Seuss with a Twist!

Baby Quilt for Amanda's little one

This quilt top was made last Spring from the remnants of a Twister quilt.  I posted about it on Last March's Twister Blog Entry.    Since I just found out that Amanda is back in the country for 2 weeks, I was excited that I had enough time to quilt and bind it for her daughter.  I'm really excited about how the quilting turned out.  It's playful and fun, just as a Dr. Seuss quilt should be.

quilting the border ... details

The outer border was done with double wavy lines in turquoise Isacord threads (top & bottom).  Although I like the idea of piano keys, they would have been too orderly for this quilt.  The no-marking, no-rulers improvisational wavy lines were fun to do and added whimsy.

The narrow striped border just seemed like it would be too busy if it was quilted, so it remains as-is.  I considered filling it with circles, but decided against it.

Then the inner red border and piecing sports a red cotton YLI thread (top & bottom).   From Myrna Ficken's DVD's I grabbed this border motif and gave it a try.  The texture and movement it added makes me smile.  Although it's super simple, I should have practiced on paper how to deal with wrapping around the corners of the borders before I armed myself with the machine.

Finally, the pieced top was a cocktail of motifs and doodles.  Jamie Wallen's Mystical Cotton Tracks provided inspiration for those fat leaves.  If you're looking for a new longarm quilting DVD, I recommend one of his DVD classes.  My goal was to use lots of different flowers, rather than just one.  Here's my practice piece to double check tension.  The quilting is easier to see here since it's high contrast.  I return to a piece like this when I change bobbins.   I might use these little pieces for mug rugs.

My backing for this quilt is really busy!  Since the top was made from leftovers, it's only fitting that the back used my last scraps of Seuss fabric too.  I added that gold triangle for the label.  Since I don't have embroidery capability, I use pigma pens to add label info.
 

It's time to tidy the house for a quick visit from my mother-in-law.  She's a blessing to all of us.  I wish everyone could have a MIL just like her!  There isn't too much to do to prepare for her arrival.  We've been hosting a weekly Bible study at our house this month and it's great to know the house will be full each weekend.  It helps all of us clean as we go.  Much much nicer this way!  But the van ... is still is full of pine needles from the smaller tree purchased last month.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

Merry Grinchmas!

Merry

Grinchmas (sort of hard to see, but I promise it's there)

Here's an adorable customer quilt!  Her first top and it was made in a beginner's class.  It was fun to quilt because it's so playful and whimsical.  I can imagine her 2 little boys snuggled under the quilt, waiting for a story, and picking out their favorite scenes from this fabric.  I added more elements in the quilting to continue the fun.

The quilting is subtle, since it's white threads against a lot of white and yellow background.  It made photography a challenge!  But I'll show you what I can.

Ribbon, gifts and Seussian style bubbles in the pink border all the way around the quilt.

Of course, the Grinch!

... and Max

an empty stocking

a wonky tree

The quilt back is even, I just didn't get it straight on the bed.

I think she did a great job as a first time quilter.  It was so fun to see her enthusiasm as she dashed through the quilt shop, picking fabrics out for her next 2 quilts.  She's thinking about more ways to bless her family with a gift made by her hands after the next two are completed.  We've hooked another one!  I remember being warned about this very thing in my beginner class. 

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars