in the Quilting Studio, no. 43

This week my longarm has been at rest. That’s no surprise - as things always slow down in the quilting studio in the summertime. The warm weather beckons us all away from our sewing machines and out into the world where inspiration awaits. July will be a quiet month, I think, but in June I was still busy quilting. Come see some favorites from my customers! Two are English paper pieced wonders - ideal for sewing away from home.

Tiny Flowers by Hennie

When Hennie pulled this quilt out of its bag, I do believe I gasped. All those tiny, tiny flowers! Each hexagon is about 1” in size, with 3/4” edges. Impressive, to say the least!

I love how Hennie arranged the flowers. At first glance the arrangement reads light to dark, but I think it is more sophisticated than that. The medium value flowers (red, bright pink, royal blue) are scattered throughout the whole work, rather than gathered together to form a visual bridge between the lightest and the darkest. This scattering is so charming, especially where they pop out among the low value flowers.

Such loveliness!

We settled on Irish Swirl quilting, which shows up most in the plain white border. To keep the quilt soft, I scaled the quilting motif as large as possible while making sure that a stitch line would touch every single tiny hexagon. Quitting is more than decoration; it is about making your quilt last. Especially when a person has poured so much time into a creation, the quilting must be both beautiful and durable.

Sponsor of the Week

Tales of Cloth

Would you like to dip your toes in the EPP ocean before committing to a whole-quilt dive? Jodi of Tales of Cloth has the perfect free pattern for you!

Tula Pink EPP by Carol

Here’s another English paper piecing wonder! Carol combined Tula Pink fabrics with a sparkly patchwork pattern. Does anyone know the name of the patchwork pattern? I am sure that readers will be wondering.

*update - the pattern is Stargazer by Lilabelle Lane.

At first I thought that each of those perfect circles was painstakingly appliquéd. But actually, that’s a fussy cut circle print. Clever!

Carol has also fussy cut the star fabrics, to beautiful effect.

I suggested bread basket quilting for this project. It is an open floral/geometric motif that feels fancy without getting too busy. The quilt turned out soft and cuddly, in part thanks to that silky Tula Pink backing fabric. Nice.

AMH Purple Heart by Jolene Stratton

Okay, Anna Maria Horner fans, brace yourselves - - -

I have never seen anything like this heart quilt. What a beauty! It is exploding with energy and luxurious pattern. In fact, the patchwork pattern is called Exploding Heart by Slice of Pi Quilts.

These fabrics are mainly from Anna Maria’s Love Always collection, a sort of basic collection that shops can restock. But really, you could achieve a similar look with most of her collections. If you take the plunge of cutting them up and throwing them together, the result tends to be fantastic.

Once again, Irish Swirl quilting for the win! Its soft curves are the perfect counterweight to all those exploding triangles.

I’d be happy to finish your projects with a beautiful quilting texture too. My services are available to those who live throughout the European region. Please be in touch if you have any questions or start the process off by placing your order. I can’t wait to collaborate on YOUR quilt!

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