ANOTHER KEEPSAKE ALL QUILTED!

Well another t-shirt quilt/keepsake is all quilted. This is the second one that I have done for this customer. This quilt will be a Christmas gift for her son. I think that it turned out super. Now I just have to get the binding on it, and get it back to the customer! Remember now is the perfect time to be thinking about getting those quilts quilted in time for Christamas! For questions, e-mail me at rachel-call@neo.rr.com. Enjoy! Rachel

MADE RIGHT OUT OF A MAGAZINE!

If you get American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, you might recognize the next quilt. The customer's granddaughter chose the quilt from the February 2009 edition called Cinnamon and Nutmeg by Tara Lynn Darr of Sew Unique Creations. Personally, I would call this quilt Blueberries and Cream or something like that. I just love the colors! I know that blues and browns have been out for many years now, but in Ohio, we are about 5 years behind in anything that is really popular in the quilt world. It just takes us a little while to warm up to things I guess! At least for me it does.

I can remember the fabric reps coming to the stores and showing us all the new fabrics coming out that were blues and browns, and I would be like, yuck! And now when I see those fabrics, I am like oh, those are so pretty! Go figure!

The customer also wanted the same quilting on this quilt that is in the magazine, so I ordered a pattern called Feathered Curl from Willow Leaf Studio. It's actually perfect. Matches what the magazine had exactly. It stitched up easy as well, and really covers the quilt nicely.

Anyway, enough rambling, onto the show...

Enjoy! Rachel

P.S. Don't forget that if you would like your quilt quilted with Feathered Curls, just e-mail me at

rachel-call@neo.rr.com.

ARE YOU A HARLEY DAVIDSON LOVER?

Harley enthusiasts unite! If you are looking for a gift for your favorite Harley fan that loves everything Harley, then you should consider a t-shirt quilt! This quilt is for Karen's brother. He kindly let us have 12 t-shirts from his private Harley collection to make into a sample. We are hoping to be able to display it at Bike Week in Sandusky in June. Thousands of motorcycle and Harley lovers will descend on Sandusky for 2 weeks of all things bikes!

T-Shirt quilt orders are starting to come in and now is the perfect time to get in line to get that keepsake quilt made. Trust me you won't regret it! Everyone loves them, and what I am finding is that if you listen for a little bit, you will hear the story behind each t-shirt. That is the really cool part, how these quilts inspire memories and bring happiness to everyone that has one. I am just lucky enough that I get to hear all of the interesting stories and be a part of making a little family history.

Remember, you can click on any picture for a larger view.

Enjoy! Rachel

CREATING A KEEPSAKE!

Many quilts that I quilt are often a gift for a loved one, a keepsake if you will. A quilt that represents sometimes years in the making. This next quilt is no different.

A very nice customer from San Jose, California contacted me to make this queen size quilt for her daughter's college graduation. Karen, of course did the wonderful piecing, and I got it quilted yesterday. I think that both mom and daughter are going to be pleasantly surprised at how well it came together.

Each shirt in the quilt representing a special time, place, and event in this young woman's life. I am very fortunate to have been the one that got to quilt it and see it all come together. It is so cool to see shirts from around the world. This one even included some of her sports jerseys that stitched up really nice.

So without further ado...

Remember that if you are interested in a t-shirt quilt now is the perfect time to get one made. If you are interested in finding out more about how to get your own t-shirt quilt made, click here. Stop letting those memories collect dust in the closet! Enjoy! Rachel

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Well let me first start off this post by saying Happy Mother's Day to anyone that has had a significant impact in a child's life. I hope that you have enjoyed your special day.

I spent the day with my family, eating, laughing, talking and shopping! Finally found some pants for work that don't come up to my ankles. One would think that with Americans getting taller that clothing manufacturers would be able to make pants long enough for women that are 5'8" and taller. I know that I cannot be the only woman out there that has trouble finding pants that are long enough! If you know of a brand that comes in tall and black, leave me a comment so that I can check them out. It would be greatly appreciated.

On the quilting front, I have been working on a project of my own. As many of you may be aware from previous posts, my friend Karen and I often hop in the car and do our own quilt shop shop hops. I usually spend too much and collect lots of fabric that I have stuffed all over the house with intentions of doing something with it.

On one of our excursions, I bought 5 yards of Blush by Basic Grey by Moda, and it has sat around in my house for the last 2 years with me petting it, re-folding it, and otherwise contemplating what I am going to make with it.

So if you have ever been on You Tube, then you know there are thousands of videos on quilting. I think that I have watched them all over the years. I love how people share all of their knowledge with the rest of us. Missouri Star Quilt Company is one of my favorite channels to watch. I want to grow up and be like Jenny Doan someday. She is awesome!

Well a couple of years ago she put out a video for tube quilting patterns, and I fell in love with the pattern and the concept. I knew as soon as I saw this video that this was the quilt that I wanted to make with the Blush fabric. Well time went on, and I never did anything, but always kept it in the back of my mind that this was the quilt that I wanted to make with this pattern.

You can watch the video here, but I warn you that these videos can be quite addictive!

Well I knew that I wanted to be able to make this top from my stash, and since I only had 5 yards of the Blush, I wanted to add something different for the borders, since I knew I would not have enough to do regular straight piecing and make the quilt large enough. So then I found another video from Missouri Star that I thought would be a great border. Here is that video.

So here is what I have been working on this weekend. Actually I started the center last weekend, and I have one more pink border to add on this quilt, and then it will be ready for the frame. Remember you can click on the picture for a larger view. Enjoy! Rachel





NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!

Finished up this quilt last night. I did an all over loops on this one and I think that it really adds to the monkeys jumping all around! Enjoy, Rachel

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE?

I love to quilt! I really mean it! I had the day off today because I work this Saturday, but I love being able to get up early, get a quilt on the frame and start quilting. It's so quiet and peaceful in the morning. The dogs are still laying around snoozing, I can hear the birds chirping, the trains whistling uptown. It's just perfect! Oh and did I tell you that I didn't have to work today? :) That of course made it even more perfect. I got to stay in my pajamas and just quilt. I still have to get the binding on the quilt. You all know how I feel about binding, so of course I have been procrastinating.

So without further ado... Here is a tshirt quilt that I am doing for a lady at work. My friend Karen did the awesome piecing! This quilt is for the customer's daughter. I think that she is getting ready to start some college internships and her mom wants her to be able to take a piece of home with her on her new adventure. I think that the customer will be really pleased with how it turned out.

Enjoy! Rachel