Summer!

I am taking advantage of this early morning when 2 of my 3 kids are not down yet to attempt a blog post.  I was quilting, and probably still should be.  Heaven knows in 3 hours when I contemplate doing a little more stitching, it will be near impossible!

Here's the last custom for a while.  It's for a MA lady that has sent me 4 others this winter/spring. They all use many of these same fabrics.  She requested dense stitching.

 The kaleidoscope block can be a pain, dealing with that center point where 8 triangles all come together.  Mostly these did just fine, but every now and then there is a dimple.  It will soften with use.

 This has a Hobbs wool batting, and I chose a medium gray/silver Wonderfil Master Quilter thread.  The thread is a 40wt, but has less sheen than Glide.  It mostly disappears on all but the darkest reds.

 I hope she likes the quilting...

I have started on a pile of nice, stress-free edge to edge quilt tops.  I hope to have 5 of these done in the next 4 weeks.  If anybody needs an edge-to-edge quilted, I do have openings for 4-6 more in August.

During the kids' last week of school, I managed to get the outer borders added to this quilt of mine, but not without a little piecing drama first.  I miscut that 2" green border too narrow, and ended up adding it in 2 pieces.  That is just not how I do things; made me pretty angry!  And I don't want to order fabric right now with our big vacation and all of its expenses looming.  I have resorted to making a 1/4" silk bias piping to attach at this "joint".  So, what should have been a quick and easy 2" border to add by machine, has turned into a fool's paradise of blunders and a dozen+ hours to hand attach the piping.  Live and learn.  I keep telling myself that it will look good.  This quilt has small silk accents in some blocks, so this is right in keeping with what i have already done.

 Here's the newly squared up center star with its appliqued silk dots.

I have been puttering with possible quilting plans too.  This is really one of my favorite parts of the process -- past the trauma of all the sewing blunders, and before reality sets in that it is not quiltable!

And a little more of summer's color...

I am off to the Vermont Quilt Festival tomorrow.  Hoping to see some good quilts!