June 12

mid-June...one week of school left, and LOTS going on here.  We have daily baseball games, concerts, field trips and other events as school is coming to a close.  One of my boy's baseball season ends this coming week, and one is just starting up this week.  This is my last custom for a while.  

This is the Neimeyer Feathered Star pattern.  I have done a couple of these previously.  This one is a bit different because it has this incredible background fabric.

 The spotted background (which name I forgot, but you can get from Jackie Kunkel at Canton Village QW) is visually interesting for a quilt, but seriously, it is blinding if you are the quilter!  It is a complete challenge to make whatever you choose to quilt show (or to even see what you are quilting!).  I used a royal blue thread on that area so I had a chance of knowing where I was.

 Other areas were mostly quilted in coordinating color thread to the section.  I used Glide threads. The sheen of this type thread looks nice on batiks.  My client sent a wool batting.   We made an attempt to be able to see the relief of the quilting on the heavy print!

 Mostly, sections of "feathers" were ditch stitched, then some part of them was outline stitched to add texture.  Then the backgrounds were quilted, each differently.  Lots of flames, waves and curls.

 (above) As you can see, I did try to make the background interesting.  I have done this feathers and curved-cross hatch previously on this quilt, but dangit if it wanted to show!  It does show up on the backside tho...The back is a mottled black/blue (not brown as the picture indicates).  A good bit more is visible on the back than the front.

The center star...

 The outer border is here, showing a bit more of the quilting - some large bubbles by outlining the circles, flames and parallel lines.

 ...and the back

 another part of the back,

 My garden has decided to bloom.  The white peony just opened this morning (really, I love the irises in the background).  My many gardens have no shortage of irises.

The background is all iris, beyond the lilacs that are full of blossoms this year. 

The many sizes and shades of purple iris.

 and white too.

Here's a late week finish for a local client.  These are all semi-nautical fabrics in a somewhat modern setting.  The options commercially available for a nautical pantograph are somewhat chintzy and novelty-ish, so I resorted to a wavelike pattern.  I added the binding, and it is ready for a pickup.

I am taking part of the next few days to work out some issues on the piecing of this top. The borders are all paper-pieced, and ready to add.  Yesterday, I picked out the outer circle for the 3rd time because the star seemed a degree off -vertical.  What a pain.  That part is all fixed, and I proceeded to waste 3 hours today adding a 1" border, which really should have been cut half inch larger!  Bother! Now I am conceiving a plan so I don't have to buy more fabric and pick out what I put in (with expertly matched thread!).  Stay tuned...

The shows are active this month.  It's a good thing I have 9 active show quilts still!  This little bugger is at the Minnesota Quilt show right now, sporting a little blue-bling.  I didn't expect that whatsoever.

Next week is the NQA quilt show.  I have 2 quilts there.  This is the first year that this show has given cash awards, so the attendance may be a high caliber.  Either way, I try to enter each of my quilts there because the judging review from 3 certified judges is exceptional.  Every quilter that is looking for accurate feedback should do this.  In two weeks is the Vermont Quilt Festival and the Shipshewana Quilt Festival.  VQF doesnt pay squat, but it is close to me --  a mere 4 hour drive, and I decided to go this year.  Shipshewana has nice awards and I have 3 quilts going (Big Bertha, Zen Garden and Autumn's Surrender).  Fingers crossed for a little vacay spending $$.