Kaleidoscope Batik Quilt

Kaleidoscope Batik Quilt

Kaleidoscope Batik Quilt

On my bucket list of quilts to make is a kaleidoscope quilt. The appeal for this quilt is the fact that although you see curved lines in this quilt, there is no curved piecing. Artfully arranged batik fabrics create interlocking rings in blue, aqua, purple with a touch of green. The pattern, American Patchwork and Quilting, April 2010, must be closely followed to achieve the kaleidoscope effect. Completed in May, 2014 this quilt measures 40 inches x 40 inches, uses cotton batting and is quilted by Carole Beery.

First ribbon received from Lake Farm Park Show

Displayed at Streetsboro Quilt Show 2014, it received a Blue Ribbon; Lake Farm Park 2015, an honorable mention, and Stow Munroe Falls Library Show 2016, third place.

Destinations Quilt

Venice, Italy, 2011

 Destinations Quilt

Traveling to Italy in July 2011 has to be one of the highlights of my life. Experiencing Venice, Florence, and Rome were breathtakingly beautiful, extremely hot, and filled with historical monuments. Shortly after my trip, I discovered a fabric with famous destinations, printed on it. Of course, one was Italy. For several years, I collected fabrics with different types of destinations on it, both physical and emotional. Eventually, I found the perfect pattern at the International Quilt Show in Cincinnati. "Color My Fresh and Modern World" pattern by  Allison Quilt Designs, a traditional quilt with a fresh and modern appeal. Each block uses 3 fabrics with the neutral background fabric in strips to easily create a block.

Each block is different, using pink, red, yellow, tan and brown fabrics with a light cream background fabric.

Squares on point, arranged in a pleasing order, create the simple border.

Destinations Quilt

Displayed in Stow Munroe Falls Library Quilt Show in 2015, it received a Second Place Ribbon.Quilted by Joyce Coburn of Coburn's Quilting using cotton batting.

Destinations Quilt is an example of how one favorite fabric can turn into a fresh and modern quilt!

Sunshine

For about 18 years now, I have seriously been making quilts . By this time, my quilt closet is pretty full, so I make a few each year to give away as gifts to specially deserving people. My daughter, Carly, has been friends with Kelli since, well, since they were 2 years old and in the same Sunday School class. Carly and Kelli went to the same high school, marched in band together, attended the same college and still remain very good friends today. While they were still in high school, I came home one day and noticed some of my quilt books had post it notes with names on the quilts they liked. Kelli marked one she liked but specified that she would like it for her wedding quilt in yellow. Kind of a hint, don't you think?

So when Kelli became engaged to Ryan--on top of the Eiffel Tower, no less-- I had to get busy. Her favorite color is yellow, sunshine yellow, but it is not my favorite, so honestly, this was the first yellow quilt I have ever made. But I have to admit, I truly enjoyed making this "first" for Kelli and Ryan.

Pairing yellow fabrics with gray, really toned down the bright yellow fabrics and using a very pale gray with small white polka dots fabric for the background made the stars pop. Using the same pattern as Atmospheric, (found in a 2013 post here) but a smaller size, I began making half square triangles.

half square triangles

I prefer using Thangles to make my half square triangles so all the squares are uniform.Four matching half square triangles are sewn together to make a pinwheel, then sewn with other pieces which are carefully placed with background squares. Using just blocks, no borders, made this quilt easy to finish with a modern appeal. Gray with yellow polka dot fabric for binding finishes the quilt and draws the colors together. Best wishes to Kelli and Ryan!

Pattern: Inspired by Celestial Waltz by Gerri Robinson, published in McCall’s Quilting magazine, March/April 2011

I Spy Quilt

For many years, I have been collecting novelty fabrics for an I Spy Quilt. Finally, last year, upon the birth of my first grandchild, Zelda, I began my quilt. As I have collected fabrics, I cut out 3 1/2 inch hexagons. Several fabrics have different objects and so allowed for more than one hexagon to be cut. Then, once the quilt was complete, I discovered that a few objects have been included more than once, oops! (See if you can find them). Another fun, unexpected game will be to find items that match. Again, see which items you

can match.

I Spy Quilt

The setting triangles are solid colored fabrics or primary colored tone on tone fabrics, all from my fabric stash. As I laid the hexagons into rows, I tried to include an animal or two, a sport item, a girly item then filled in with other items, paying attention to colors, and light fabrics versus dark ones. On the even rows of 12 hexagons, I placed an all over fabric because half of it would be cut off. Once the quilt was put together, I didn't know what to use for borders. But when I saw this white and black newsprint type fabric with encouraging words, I knew I had found the perfect inner border. The cute red fabric in the outer border seems to calm the quilt. Last, a black with white polka dots fabric finishes the edges.

Several fabrics have special meaning for my family, such as our favorite dessert, ice cream.  Son in law, Tony, likes super heroes, and bats; Sara loves the beach; Carly likes her fashion and shoes, her friend Rachel is a chef, my mom and I love to drink tea.My favorite block is right in the middle for my little beagle, Rosie. Did you find a favorite?

We will have many years of fun playing I Spy and other games with this quilt.
Quilted by Joyce Coburn with variegated colored thread. Batting Warm and White.

Sweeti Pie Quilt

Sweeti Pie

At times, quilts are difficult to give away because you love them so much. Sweeti Pie was one of those quilts. I found a fat quarter pack from Jessica Swift in pink, gray and lime green at a major quilt show in Cincinnati. I felt the fabrics were perfect for a pattern by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Fun Quilts in Perfect for Precuts, 2011. Interestingly enough, the book was given to me as a gift from the previous year's donation quilt recipient. Sweeti Pie is a smaller version of the pattern, Flower Show, but used the concept of modern florals with a bright, solid fabric separating the rectangles. The white with gray polka dot background fabric compliments the bright main fabrics. The backing fabric has adorable lifesaver circles in pink, yellow, green and orange. I quilted it in circles with Aurifil variegated gray thread. The binding is the same bright pink solid fabric used in the quilt.

This quilt was so charming, it was difficult to give it up and donate to the Kingsway Christian School Auction 2014, but I did it. We don't know who purchased this quilt, but I hope they love it as much as I do.

Sweeti Pie Quilt is 48 x 72 inches.
Donated to Kingsway Christian School, March 15, 2014.

Blush

Blush is named after a fabric collection from basicgrey in pink, brown and aqua colors with small hints of red.It is featured in this charming quilt pattern from McCall's Quilting magazine, March/April 2010 along with a few fabrics from my stash. Of course, I had to purchase a few more fabrics to complete the design. 

Two different blocks are placed in a diagonal setting, placing darker fabrics in block frames and lighter fabrics in 9 patches. Blocks are carefully arranged by color to make long verticlar columns. Quilted in Aurofil Mako 100% cotton thread in Natural in a circular spiral quilt pattern on the APQS Millie. White and natural batting was used.

Displayed at:
Lake Metroparks Quilt Show 2014 
NQS Quilt Show, May 23-25, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio
Streetsboro Quilt Show, October 4, 2014--awarded second place.

Neopolitan Monday Quilt

In 2012, for our quilt birthday this year, Pieced by the Master's Hand Quilt Group did something completely different. Each participant gave a completed quilt block to you, of your choice. There were 12 of us, so we each made one block and received 11 blocks of the same design. We choose our block pattern and the colors to be used in the block. Of course, you had to make 11 different blocks, one for each participant in addition to making your own block. And we had one year to complete our quilt.

For my block, I chose the colors brown and pink, which are so wonderful together, and the block was from Stars Over Fort Sumter, a Civil War inspired quilt pattern from Bonnie Blue Quilts. The pattern was a vintage look, but I used bright fabrics to modernize it. Even though it is a scrappy quilt, I distributed the background fabric to my friends so the background was consistent throughout the quilt. If you can't pick out the block in this quilt, it is because there are 2 blocks. My quilt friends made the single star block, and I made the four star block.

 
More blocks were added than the original pattern because I wanted it full sized--quilts are more versatile this size, I think. When choosing fabrics, I tried for brighter, clear colors with both pink and brown predominate in the fabric.My quilty friends did an excellent job of choosing fabrics to complete their blocks, each one complimenting the other so well.

Not only is it dear to me due to my friends gifting me the blocks, but also it is only my second quilt that I quilted on the Millennium longarm machine, using Warm and Natural cotton batting and Aurifil Mako 100% cotton thread.


Neapolitan Monday is aptly named, first, for the colors, after Neapolitan ice cream, and secondly, our quilt night is Monday.

Such a successful birthday project will be difficult to top. The question is, what to do bigger and better next year?