Irish Wedding Quilt

We are attending the wedding of Colin and Colleen this weekend. Colin is my "almost nephew." I've been friends with his Mom since she was born. She's only three years younger than me, but I have a good memory. And she had red hair which I had never seen before, so there's that. 

I just finished this quilt for them today. It measures 72" square. A classic string quilt design, it has lots of hidden treasures such as peanuts, goldfish, a sock monkey, an owl, and lots more. Over the years maybe family members will have fun searching for little surprises in this quilt top.

This quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted (free motion stippling, and a curly vine in the white sashing). The backing is white with a tiny green design. The batting is Warm and White.

This couple will live in Boston. Thier wedding invitation had an Irish vibe so I went with the same idea with green prints and shamrocks. I hope they use it up and wear it out. :)

Husband Gives His Bride a Wedding Quilt!

This beautiful bride's husband bought my Bunting quilt for her. What a sweet wedding keepsake! He asked for a personalized label with their names and wedding date. I love it when my Etsy customers send a photo. 

They were married in December and had a nice honeymoon in Europe. I hope this quilt sees them through many happy years together. 

Wedding Guest Message Quilt

Our son Brian married his sweet girlfriend Lauren in May. Seventy of the wedding guests wrote messages on 5" squares (backed with freezer paper) using fabric pens. And here's the finished quilt. It was hard to get good photos, but you get the basic idea. The squares are Kona White, the dark fabric is a batik, and the outer border is a Hoffman print called "Kaya." The backing is solid blue and the binding is solid gold. 

Gatsby Quilt is Finished!

This string quilt is loaded with floral fabrics arranged in rows and divided by narrow strips with the black background. That narrow strip sort of comes into view, then hides. There are also lots of surprise images: teacups, jellybeans, etc. This formal garden/party treats theme led to the name "Gatsby." 

You can see more about this quilt here. I may make a pattern for newbies. It's easy; no seams to match.

It measures 67" x 84." It was machine quilted by Linda Aquavia of New Hartford, CT.

16-Patch Wedding Quilt

I like this quilt so much that I decided to offer similar custom quilts on Etsy. 

Would you Pin, facebook, blog or Tweet this photo and link? Thanks so much.

This weekend at the wedding I'll try to get a photo of the bride and groom with their new quilt. 

The backing is lighter and prettier than it looks on my screen. I always add a sleeve just in case anyone wants to put it on a wall. It might be charming on a guest room wall. I like that fabric with the sticks on it (see below, bottom right). It's new from DearStellaDesign. 

Wedding Quilt Finish and Pincushion Giveaway Winner

The wedding quilt is finished and ready to be given this weekend. I really like how the machine quilting gives a nice finished look. It was done by Linda Aquavia of New Hartford, CT. 

The winner of the little baby shoe pincushion is Loretta from West Virginia.

 Her blog is 365 Days and Other Ramblings.  Yayy, Loretta!

Wedding Gift Quilt is Presented!

You've seen this quilt under construction in recent posts. Well here it is, being opened by my customer's sister at her wedding shower in Texas. She's reading the sweet label that her sister wrote. (I sent a blank label and a pen to my customer so she could write her message. Then she mailed it back to me to sew. A small label with my name and date is on the other end of the quilt.) The backing is a print by Denise Schmidt, although in these photos it looks like a solid.

It was so much fun making this special gift quilt!

This quilt measures 61" x 76." See the pattern here: The Stacks.

See all my patterns here.

Wedding Quilt Update #2

As you know, I'm making a wedding quilt for a customer who will give it to her sister at a shower this month.  She wants a "Stacks" quilt with bright, fresh colors and interesting fabrics. Here it is on the design wall. The skinny red ribbon on the right is there just to help me know where the edge of the quilt will be. I love arranging all these colors and patterns. The white areas will be filled in with light prints.

See all my patterns here.

I love September. The windows in my quilt room are open and the temperature is perfect. 

I hope all is well with you.

Wedding Quilt - Part 1

I have a customer who wants a special quilt to give to her sister for a wedding gift. The goal is: a brightly colored, fresh, Stacks quilt with some interesting little surprises in it. This quilt will be used (rather than preserved in a box). It will be presented at a wedding shower at the end of September, so I have to pour on the steam. 

Here are the photos from day #1. So far I've cut some strips and started laying them out on the wall. There will be a huge variety of fabrics. As I've said before, I love adding those little surprises: the key, the chocolate chip cookies (below the key). I'll keep you posted with the progress.

The crown and the key are from a new Michael Miller fabric called The Botanika Collection by Paula Prass, shown below. The actual fabric is prettier than the photo. 

And here's the view from my sewing table, below.

To see the pattern for "The Stacks," click here.