Jelly Roll Quilt by Liese, quilted by Frances Meredith, Fabadashery Long Arm Quilting

Jelly Roll Quilt by Liese

This is a Jelly Roll Race quilt made by Liese, which she made in double quick time.  Liese found this pattern on YouTube - a Missouri Star video which claims you can use a whole Jelly Roll make a quilt top in less than hour!

With a quilt like this, the choice of quilting patterns is endless.  Liese asked for something with birds on it and I found this little digital pantograph quilt pattern called 'My Chicky Babe' designed by Naomi Hynes and Patricia Ritter.  So cute!

'My Chicky Babe' digital pantograph designed by Naomi Hynes and Patricia Ritter.

#Jellyrollrace

International Music Day - Quilts for Musicians

'Happy Note' digital pantograph by Crystal Smythe

Happy International Music Day!
Are you busy making a quilt for a musician?  One of the digital pantograph patterns in my catalogue is 'Happy Note' designed by Crystal Smythe which features musical instruments such as the trumpet, violin, guitar, piano keys and saxophone. 
There are loads and loads of novelty quilting patterns available for a range of hobbies which can sometimes be the perfect finishing touch for a personal gift.  With a fun novelty pattern like this I would choose a plain backing, so that the pattern shows up nicely on the back - two quilts in one!

Sue's Modern Blue Square Quilt

Blue Square Quilt, made by Sue, quilted by Frances Meredith

Here is beautiful quilt made by one of my long arm quilting customers, Sue.  It is a special quilt for a new family member and it will be heading for a new home abroad.  I love the modern style of this quilt and I think the soft grey background makes a great alternative to white or cream.

Persian Blue, Glide Thread

Sue had chosen a lovely range of blue batiks for this quilt and squares in the pattern really showcased them well.  Those beautiful colours helped us choose this lovely Persian blue Glide Thread for the stitching.  Sue also asked if I could make a label for the back of the quilt and I was able to use this thread for that also.

Fabadashery Long Arm Quilting

Here is a photo of the quilt on the APQS long arm quilting frame.  It is such a treat to see the quilt coming together as it does its work.  Sue chose one of my favourite digital pantograph designs, 'Bird's Eye View' designed by Barbara Becker.  It has swirls which are evenly spread and gives it a great even texture.

'Bird's Eye View' digital pantograph designed by Barbara Becker

I am lucky that so much talent and inspiration come through my door and I think this quilt pattern has just been added to my bucket list.

Di Ford's Antique Wedding Sampler quilt by Pippa, custom quilting by Frances Meredith

Antique Wedding Sampler Quilt made by Pippa

If you visited the Wye Knots exhibition last month in Monmouth you would have seen Pippa's Antique Wedding Sampler quilt on display, which I custom quilted for her.  It is a design by Di Ford published in her book 'Primarily Quilts'.  Pippa always brings me lovely quilts and this one was another opportunity to focus on some custom quilting.

Antique Wedding Sampler Quilt, custom quilting by Frances Meredith

This quilt has a lot of applique, so I reached for my invisible thread and stitched in the ditch around each block.  Immediately this makes the applique 'pop' out, giving it the look of trapunto and highlights Pippa's excellent workmanship.  To enhance this even further I used a filler stitch in the background.

Antique Wedding Sampler Quilt, custom quilting by Frances Meredith

There were some large blank triangles around the edge of this quilt which I stitched with a digitized design, Bethany Pearls by Donna Klein.

Antique Wedding Sampler Quilt, custom quilting by Frances Meredith

I loved the soft combination of colours that Pippa used in her version of the Antique Wedding Sampler quilt.  When you are custom quilting you really get to know a quilt well and get to understand how a designer puts their ideas together.  I can't wait to see what masterpiece Pippa is busy working on.