BERNINA Training / Quilted Shadow Box Quilt

I will be in training  in Chicago at the Bernina Creative Center so there won't be much sewing this week.  It will be so exciting to learn about each machine and the extent of options for each one.  It appears we will be completing a small project as well.

Before leaving Wyoming, my new companiom, Princess "B", completed her first quilt.  Princess "B" is the new Bernina Q20 sit down long arm.  She has 20" of throat space, two stitch regulators and awesome tension control.  Her cabinet home is 36" deep by 45" long but with extensions she stretches out to 77".  She is wonderful! Eli and Antonio from Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing came and set her up for me and made sure all was well before leaving.

This first quilt is probably much less perfect than I prefer because it took quite the adjustment to learn to quilt with stitch regulators running.  But that was expected and the reason why it was a good time to complete one of my own. quilts.

It's not bound yet so it may be a good time to show just a sneak preview.  Since this is my own quilt, the major blocks were filled with (can you guess?) feathers.

The brown around that block were simple: "l"s and then some swirls and leaves in the borders.  

I will be binding this upon return to Wyoming and will then show the quilt in its entirety but overall I am very happy with it.

Have a fantastic week and join me as I link up in the evenings with http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com, http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com, http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com and http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com.

Zipper Pouches & Pin Cushions

I'm teaching a My Bernina class for new Bernina owners over at Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing in Cheyenne.   The ladies asked me to  end the series with a project so they can put their education to use.  So we chose to do an easy zipper pouch.  I spent some time this week coming with design options.  My first is a simple zipper pouch in two colors with a 2" squared bottom:

The next was the same pouch but I added two vinyl pockets inside AND added some decorative stitching on the contrast fabric:

The last one was made a few inches shorter and longer plus I covered it with vinyl and added vinyl pockets inside.  I did some decorative stitches on the diagonal prior to adding the vinyl but did NOT square the bottom.

This one is actually my favorite.  The vinyl was a little bit of a challenge  but I love how it turned out.

So that was it!  I was done:  here are all three pouches together:

Goal accomplished!

But wait!  An "aha" moment!  Then I thought:  I could use the scraps and make some mini pin cushions to go with each of these zipper pouches and they would make great Christmas gifts!  I've never made a tiny pin cushion but it's been on the "try it" list for some time.  So that's what I did!!!

I love zipper pouches!  They are so easy to whip up and only take about an hour of time while using up more of my never-ending stash.  I have one zipper pouch alone in which I store my Wonder Clips. And the mini pin cushions?  Well, "addictive" might be a good adjective!

I am thrilled with my fantastic finishes this week.  Join me over at http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com and http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com for more great finishes!  Have  a magnificent weekend!  God is faithful and He is truly good.  We are blessed.

Another mini!

Thought I would sit and sew today for just a few minutes after hubby left for work and before I headed over to Blakeman Vacuum and Sewing for the day.

Oh No!  Another mini pin cushion:  2 1/2" square finished!  Check out yesterday's post for my mini four patch pin cushions.  Those finished at 3" square.  These are sooooooo cute!

A mini log cabin!  Whoo hoo!

I have found that I do like them better once they have been added to batting.  I did that accidentally with some left over sandwiched scraps and I like the more stiff feeling to it.

These pin cushions will be so great as Christmas gifts along with what I am making to go with them.

Join me today as I link up with http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com.  There are some awesome projects today!

Tiny Pin Cushion Treats

I've been working on preparing for my next My Bernina class I teach over at Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing.  This class is provided as a support class to get new users more comfortable using their new machine.  The ladies all asked for a final project so we will be ending this four-part series with a quilty craft.  THAT will be coming up later this week.  But as I was preparing, I came up with something to go with that quilty craft.

I have watched Amanda Nyberg over at Crazy Mom Quilts for many years and drool every time I see her teeny tiny pin cushions.  So with the scraps I had left over from my "secret" project, I tried my hand at some small 3" square pin cushions.  This is very small so I started with a simple four-patch.  In no time at all I had three gorgeous pin cushions.  I certainly want to get a little more complex, and these don't even compare with the magnificent pin cushions made with Amanda's new fabric line, but I was very pleased with my first try.  So indulge me with not one, but two photos of my little cuties.

Check back Friday to see what goes with these pin cushions!

Join me today as  I  link up with http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com

Raspberry Pie Quilt

Another customer quilt and this quilt was totally my style of quilting:  simple and feathers!  It was a lovely and relaxing size--about 45" x 65".  I felt like I was on Christmas break!  I call it Raspberry Pie because all the colors of pink, red, rose and burgundy remind me of those luscious raspberries we picked this past weekend.  My last post was all about my that excursion with my husband and the resulting delights.  By the way, the pie was delicious!

So here is Raspberry Pie:

The center of the quilt was simple, with loops and whimsical hearts:

The first border was quilted separately with loops in the middle of it:

And the outer border?  Well, need I say more?  Gorgeous, luscious, feathers!  The border was busy but the Signature varigated 40 weight thread that was selected went lovely with it and helped the feathers stand out a bit.

Here is a glimpse of the two borders together:

What a lovely quilt; the owner was VERY happy, and for that I am thankful.  Raspberry Pie was slightly nostalgic for me as it brought to mind many memories of all the quilts I have completed since beginning my journey of free motion quilting.  You see, Raspberry Pie was the very last quilt I completed on my Handiquilter Sweet 16.  Once she was complete, my Sweet 16 was disconnected, given a final cleanup and set quietly against the wall awaiting to be picked up and adopted by a new home.   She served her time well and I will miss her greatly but am now busy becoming familiar with a new friend and companion:  "Princess B".    Princess B is busy completing a quilt that has been in waiting for some time so hopefully next time she will make her initial completion debut.  I am having to get used to stitch regulation because I have always completed quilts manually.  

Isn't quilting such a joy?  It is such a blessing to create and to give, not only to my own family, but to others as well.  I thoroughly enjoy all the free motion quilting I do on my sit down machines. It brings such great joy to see what my own hands can accomplish with a little fabric control.  I hope you thoroughly enjoy your craft as much as I do and use it to bless not only your own life but also the lives of those around you.  

Have an awesome weekend and join me as I visit http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com and http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com to see all the creativity in the blog community.