out this beautiful!!
This quilting design is one of Patricia Ritter and my oldie but goodies... it’s called Bubble Wrap Double Take and is available at https://www.urbanelementz.com/bubble-wrap-double-take.html
This design is so versatile, and it’s available in paper...digital formats...self print...design board...and tear away. All at Urban Elementz.
When I use digital designs, I’m going to try and remember to share the height of the design. I quilted this design at a 1” height. Because each row is only half of the design, it’s a great size.
So, why did I pick this design? I wanted something fresh, modern, curvy like the backing fabric and orange peels on the quilt top...but really, the underlining reason I pick any particular design for a quilt, it’s harmonious. This design fits well with the fabrics and designs, yet doesn’t take away from or compete with the quilt itself. Quilting should always enhance a quilt, not fight for attention. That is my major rule of thumb. What is going to look great now, and still look great in 10...20...30 years. Quilts are treasures and last forever, I think the quilting should too.
I found my perfect backing fabric and binding at https://www.etsy.com/shop/sistersandquilters or https://www.sistersandquilters.com/ Same shop, they just have an Etsy as well as a .com
And...if you read my long post about my Ombré Gems quilt, then you saw my quilt tags. I LOVE THESE!! Custom Labels 4 U made them for me... I got tons for a great price! https://www.customlabels4u.com/
If you want to change it up and order a custom printed quilt top, I highly recommend it!! I look forward to getting more. In fact there are a few that I’ve been eyeing. It’s nice to have something done and ready to quilt. Plus, if you haven’t already taken a look, Karlee has some amazing artists and designers with such an incredible variety. There is something for everyone!!
Happy Quilting!!
- Leisha
My Ombré Gems quilt!!!
This is one of two quilts that I started and finished last year. I quilted tons of quilts, however I don’t sew a ton of quilts, because I sew so slow. I try and enjoy the process. I’m thrilled to share with you my Ombré Gems quilt!!! You have no idea how excited I am about this quilt. I loved this pattern the first time I saw it from Emily Dennis... go here to get the pattern: https://quiltyloveshop.com/collections/featured-products/products/ombre-gems-pdf-quilt-pattern
I got all the fabrics from https://www.sistersandquilters.com/ my favorite online fabric store!!! Or they have an etsy... https://www.etsy.com/shop/sistersandquilters
So, beginning of last year Emily said she was going to do another Ombré Gems sew along, and I totally jumped right in, even though I had a ton of work stuff going on at that moment and didn’t know how I was going to fit it in. I started and loved it sooo much! One thing that really helped is to have the blocks precut and clipped together, with the color name written on paper. Once you cut off the selvages, it’s hard to know what some of those colors are. It was the first time I had used Vanessa Christensen’s Ombré fabrics, so I was wondering how I was going to get that great fade from light to dark in my blocks. No worries, Emily shows you exactly what to do to cut the right piece in the right spot, so you can have awesome blocks, too. Like I mentioned above, the fabrics are by Vanessa Christensen from V and Co by Moda Fabrics.
The little red clips I’m using are called Wonder Clips, they are a life saver in so many ways. The bottoms are flat so it’s easy to sew until you get to the clip, then of course you can’t sew over it like a pin. They are great for binding, English paper piecing, sewing bags or zipper pouches and trying to keep all those layers together, and of course for keeping all your pieces together. The best price I’ve found is amazon, and yes...you’ll want the 50 pack. click here: https://www.amazon.com/Clover-Wonder-Clips-Red-50-Pack-x/dp/B004ZKPX8A/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1546708234&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wonder+clips&dpPl=1&dpID=51fJgM4kdRL&ref=plSrch
I finished this quilt in May, and thought I knew what I wanted to quilt on it. In the mean time, I had client quilts to quilt. Come December, when I was about done quilting for clients, I counted how many quilts I had quilted for the year and I was a few short from doing the same amount last year. So I looked in my closet and my beautiful Ombré Gems was sitting there. The dilemma, I had no idea what I should quilt on it. Seriously went back and forth soooo many times. I even did an Instagram poll in my stories with three options. The funny thing, I was totally going to quilt a triangle design on it. I actually started to and it was too big, so I unpicked it. Thankfully I only had two triangles quilted. I decided to do and poll and sleep on it. The triangles were a definite no...haha! Actually there were some who voted for all three designs. I know that any one of them would have looked great. But since I LOVED this quilt, I wanted to LOVE the quilting too, and not just quilt it to quilt it and then regret what I did later on. So, I eliminated the triangle design as an option. Which left me with my Squared©️ Or Beaded Clam©️ design. Squared won the poll hands down, and I was sooo close to quilting it. I even spent a few hours thinking out loud, just trying to decide. My mom was listening...haha! I actually decided to do Squared, and then changed my mind. Let me tell you a few reasons why. I wanted to first and foremost soften up the quilt. This quilt is beautiful and has a lot of hard lines, and I knew my Beaded Clam design would be great at softening it up. Second, I have two other quilts that I really want to do, and they both need to have Squared quilted on them. I love my Squared design, but I want to use a variety of my designs on my quilts, instead of using the same one over and over. I also, quilted Beaded Clam on a client quilt back in August, right after I released it, and I really wanted it on one of my own quilts. Now, I just hoped I was going to LOVE it as much as I LOVE the quilt. And, I do!! So much!!! You may be wondering why I went into great detail telling you about my thought process. The funny thing, most times I can look at a quilt and know exactly what to quilt on it. Especially if it’s an edge to edge design. I usually draw inspiration from the fabrics or the quilt pattern. The hard thing about this particular quilt, it’s all solid fabric...well except for the backing fabric. (Look for it below) Which is another reason I chose this design. I quilted this design at a height of 3”, and that is a perfect size.
Here is a look at my Beaded Clam©️ design, not to be confused with my Beaded Clam Take Two. Beaded Clamb is available only in my shop at: https://www.quiltingit.com/shop/beaded-clam-1
Urban Elementz picked up my Beaded Clam Take Two design, and it’s available in paper and several different digital formats...if you’re a paper pantograph quilter check that out. https://www.urbanelementz.com/beaded-clam.html
These aqua, pink, magenta, greens, and red...are my favorite combination of color on this quilt!!
Look at all that awesome quilty texture!!! Love love love it!! To create this texture I actually used two layers of batting. I’ve done that before on a few of my custom quilts and on a client quilt...but never on a quilt I was going to just do an edge to edge quilting design on. The base layer is my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline out of Ogden Utah. Then on top of that I used a layer of Hobbs wool. I tell you, this combo is heavenly!!! I haven’t had any problems with the batting bunching or anything weird, but as I roll I check to make sure everything is still flat and straight. Especially when quilting a quilt that is pieced on the bias. Sometimes batting likes to bunch on me, with blocks sewn on point...I don’t know why, when I’m advancing the quilt on the machine. The reasoning behind using two layers of batting, is to add extra loft and help the quilting POP! I actually rubbed my hand on this quilt dozens of times to feel the texture. Haha! I used a white 30 tex poly wrapped poly Perma Core A&E thread.
I’ve been sleeping with this on top of my bedspread, and it’s been so cozy and warm in the freezing northern Utah winter we are having.
See...here is the backing fabric!! Does it make a little more sense why I wanted to quilt this design on this quilt??? The dots have a rounded top and bottom mimicing the scallop in the quilting. I think they pair nicely together. This quilting may not be your favorite, that’s okay. I also love this grayish bias pinstripe for the binding. It’s a Bonnie and Camille basic by Moda. The backing fabric is from one of Vanessa Christensen’s old fabric lines, Color Me Happy by Moda.
This is also my first quilt that I was able to put my custom made label on!! I love these!! Of course I went for Navy/Aqua, with white...they are my favorite color combo! So many of my quilts have navy and aqua in them, so I thought it would complement them nicely. I also love the clean simple look and the cute font they did my name in.
Custom Labels 4 U, did them for me. They are awesome to work with, and I got a ton of labels for a great price!! Here is their website... https://www.customlabels4u.com/mobile/custom-woven-labels.htm
If any of you are wanting more specifics about my labels...size, fonts, colors... comment below, and I can dig up the emails with all the details. I had these made awhile ago, so I can’t remember everything off the top of my head.
Thanks for following along and reading my story!! When I was teaching my longarm quilting classes, deciding on which patterns to quilt, was something they all wanted to learn more about. So, I hope you learned a little something about the process I use. I definitely want to include the “why I chose this design” in my posts, in hopes that can help those of you who are new to quilting.
Hope you’re having a great day!! Happy quilting!!
- Leisha