Jul 10 09

So Simple…So Sweet!

I made this quilt earlier this week and just quilted it today:

It was so much fun to put together and it took very little time to make. I started with a rectangle of background fabric and fused hand dyed silks to create the iris:

I placed a piece of wool batting behind the iris and a piece of a thin polyester behind the stem and leaves. I got the bulk of my decorative stitching done and then cut away all the excess batting:

Here, you can see it as I was adding more decorative thread work. I love how things just come to life on the machine bed as you’re adding all these thread details! Notice the yellowy-orange beard of the iris; I used Texture Magic to create that part and it is 3-D, so you just want to touch it:

(For work like this, I always use either solid color rayon thread or solid color trilobal polyester thread. You just can’t beat them for sheen!) Next, I cut the edges of the background fabric so the border edges were all gentle curves. This piece was then fused to a hand dyed blue/green cotton sateen fabric:

I used the EKG finishing design to decorate the edge of the curvy-rectangle where it met the new background fabric, then cut away the excess background fabric from behind. Once I threw it into a final quilt sandwich, the first thing I did was to zip around the edges of each piece of applique with Monopoly thread (invisible thread) by Superior Threads. This causes the trapuntoed parts to protrude out slightly, and creates a wonderful texture:

Sometimes the process of making a quilt is just so darned much fun, and this one was for me. It was a quickie, but totally fun!

And here’s a lead on a wonderful blog if you love colorful quilts and enjoy reading about all the processes a quilter goes through in making a quilt. Visit Luann’s blog and feast on the great photos and inspiration. She’s working on a deadline because she’s having a solo show later this year, so you can count on her to keep producing beautiful quilts in preparation for the show!

9 Comments

  1. SewCalGal Says:

    This is a beautiful quilt. Great color, design, fabrics….and excellent quilting. I love it. You really did a super job.

    Thanks for sharing.

    SewCalGal
    http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

  2. Marti Says:

    Patsy,
    What kind a machine do you use for your machine quilting? Your work is beautiful!

  3. betsy Says:

    Patsy your quilting is outstanding.

  4. Shared Items – July 13, 2009 Says:

    […] So Simple…So Sweet! […]

  5. Di Says:

    Beautiful work!

  6. Pam Says:

    You are so generous to share your techniques with us. I am inspired by you. You give me ideas for trying. Thank you.

  7. Hope Says:

    Another gorgeous project for me to drool over!! 😉 You are such an encouragement and inspiration. Love this blog.

  8. Julia Says:

    Patsy your quilting isbeautiful.
    I’m new to freeform machine quilting…when I grow up I want to be as good as you!
    Thank you for the inspiration..
    Julia

  9. Judi Says:

    Wonder little quilt! 😀