SEW BEHIND

WHAT IF?

2012-01-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

I often ask myself this when I look at a quilt top. What if I did this, what if I did that? Lately I have been asking, What if I didn't have a computerized system? Don't get me wrong, I love my Intelliquilter and wouldn't trade it for anything, but what if I really practiced my free motion quilting so that I could have the best of both worlds!

It's really funny when Karen and I go to a quilt show and check out all of the quilts. She is usually immediately drawn to the quilt pattern, where I am drawn to the quilting itself. I try and follow the stitching to see where the person stopped and started, or how they made the design they made in the quilt.

A few blogs that I follow are having free motion quilt alongs. Check out Sew Cal Gal over on the left for one of them. I just love the fact that each month a new quilter will share their expertise with the rest of us. I always try and remind myself that at one time they were not a master quilter, but a novice like me, and with determination and practice they have become the successful quilters that they are today! I have to admit that I am a bit envious, because I hate the practicing part, but like anything else in life, practice does make perfect!

And speaking of perfect I recently got my Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine and decided to comb through all the close-ups of the quilting, and do know what I discovered? They are not perfect! Not computer perfect anyway, but that is what makes them so perfect, knowing that they were all done by machine and the quilter persevered!

I would like to be in that category someday. Good enough that someone would want to emulate my quilting style, and that is where I get stuck. I get stuck on thinking that all great quilts have to be quilted a certain way, and some of those ways, I don't really like! I am not a fiber artist, I don't like playing with thread build up, and I am not really a fan of variegated threads. Now don't get me wrong, when others do any of these things that are not my style, they look incredible. They are just not what I like to do, and I guess that is where this whole what if question comes from.

What if I stitch the things that I like to stitch, then that becomes my style, my calling card so to speak. Lots of people can look at a quilt pattern, and just by looking at the fabrics, they can tell that it is a Moda line, or Thimbleberries, or Henry Glass or whatever, well quilting styles are no different!

So today I decided to give it a whirl, start coming up with my own quilting style! So without further ado, here is a photo of what I had on the frame today. I can tell you this, it sure does take a lot longer to load the quilt than it does to quilt it, even goofing around.

Below is a shot of the whole piece. I started at the top with the intention of going all the way around with the feather border, but then got impatient with the feathers not looking how I had imagined them in my mind! So I moved onto leaves to see if I could do them right to left and left to right, and then over on the right side tried doing them up and down. Have to work on the sizing on the up and down ones. Then I did a variation of the leaves with the 3 points, they were all right, but I had to concentrate more on the points. Then I attempted an oak leaf, which kind of got covered up with some other quilting. In between the top feather and the leaves is a question mark feather kind of fill that I saw another quilter do and wanted to give a try. And at the bottom, I gave the feathers another try. I seem to have a hard time making them long and narrow and they turn into these big bubbly type things. Oh well what's a quilter to do? Load another piece, of course!

So if you have any feedback, would love to hear from you! I am always open to thoughts about how to improve my quilting skills! Enjoy! Rachel

OFF THE FRAME!

2012-01-29T14:19:00.001-05:00

Well here is another 100% hand pieced quilt top! Made by the same customer that made the 1" square hand pieced quilt top, except that this is for her friend who is giving it to her 10 year old son. I quilted it with a design called Square Dance. You really have to take a step back from the quilt to appreciate the 3-d effect. It was a very large quilt, almost 100x100" square. Enjoy! Rachel

WATCH OUT BONNIE HUNTER!

2012-01-18T05:03:00.000-05:00

If you are familiar with Bonnie Hunter than you know that she is a quilter that does amazing quilts with scraps! I have read some of her blog and I honestly believe that she does not throw any scrap away! Well with this customer quilt that I just finished today, all I kept thinking about is that she could give Bonnie a run for her money. First of all let me tell you a little about the quilt so that you can truly appreciate what I am talking about...The quilt measures 72x100. It is made up of one inch squares. It is completely hand pieced. Ok let me repeat that in case you did not read it correctly the first time...It is made up of one inch squares. It is completely hand pieced! I don't know what else to say, I mean I was blown away by the fact that anyone would piece a one inch square for an entire quilt, and then hand stitch it together. I give this customer great credit. It actually makes me feel a bit guilty about throwing away the ends I trim off of strips of fabrics. So without further ado...

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION QUILTING SPECIAL!

2012-01-11T19:40:00.000-05:00

If you are like me, then you made a number of New Year's Resolutions this year! Did any of them include something like this...

1.This year I am going to finish one quilt before I start another
2. I am not going to buy anymore fabric, but use up my stash since it is now starting to look like I own a fabric store
3. I am going to get those finished tops to a quilter!

Well if you have anything on your list that looks like the above, I can help with #3! I am currently running a New Year's Resolution Quilting Special! Here's how it works...

1. Package up those unquilted quilt tops now!
2. Take them to Sew Little Time in Norwalk, Ohio
3. Purchase your batting and thread from Sew Little Time (it's now 25% off)
4. Choose one of over 20 designs priced $.02 cents per square inch or below and get it for only $.01 cent per square inch! (check out http://www.sewbehind.com/ and click on the quilting designs pdf file to see your choices of quilt patterns)
5. Let me take care of the rest quilting it for you!

You can succeed this year with your Resolution! If you don't live near the store and want to get your quilts quilted with this special, feel free to e-mail at rachel-call@neo.rr.com to make arrangements to get your quilt to me!

Thank you to all the customers that have let me quilt their quilts! I am truly blessed.

Rachel

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012!

2012-01-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that it is already January 7, 2012! You know, I never used to believe people that would say time sure does fly when you get older. You know as a kid you just can't wait until you are a year older, a year closer to being able to drive, graduate high school and move out. Well I am not sure where all those wishes have gone, but I can honestly say that I at times hate driving and wish I had my parent to chauffeur me around!

Well with that being said, 2012 is off to a great start quilting wise. Check out this adorable baby quilt that I quilted for a customer this morning. Enjoy! Rachel

OK ONE LAST QUILT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

2011-12-18T14:51:00.000-05:00

Anna informed me that a customer had dropped off her husband's t-shirts in the hopes that she could get a quilt made in time for Christmas. Well Anna was a busy little elf, and got straight to work cutting and piecing the shirts into a HUGE masterpiece. I said I would quilt it in my spare time of trying to get my own stuff ready for the holidays, as well as starting a new job! But, I am proud to say that the quilt is all finished and I hope that her husband loves his new quilt. Enjoy! Rachel And in case I don't get another post in before Christmas...Merry Christmas!

ONE LAST QUILT FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!

2011-12-10T21:04:00.000-05:00

Well I know that it has been a while since I have written but life has been so crazy lately! This seems to happen to me every year once Thanksgiving comes, it is rush, rush, rush until after the new year! Oh well what can one do other than put a quilt on the frame and get sewing. So here is a customer quilt that I finished last weekend. Enjoy! Rachel

A CUSTOM QUILT REBORN!

2011-11-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

A lady at work brought in this quilt from her great grandmother, I believe. I wish I had a before picture of how yellow and threadbare the quilt was before Karen and I redid it. Here's how the story went...

Friend: Rachel, I have a couple of quilts that my great-grandmother made, and they are in bad shape. Do you think you might be able to fix them?

Me: (thinking to myself, sure I could fix them! I know nothing about repairing a quilt, but I am sure that there is a book at the library about quilt repair. I used to own a quilt shop, of course I can do anything! I am super quilter, and can't let my reputation as a quilter get tarnished by saying no. You always say yes, and you haven't even seen the quilt! Let's see it first. Worse case scenario you can rope Karen into helping you, she can do anything, she is the awesome sewer!) My response to friend at work, "cool, bring them in and I will take a look at them."

Friend: Great! I brought them in with me, here they are. I was thinking that if you can't fix it, I was going to cut off the top row and make it into pillows or something.

Me: Gasp! No don't cut off anything. I can't guarentee anything, but I'll see what I can do.

So I take the quilts over to Karen's house for her to look at them with me, and we study them, and think about what we can do.

Me: It can't be that hard Karen! What do you think, can you work some magic? All we have to do, and when I say we, I really mean all you have to do, is take out this part, and this part, and this part of the sashing and hand piece in the new peices.

Karen: Oh you think it will be that easy do you?

Me: For you! You are the awesome sewer, remember?

Karen: I don't know, I'll have to think about it.

Me: ok, fair enough, I'll leave the quilts with you to mull over.

Now keep in mind that there are 2 quilts. Some parts, don't have any part of the quilt left. They are yellow with age, and this Sunbonnet Sue quilt has been repaired in the past, with the whole top border being taken off, machine stitched back on, and quilted with straight line quilting, while the rest of the quilt was hand quilted. So I of course sucking at any type of hand sewing begin my search on the internet about quilt repair.. I find this book at the library and begin studying it like the holy bible of quilts. Now I have to admit that some of the info is like greek to me, and on my drive to work I am pondering what to do with this quilt to not let my friend down.

And then it hits me! A part of the book that I had skimmed over talked about removing the blocks and redoing the top! Yes, this is my eureka moment. Now I just have to convince Karen that this can be done, so I get to work bright and early and promptly text her about the plan. I let her know that I will be over that night after work to show her the part of the book that talks about removing the blocks, so that she knows I am not making this up, and that in no time we will be professional quilt restorers, can quit our jobs and work full time on quilts. Karen knows that I have a tendency to think big, so she texts me back with, "Let's just try and do this one first before we quit our day jobs!"

Ok fair enough! Next comes how to clean the quilt. So again I go back to the internet and search for a gentle cleaning product for these antique fabrics. I find it, and I have to admit that it really is a miracle cleaner! If you have not tried Retro Clean, you have got to order it! The link is here. Ok back to the story. The blocks clean up, like they are brand new, and not 100 years old looking. Karen and I are both in awe at how awesome they look. We head to the local quilt shop for some new fabric in colors similiar to the original, and Karen pieces it together in the same layout as the original.

Now I am charged with the task of quilting it. I want to impress my friend at work with my quilting, remember she knows nothing about quilting and wanted to chop off the top of the quilt with a pair of paper scissors! So when pressed with how to finish a special quilt, I tend to procrastinate. By the way, I am very good at procrastinating, I mean really good! So the quilt sits at my house for like the last 2 months just waiting for me to be struck by inspiration. Can you hear the grass growing right now, nothing is coming to me on this quilt! I have ideas, but nothing inspirational! I have quilters block. Has this ever happened to you?

So I decided that this would be the weekend to get it finished. Once I put a quilt on the frame, I really don't like to take it off until it is finished. So I knew that once it was on the frame that I had to get it done. I played around with my IQ for a few hours, but just couldn't come up with anything that was really great, so I decided that I needed to free motion quilt it. Now I can do a pretty good stipple or loops free hand, but I wanted something a little more for the background of the Sunnbonnet Sue's. So there you have it, without further ado...Enjoy! Rachel

GETTING QUILTS DONE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

2011-11-18T05:22:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of a quilt that a customer needed before Thanksgiving to give as a gift. I just love the colors in this quilt and with the stipple pattern across it makes it look vintage! Enjoy! Rachel

HILLSDALE CRAFT SHOW...DONE FOR ANOTHER YEAR

2011-11-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

Well my friend Karen, my brother Scott, and I just finished up at the Hillsdale Craft Show. It was a long day, but a good time was had by all. Sold some purses, towels, quilts and table runners. Here are some photos of the booth before the big day started. Enjoy! Rachel

ON AND OFF THE FRAME AGAIN!

2011-11-07T05:28:00.000-05:00

Usually I try to post on Sunday, but something was up with the Internet here yesterday and it wouldn't let me log on, so here are. 5:15 in the morning, still quiet, and the favorite part of my day! Here are some pictures of things that I have quilted for the craft show that I am doing next weekend at the Hillsdale Craft Show in Jeromesville, Ohio. I finished the 3 table runners and have the binding on them and then made 2 Jelly Roll lane quilts and quilted them up. The table runners were quilted with a holly and berry designs, and the Jelly Roll Lane quilts were quited with a straight line design and swirls. Enjoy! I have to get ready for work! Rachel

ANOTHER WEEK HAS PASSED!

2011-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Well another week has passed since I last posted and I promise you that I have been keeping busy. With the Hillsdale Craft show coming up in a few weeks, I have been trying to bust out some serious towels! I also have been working on quilts for customers and trying to come up with things for the show.

The first picture is of a customer quilt, with just a stipple on it. The customer found this quilt in her mother's house and was going to throw it away! Anna used Retro Clean on it to get all of the brown stains out if it, and it turned out great!

The second picture is of 3 little table runners that I am making for the show. The fabric was a Moda turnover (Sandy Gervais) I think from a couple of years ago that has been sitting around here taking up space, so I thought that I would actually do something with them!
Enjoy! Rachel

QUILTS OUT THE DOOR!

2011-10-15T16:27:00.000-04:00

I think that it has been about a week since I last wrote, so here are a couple of quilts that I did today. They were pretty small, so they went fairly quickly. I have 2 more to do, and I am hoping to get them done today, because tomorrow I want to focus all of my attention on making towels for the Hillsdale (November 12) craft show that my brother's school sponsors each year. Make sure that you come and check it out! Enjoy! Rachel

QUILTING FOR A FRIEND!

2011-10-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, my friend Karen is often my partner in crime for quilting projects! I usually am the one with some brilliant idea, and Karen is actually the one who executes them. So, since she does much of my piecing for projects, I trade her quilting. This quilt is going to be up for a local auction, but for the life of me I cannot remember for what! The quilt was made in the free block of the month class at Sew Little Time in Norwalk, Ohio. Enjoy! Rachel

THE LAST 3 QUILTS FROM THE QUILTING SPECIAL!

2011-10-01T18:49:00.001-04:00

I have been a busy beaver the last 2 days. I had 3 more quilts to finish up from the quilting special that I ran at Sew Little Time in Norwalk, and I got them done between last night and this afternoon. I got to leave work a little early yesterday, and so when I got home, I put on the the 2 smaller quilts (both done with a stipple pattern) that you see below. I didn't quite get the second finished before I started falling asleep around midnight, so I got up early this morning, finished the last couple of rows on the second the quilt and got the 3rd (done with Hearts A Flutter pattern) customer quilt on late this morning and finished up around 2 this afternoon. Pretty productive for a cold and rainy day I must say! I think the quilts turned out great and I hope that all of the customers will be pleased with their creations! Enjoy! Rachel

I LOVE THIS LITTLE QUILT!

2011-09-25T07:21:00.000-04:00

I love this little quilt. It is a customer quilt and it is just so darn cute! I love Kansas troubles fabrics and I am becoming more and more a lover of scrappy quilts. I put Turbulence on it, smaller than I usually do and it just really pops! Sorry the photo does not so it justice, camera batteries died and I have to get more so this was taken with my phone, but I think you get the gist. Enjoy! Rachel

NEW FRIENDS AND MORE QUILTING!

2011-09-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a fun filled day with new friends! A few months ago a very nice person from Michigan contacted me about my PC Quilter videos. As you know I no longer have the PC Quilter, but leave the videos on YouTube for people that are interested in that robotic quilting system. Long story short, we started e-mailing and found out that we have a lot in common. Kim and her mom came to visit yesterday and I showed her my set up with the Nolting Pro and Intelliquilter. She brought a small quilt up so that we could quilt it with the Intelliquilter. She loves anything computerized just like I do. So here are some pictures of the finished quilt, front and back.

After they left to go home, I threw another small quilt on the frame. Actually it was 2 pieces of one yard fabric that the customer is going to make into burp cloths for her new grand baby. One side is flannel and the other side is cute pink fabric.

Enjoy! Rachel

I am on the left (looking rough) and Kim is on the right.

LAST WEEK OF THE QUILTING SPECIAL!

2011-09-10T18:38:00.000-04:00

Here is another customer that took advantage of the quilting special that I offered throughout the month of August/September. It is done in very muted blue and green batiks, and I believe will be a gift for a friend at her work place. Done with the circles design to mimic the circles in the fabrics. Enjoy! Rachel

ALL QUILTS ARE QUILTED!

2011-09-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Well here are the last 2 quilts that I finished up yesterday. Since today is Labor Day and I have off, I decided that I am taking a vacation day from quilting! I have to get caught up on laundry and other household tasks before I head back to work tomorrow. Enjoy! Rachel

WINTER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

2011-09-04T12:47:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that it is already Labor Day! This means only one thing...Winter is right around the corner. I know, I know, you are saying, how can you even think about winter with this 90 degree heat and 100% humidity, but I am telling you that by tomorrow in Ohio it could be snowing! At least that is how how the weather goes around here. I guess that I am in the winter mood for a couple of reasons:

The quilt that I just finished is flannel back and front, and whenever I quilt flannel I always think about curling up under a flannel quilt when it is cold and blustery outside.
I am preparing to do a craft show in November and I have started making my towels with all of the cute Christmas, pumpkin, and gingerbread designs on them.
And there are only 111 days until Christmas!

Well enough talk about winter, here is what you are all curious to see, the quilt! This is a Thimbleberries pattern along with Thimbleberries flannel that the stitches just sank into. It has a really cute flannel on the back with Santa's and snowmen and sleighs, you get the point. Enjoy! Rachel

A REAL JACKIE ROBINSON QUILT!

2011-09-03T17:01:00.000-04:00

This is a real Jackie Robinson quilt! I believe that it is called Eureka! and you can get the pattern here. The customer that brought me this quilt loves purple and greens! The pictures below do not do the quilt justice. The stars look like they are blue, but in fact are purple. I think it turned out great. She had it quilted all over with Hearts a Flutter. I am still on a quilting frenzy, and have 4 more quilts to do. In case you are not aware, the quilting special is extended through September 17th. If you don't know what it is about or have forgotten, here is the link. Now to get the binding on! Enjoy! Rachel

LAST QUILT OF THE DAY!

2011-08-28T18:27:00.000-04:00

Here is a quilt that I took off the frame a few hours ago. A grandmother's flower garden is the name I believe. Done with an all over pattern called Hearts A Flutter. It's all trimmed up and ready to be picked up by the customer. Have to get downstairs and start some laundry so that I can be prepared for work tomorrow! Enjoy! Rachel

ONE BIG QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-08-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

I am sure that many of you will recognize this quilt from all of the quilt magazines that were out last year. This is one of the civil war quilts. I am not sure of the name of it, but what I do know is that it is HUGE. Close to 100 inches square. It took me a couple of days to quilt this one it was so big, but is now all trimmed up and ready to head back to the store for the customer to pick up. I give her major kudos for all of the 1/2 square triangles that make up the sawtooth border! What an accomplishment. Enjoy! Rachel
PS To all of the folks that are in the path of Hurricane Irene, my thoughts are with you! Stay safe.

BACK ON THE QUILTING HORSE, SO TO SPEAK!

2011-08-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I have a full-time job as a social worker that takes up much of my time during the week, and this week especially since I am the manager on call after hours. This pretty much means that if there is a mental health emergency I get called all hours of the night. Which for some reason this past week seemed to happen alot. That pretty much means that when I get home from work I am exhausted since I was woken up the previous night every two hours, and then had to work a full day. So that is why I have not posted any new quilts, although they are stacking up! So now I am back on the quilting horse again. Here is a customer quilt that I put on the frame last night and finished up this morning. I just love the colors! Enjoy! Rachel

THE LAST QUILT OF THE DAY!

2011-08-21T19:27:00.000-04:00

Well here it is...the last quilt of the day! I am beat. This has been an exhilarating week to say the least. I think that I have quilted about 15 quilts in the last week, and still have 6 more to go! I appreciate all the support that everyone has given me and want to thank all the customers that have brought quilts in for me to quilt. It is very much appreciated. I hope that they keep coming, as the quilt special ends at the end of this month, and then there is Christmas to think about. I will guarantee quilts completed in time for Christmas, as long as they are to me by Thanksgiving.
This quilt is referred to as a bed runner. And it is 108" wide. So wide, I couldn't get it into the whole shot, but I think that you will agree that it is gorgeous! Bed runners are the new table runners in my opinion, and personally I love a little extra weight on my feet in the middle of winter. However since I sleep with the sloppiest sleeper (my husband), it would inevitably end up on the floor! But enough about my sloppy sleeper husband, check out the pictures! Enjoy! Rachel

PATCHWORK PANACHE OFF THE FRAME!

2011-08-21T14:59:00.000-04:00

Another quilt is off the frame. It is one from the free block of the month that you can read about here. It doesn't have the big center like the previous post, as some people chose not to do the center or to make a separate quilt out of the center block. I love how creative people are with putting the same blocks together with different settings! This customer added her own personal style with some embroidery and applique. It turned out super cute with the cornerstones in different colors. Just love it, and with the bubbles pattern, it just makes me think of sunny days, the beach and of course bubbles! Enjoy! Rachel

I thought that I would add this last picture, which is not quilting related, but Jake was watching me quilt and fell asleep. This cannot be comfortable!

FINISHED UP AT 1 AM!

2011-08-21T08:42:00.000-04:00

Well I finished another quilt early this morning, and I mean early, 1am. I don't think that I have stayed up that late in a really long time. I think that it might be difficult to get back on a sleeping schedule come tonight and having to go back to work tomorrow! Oh well, will deal with that tonight! Here are some pictures of the quilt. It is very fall-ish in color and for some reason reminds me of candy corns. Could be that I am hungry as well since I haven't eaten breakfast yet. I need to put the binding on this one as well so I hope that while I have another quilt on the frame I will be diligent and work on putting the binding on. I tend to get easily side tracked :). Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-08-20T23:09:00.000-04:00

Well what can I say...This is a beautiful and huge quilt from the Free block of the month series at Sew Little Time, in Norwalk, Ohio. It actually was the 2007 Block of the Month project from Block Central, called Patchwork Panache. A very large quilt that finishes 99 x 99 give or take a few inches! I think that this customer is planning on keeping this one for herself and her husband, but she says that as soon as they get quilted another family member comes and claims them! I don't know on this one I would have to put my foot down. :) I have another quilt on the frame (yes Deb, it's yours :) ) that I hope to get finished tonight and get the binding on it tomorrow, and then it is back to work on Monday. Boo!!
You know, now that I think about it, there were quite a few people in that class, and I have only seen a couple of those finished quilts! C'mon ladies, a penny per square inch on that size quilt is a huge savings!
Enjoy!
Rachel

QUILTIN' OLD SCHOOL

2011-08-20T18:05:00.000-04:00

OK, well this is the third of three quilts from one customer, and big ones they were too! The customer explained that this was the first bed sized quilt that she ever made. Nothing like going for it I say! A Pineapple Log Cabin no less! It is simply beautiful in the Americana color way. The quilt has a flange on the inside border, so I had to quilt this old school/free hand in order to get around the flange. I think it turned out great, and I hope that the customer will be pleased with all 3 of her quilts. Each one got a different pattern from the special! Well I can't lallygag, I have 6 more quilts to try and finish up this weekend, and yes Deb I think one of them will be yours! :) Keep those quilts coming! The special ends at the end of this month. If you are like me you have way more tops lying around than you know what to do with. Get them quilted and enjoy them. Enjoy! Rachel

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE?

2011-08-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

Well a finished quilt of course! I got this one pulled off the frame this evening, and I think that the customer will be very pleased with how it turned out. She said it is for a friend-Nice and Lucky Friend! Well I have to get to bed because I have 6 more quilts to get done this weekend, or so I hope! And remember the quilting special ends at the end of this month. Get those quilts in ladies. I love quilting them for you! Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-08-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

Well from the last post you can see that I got back up and running last night. I finished the quilt that I had on the frame in about 2 hours. I was really on the ball though. Each time the machine stopped for the next row, I was right there to advance the quilt and get the next row started. I was moving fast! I was so tired after having spent the day in Dresden with my husband that I didn't get any pictures of the quilt until this morning. This quilt is quilted with the Hearts A Flutter pattern, from Intelligent Quilting which I thought was appropriate since the quilter informed me that her daughter started the quilt, but she finished up the borders. Such a mom thing to do to help out one of her kids don't you think? So here you go. Enjoy! Rachel

BACK UP AND RUNNING!

2011-08-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

I am so psyched that I am back up and running with my machine. It always happens when I am under the gun that things break down. I try and do a lot of preventive stuff but you never know...a longarm is like a car, it has moving parts and is bound to need parts changed at some point. Can't complain though, it's been over two years and I have had no problems. Looking back over older posts, I have given this system a workout. Here's a little video that I did to show it is up and running. I also made the video asa a teaser for a friend that is coming to visit in September to check out my set up. Here you go Kim! :) Enjoy! Rachel

HEY GUESS WHAT I AM DOING?

2011-08-16T19:01:00.001-04:00

Ok well besides sitting here typing this blog post, I am outside on my deck typing this post! That's right I got the birthday present that I was hoping for...an IPad 2.

I am so psyched. No more being chained to the computer, I can blog anywhere!  
Well with at being said I have to share that my quilt machine went down this afternoon. I am really bummed because I had just put on the first of three of a customers quilts, and I started to notice that it was not stitching as well as I would have liked. So I examined the machine and one of the rubber wheels that guides the machine is cracked! Luckily I have a spare and I am just waiting for my husband to come home and help me change it with his special husband tools that I am not allowed to touch (don't ask, of course this same rule applies to my sewing stuff, although I do believe that he has no desire to touch any of it). So with that being said I am patiently waiting for him to come home and maybe bring dinner since I suck at grocery shopping and cooking  and help me with the machine. Sorry that there are no pictures hopefully soon though.
I hope that this post comes up correctly since it is on the IPad. Take care. Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME AND MY BIG 40 BIRTHDAY ONLY 50 MINUTES AWAY!

2011-08-13T23:10:00.002-04:00

I loaded this quilt this evening and finished it up about an hour ago! Make sure you get those quilts in, as the one penny per square inch special ends in a couple of weeks!

My big 4-0 birthday is only 50 minutes away. My husband keeps teasing saying that he wants to give me my birthday present early. I keep telling him NO since where is the fun in that. I am really hoping that it is an IPad 2. I have really been wanting one of those. They look so cool with everything that they can do. I follow a couple of other blogs, and those owners seem really pleased with them. Oh I hope so! I'll keep you posted. Enjoy! Rachel

FLAGS ARE A FLYIN'

2011-08-13T18:51:00.000-04:00

With Labor Day right around the corner, this quilt is perfect! Finished it for a customer Friday morning. I had the day off, so I got up early, finished the quilt and headed up to the shop to trim it up and let the customer know it was all finished. The customer informed me that it is for her grandson. He is one lucky guy! I quilted it with my all time favorite pattern Turbulence from Quilt Recipes. It reminds me of flags waving in the wind on this quilt. Enjoy! Rachel

4 QUILTS IN A DAY!

2011-08-07T19:49:00.000-04:00

Boy oh boy am I beat! I finished 4 quilts today. A variety of sizes, but a lot of work nonetheless! These 2 quilts were completed by the same customer that finished the 2 in the post below. Gotta go clean up now. Enjoy! Rachel

2 QUILTS OFF THE FRAME-4 MORE TO GO

2011-08-07T14:39:00.000-04:00

Well 2 of the six quilts are off the frame this morning, and I am getting ready to load the 3rd! Such fun. I quilted them with an overall stipple pattern! Can't talk long, got to get quilting! Enjoy! Rachel

RELAX WITH A CUP OF COFFEE QUILT

2011-08-06T06:50:00.000-04:00

When I first saw these fabrics together in a jelly roll, they just reminded me of a cup of coffee. I remember being a kid going out to a restaurant with my parents and they would order coffee, and I would get to pour in the cream, swirl it around, and watch the colors blend. It's funny how quilts can remind you of the simplest memories. I quilted the quilt with a pattern called New Spiral by Quilt Recipes. It's a very dense design that takes over 25 minutes a row to stitch. The swirls of the pattern remind me of the swirls of pouring in that creamer!

Now the design of the quilt is called Jelly Roll Lane, and you can get the pattern here (it's free) at my website www.sewbehind.com. By the way the penny per square inch quilting sale is going on now! I've already gotten 6 quilts to quilt! Make sure that you get yours in soon! You can check out my website for more details. Enjoy! Rachel

THIS IS HOW I SPEND MY SPARE TIME BEFORE WORK!

2011-08-03T20:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, so many of you know that I am usually up at the crack of dawn to let out the fur children and get ready for work. Well this morning was no different, other than I have really been focusing on how to try and build my business to get people to send me their t-shirts to make them into lovely t-shirt quilts! So I have had this poem rolling around in my head for the last few days and here is what I came up with! I hope you enjoy it! Rachel

T Shirt Quilts

There once was a woman, who lived in a shoe,

Who had too many t-shirts that made her so blue,

That she really didn’t know what to do!

So she scoured online hi and low,

And found a website as pretty as a bow.

www.sewbehind.com was just her thing,

It made her so happy she wanted to sing.

It was there that she found what she could do

As the site gave her the bestest clue,

Take those t-shirts and make something new!

It was clever, it was grand,

So she stacked all of those t-shirts,

in one of her hands.

She sent them off to Sew Behind,

Where a beautiful quilt could be made just in time!

For the woman just couldn’t believe,

That all of those t-shirts could be made to be,

Into a beautiful quilt that all could see!

MY MACHINE SITS IDLE!

2011-07-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

Well a lot of people always ask me about coming over and seeing my machine. Since I can't have tons of people traipsing up through my messy bedrooms, I guess that this will have to be the next best thing! The machine was idle today although I had good intentions, but there just happened to be an auction across the street in our neighborhood, and who can pass up an opportunity to get something for almost nothing! Well not me.

Here was the find of the day. A completely hand pieced and hand quilted twin size top. The date on it says 1976 and it is in mint condition. Very few spots and not worn out anywhere. i was so excited to win this. It is so cute and bright and reminds me of summer! Which is of course my favorite season, and I am not biased just because my birthday is in 14 days! The big 4-0 you know.

I'll try to get a better picture with the quilt top open so you can see all of the pretty colors and awesome piecing. By the way I got the quilt stand that it is hanging over at the auction too! I am so psyched. Enjoy!

Rachel

SEW BEHIND WEBSITE IS BACK!

2011-07-30T23:04:00.000-04:00

As you may already be aware, one of the widgets that I have on this blog is a tracker to see where people come from to visit my site. It's very interesting and I love to see people from all over the country and the world visit my blog! Anyway as I was taking a look at where everyone is from, I can also see what they are searching for. Probably the most popular search that I see is a for a Christmas Tree Skirt. If you have been reading my blog you will know that a couple of years ago I designed a Jacob's Ladder Christmas Tree Skirt, wrote up a pattern and everything! Well on my blog there was a link to my website at the time, www.sewbehind.com. I let the site lapse as I struggled with justifying the cost for the amount of hits I was getting and patterns I was selling. Well it's been over a year, and the name was still available (it was fate), so I decided to go ahead and take the plunge, and re-sign up and host the website. I am slowly updating things and trying to get my new patterns on there, in case people are interested in them, especially the Christmas Tree Skirt, since Christmas is only 147 days away! That might not stress you out, but it definitely stresses me out! Oh one last thing, I got the 5th quilt all finished for a very nice customer and she was ecstatic with how it turned out! She said that she made it completely out of her stash, and this was her very first quilt ever! Don't forget the quilting special in August (that's in 2 daysfor those of us that can't believe it's already August! and only 15 more days until I turn the big 4-0!) Enjoy! Rachel

MORE QUILTS OFF THE FRAME AND A QUILTING SPECIAL!

2011-07-29T19:25:00.001-04:00

Well, I am steadily working on a little rush of quilts that I got from the shop. 5 altogether, and one more to go. I really wish that I could get quilts in more consistently, you know I want to be able to do this full-time! C'mon ladies (and gents) I need those quilts! I know that everyone has stacks of tops made up just waiting to be finished (I know I do). Wouldn't you love to have a quick gift already finished? Wouldn't you love to NOT have to run out to the store hours before the party and try and pick out something special? And I know with all of this heat it is hard to think about the holidays, but they will be here before you know it. (There are only 148 days until Christmas!) Well then I have a deal for you!

For the month of August, I have decided to have a penny quilting special! That's right, I have chosen 5 pantograph designs that you can choose for your quilts and the quilting will only be $.01 per square inch. All you have to do is drop off your quilt at the shop-
Sew Little Time, ltd.
34 E. Main St.
Norwalk, Ohio 44870
419-660-0200
http://www.sew-little-time.com/

Now for the fine print...in order to get the penny quilt special through the shop, here's all you have to do. Purchase your thread and batting (polyester, cotton and bamboo available) from the store, and your quilt top can be no larger than 108" wide ($25 set up fee applies). That's it! It's that simple!

If you are not near the store and would like to take advantage of this offer you can contact me directly at rachel-call@neo.rr.com. Enjoy! Rachel

Aren't these tops beautiful!

Here are the 5 designs to choose from:

Swirling Water

Bubbles

Turbulence

Stipple

Hearts A Flutter

PS Thank you to all the customers who have already blessed me with the opportunity to quilt their quilts!

CUSTOMER QUILTS GETTING FINISHED!

2011-07-23T18:35:00.000-04:00

I know that I have been a bad blogger! But I have been quilting. Here are a couple of quilts that I finished this morning. I have 3 more customer quilts to finish this weekend. At least that is the goal!

The quilt above is super cute and super bright! I think that bubbles are the new stipple! This quilt reminds me of one of the beach towels that I used to have as a kid! Good summer memories by the pool.

This quilt is definitely fun with all the little smiling lizards on it. Some little one is going to be really excited to get this little cutie! Thanks to all the customers that allow me the opportunity to quilt their quilts! Keep them coming! Enjoy.

Rachel

MORE CUTE QUILTS FINISHED! AND THE NQA 2011 SHOW

2011-06-18T21:45:00.001-04:00

Well I have been a busy ~~beaver~~ dreamer. My friend Karen and I spent the day in Columbus at the NQA Quilt show, and WOW is all I can say. Here are some pictures of quilts and the quilting that I have been dreaming about. I know that some of the pictures of blurry, sorry about that, what do you want from a camera phone! The Baltimore Album quilt below has close ups of the quilting which is just stunning!

This quilt below was the Grand Prize winner. I wish that there were a more clear picture, but there were so many people around it, it was hard to get any space to take a picture. This quilt is completely appliqued, needle turn style! It took her one year to make and she did all of the quilting on her domestic machine. It was kind of a sad story though because she worked on this project while her husband was getting chemo treatment. Christmas was his favorite holiday and she was making it for him. He has since passed away.

In addition we were told that the quilt was submitted to be Judged as a Master Quilt, and it passed! I wish that I would have gotten the quilters name as she is now a Master Quilter!

This quilt was a wholecloth and is based on the I Spy pictures from the Highlights magazine. Karen went completely gaga for this quilt as it brought back a lot of memories. It is hard to believe that this is all done in thread and finding the pictures within it was amazing!

This quilt below was an applique pattern that I had seen at Bunny Hill Designs. You can find the original pattern here. The quilter added a really cool pieced star in the middle and the quilting was incredible. I think I saw at the NQA booth that you could get a DVD of all the judged quilts in case you want to see more!

This is a customer quilt that I finished this evening. It is so cute, has flannel on the back and some little girl is going to be very happy! Enjoy! Rachel

GETTING MOTIVATED!

2011-06-05T12:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, so many a project have been started on this blog, some finished, some not so finished. Most projects start like this:

Me: Karen (she's my partner in crime) look at this super cute project in my new Quiltmaker magazine.
Karen: yea that's nice, are you going to do it?
Me: I'd really like to, but you know me
Karen: Yeah I know you!! :)
Me: Fast forward many days later and scavenging on line for material that will be just perfect for the quilt!
Me: Hey Karen, you want to go on a shop hop? Remember that quilt I showed you, I found a shop in Kent (now closed :( ) that has the perfect fabric, wanna go?
Karen: Sure, when?
Me: Can you be at my house in an hour, I'll drive!
Karen: Ok, see you then.

Now, Karen of course has complete restraint when it comes to buying fabric, where I on the other hand have NONE! So I proceed to purchase $100 worth of fabric for this fantastic quilt. I start out with a bang, and post here all about it in blogland. Fast Forward a few months, and that is all I still have completed, but Karen on the other hand is the motivated sewer of this duo, and she ends up doing this...

And keep in mind she bought no fabric, and made it completely out of her stash! I am so jealous. So of course I want to start working on mine again, and here we are today and this is how much more I have gotten done...

I know that it does not look like that much more than the posting in October, but there are 8 new star blocks and 4 flower blocks! I know progress is slow, but I will get it done after seeing Karen's. I am so jealous and now hopefully more motivated! At least she let me quilt hers. Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-06-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

Well I got up early this morning and got another quilt on and off the frame! This one is a real cutie! It was made during the Make A Gift class at Sew Little Time, in Norwalk. It's the Jelly Roll Lane quilt top with an added border. I just love the pinks and browns! The person who gets this is one lucky young lady! Enjoy! Rachel

MORE QUILTS OFF THE FRAME!

2011-05-30T07:48:00.000-04:00

I thought that I would drop a quick line this Memorial Day to first off, say thank you to all the service men and women around the world protecting our freedom, and to all of those that have gone before in protecting our way of life. Your sacrifice is appreciated more than you will ever know!

Now for a little update on what's been happening...As many of you may be aware, last July I got a promotion at work, and with that promotion came alot more responsibility and a lot more time needed at work. With that I had to take a step back from the shop and finally make the decision to step back completely. It was a difficult decision, I hemmed and hawed for a long time, but finally came to the realization that I had to look at the priorities in my life. So...I signed over all of my shares in Sew Little Time, ltd. to Anna who now owns 100% of Sew Little Time. Now don't worry I haven't left forever, and you will still see me around as I will still do all of the quilting for the shop!

As you can see from below, here are a few quilts that I recently did up for some customers. The first and third quilts pictured were for my friend, Karen. The first picture is from a Free Block of the Month Club that the shop did last year. And the third picture is a scarlet and gray quilt, using the Jelly Roll Lane Pattern that I did up. I digitized a special quilt design that says Ohio State and Go Bucks throughout the stipple. Pretty cool if I don't say so myself!

The second quilt is for a customer's granddaughter. I love the bright pinks and blues! Someone is very lucky to get this one!

I just want to thank everyone for their support throughout the years and giving me the opportunity to quilt their quilts! I look forward to making each quilt a family treasure!

Enjoy! Rachel

MORE QUILTS OFF THE FRAME!

2011-05-21T08:35:00.000-04:00

Well I know that many of my posts have been short and sweet to say the least, so I thought now that I actually have a few minutes I would add a little more. Below are some customer quilts that I worked on over the last 2 Fridays.

This quilt is all flannel and the customer wanted an edge around it to be able to fringe for her little girl.

This quilt was from the Free Block of the Month offered at Sew Little Time in Norwalk, Ohio.

This quilt has 2 borders of satin material! It's for the customer's son who is totally into skulls and stuff.

This quilt is a 60x60 rail fence. Nice and simple block, but the fabrics are really vibrant. I don't think that the picture does justice to the blue flame fabric.

This last quilt is a small table runner. I love the colors and simple layout. Finished it last night at midnight!

I hope that the customers love all of their quilts as much as I enjoy quilting them. I believe that all quilts should be quilted and loved, no matter the quilters skill level. Why spend all that time and money to make the top just to have it lay around and never be finished! I want to thank all the customers that bring me tops to quilt. It really is an honor.

Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-05-13T22:10:00.000-04:00

Well here is another customer quilt off the frame! What can I say, this blog is really about the quilts! Enjoy! Rachel

A FEW MORE QUILTS!

2011-05-07T11:19:00.000-04:00

Well I know it's been a while, but things have been really crazy lately with work, the shop and quilts! But the last part I don't really mind. Here a few quilts that I finished up for customers lately. Enjoy! Rachel

PS Click on any picture for a larger view and more details of the quilting!

STILL QUILTING!

2011-04-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of quilts that I recently finished yesterday. I had some friends over that did the Maple Leaf Quilt, which is a Thangles quilt. They both turned out great, and of course they are quilted with my favorite pattern- Turbulence! I believe that that pattern can make any quilt beautiful! Enjoy! Rachel

This quilt is called a Flights of Honor Quilt and will be donated to a local military family.

This quilt is from a pattern by Thangles, which you can check out here!

IX CENTER WAS A BLAST!

2011-03-27T08:37:00.001-04:00

Well I know that I have not written in a while, but I recently spent the the last week at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo. Here are a couple of pictures of our booth.

In the photo above you can see the Twister Quilt hanging in the background and my sample hanging on the table in the front. We sold out of the Twisters in the first 2 hours of the show! Anna also created a new rag quilt, for all of the BGSU fans in the orange and brown colors. And of course the "Big Zero" Pattern next to it reminded alot of people about their favorite Big Ten school Ohio State!

In the photo above you can see the new quilt, Jelly Roll Lane, that we did up for the show. Made from 2 of our Jelly Rolls, only takes 3 hours to piece! We had a great time, even though now we are exhausted from all the moving and setting up, but we met a lot of new people and saw a lot of our friends! We hope that everyone had a great time at the show. Now all we have to do is get the shop back together!

Now on to some quilt tops that I have quilted lately!

In the photo above is a picture of a quilt done by one of our customers. This quilt was from last years free block of the month class that we offered. Isn't it beautiful in the pink and blacks!

The next 2 photos are of Jelly Roll Lane being quilted. There are 2 quilts that I loaded side by side and quilted on my long arm.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little update! Now on to quilting more quilts! Enjoy! Rachel

A COUPLE MORE QUILTS FINISHED!

2011-02-27T07:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of a couple more quilts that I finished over the last couple of weeks. The first one is a quilt by a customer's great grandmother. Original fabrics and all. The second quilt is a customer quilt for an auction at a local nursing home. Enjoy! Rachel

THE SMALLEST QUILTS ALWAYS TAKE THE LONGEST!

2011-02-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

OK here is another quilt that I finished up for a shop sample. I tried some new things, and it's just like anything else in like you try for the first time, practice makes perfect. Looking at the quilt now, I have a lot of other ideas that I wish I had tried, but I guess that there is always the next quilt! :) Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-02-06T00:16:00.000-05:00

Well here is a quilt that I got at work on Friday, and stayed up tonight to get it quilted. It is of course done in my favorite pattern, Turbulence, by Quilt Recipes. The pattern just goes with everything! Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2011-02-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

This quilt is called W!ldflowers by Smith Street Designs. It is a machine embroidery pattern that we did at the shop a couple of years ago. Enjoy the pictures. Remember that you can click on any picture to see a larger view!
Rachel

MORE QUILTS OFF THE FRAME!

2011-01-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of quilts that I recently finished. The first one was for the local guild's raffle and the 2nd is for a friend's little girl at work. Enjoy! I have to get back to the frame as I have another one on there that I really need to get done today.
Rachel

2011 OFF TO A GREAT START!

2011-01-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

Thought that I would drop a quick line and show you the quilt that I quilted for my friend Karen yesterday. It's quilted with my favorite pattern-Turbulence from Quilt Recipes. It was from the shop's Free Block of the Month program. We'll have a new one starting in May. Can't wait to see what that one will look like! But for now you'll have to enjoy this one. Enjoy! Rachel

HAPPY 2011! A LITTLE LATE...

2011-01-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

Well I thought that I had better get back on the bloggin' waggon here since my friend informed me yesterday that I do not post enough! :) So Happy New Year to everyone that reads this blog. I have already been busy in the new year quiltin' away and thought that I would share a couple of quilts that I have already finished. The tshirt quilt was for a customer and the brown and tan quilt was for a friend. Enjoy! Rachel

(Jake wanted to be in the picture! I took it 3 different times and each time there he was!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS QUILT A THON

2010-12-18T08:35:00.001-05:00

I know that it has been quite some time since I have posted, but I wanted to get one last post of all the quilts that I have done for others, so their loved ones will have a Merry Christmas!
So here goes the quilts that I did over the last couple of months...Enjoy! Rachel

SHOP HOP QUILT ALL QUILTED!

2010-10-10T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of the quilts that I have been working on lately. If you are participating in the Quilter's Road Show Shop Hop, then here is a sneak peek at Sew Little Time's Shop Hop Quilt. It's all quilted and I even have the binding on it, now I just have to sew it down, and you all know how I feel about hand sewing! I quilted it with a design called Square Dance, and it reminds me of those paper doors in Japan, don't know why, just does. The second quilt is for my friend Karen. The block she used is from our free block of the month quilt, and by making several of the blocks and rotating them you get all kinds of secondary designs. Enjoy! Rachel

IT'S CALLED APPLIQUE!

2010-10-03T20:26:00.000-04:00

Well it might be called applique, but I call it applipukie! I really thought that this time around I would give it a whirl. I can do anything right?! Well I can tell you this, I can NOT do machine applique! I was so frustrated after doing the first block that I just ended up digitizing the second block and doing it on my embroidery machine. Of course the second block looks a thousand time better than the first, but I am not going back and redoing it. It will be a reminder to me the next time that I want to take on a machine applique project. So here are some pictures of Meet Me At The Manor blocks that I have been working on.

Above is the first block that I did on the machine. Notice the bulb that is growing out of the middle of the stem! Oh well live and learn!

Above here is Block 2 that I digitized and stitched out in half the time that it took me complete the first one and has perfect stitches to boot!

And above here are as many of the blocks that I could get in the shot. Enjoy! Rachel

ANOTHER ONE DONE!

2010-10-03T07:17:00.001-04:00

Here is another customer quilt that I finished yesterday. You'll have to excuse the poor quality of the picture as my camera batteries died and I took the picture with my phone. Off to quilt another one this morning. I am not sure if you can click on this picture to make it larger, but it is quilted with the swirls pattern all over. Very pretty.

If you get Quiltmaker magazine, then you may have seen the recent quarterly pattern called, Meet Me At The Manor. Well I have decided to work on making that quilt in my spare time. Here are a couple of the houses all done. Only 7 more to go! :) Enjoy. Rachel

UP BRIGHT AND EARLY!

2010-09-26T12:33:00.000-04:00

Well I was up bright and early now that I got that custom quilt finished, i am somewhat getting back on track with the shop quilts that I need to get quilted! Here is the quilt that I put on this morning and finished quilting a little bit ago.

Enjoy! Rachel

BIT OFF MORE THAN I COULD CHEW!

2010-09-26T00:14:00.001-04:00

Have you ever known that exact moment when you promised something to someone and you knew it was probably more than you could handle! Well I certainly had no idea that when I said I would do the following quilt that it would be a month in the making and over 40 hours of time involved! The pictures do not do the quilt justice, and maybe when the customer gets the binding put on it she will bring it to the store for a little while so I can really take in all the quilting that is on this quilt! Hint Hint!
So without further ado...

Enjoy! Rachel

REALLY BUSY!

2010-09-14T05:40:00.000-04:00

Ok so here is a quick post before I get ready for work. We had a quilting special at the shop in July and I have been busy finishing all these quilts. I have another 4 to do. Enjoy.
Rachel

FINISHED THIS ONE LAST NIGHT!

2010-08-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

I told you that I have been a busy little beaver! Here is another quilt that I finished last night before I went to bed. Enjoy! Rachel

OK ANOTHER QUILT OFF THE FRAME!

2010-08-07T15:26:00.002-04:00

Well I should have waited until the quilt was finished and just posted everything together but I am impatient! So here is the quilt that I put on the frame this morning. Enjoy! Rachel

ALL QUILTS!

2010-08-07T14:53:00.003-04:00

I have been hearing alot about the fact that I have not posted anything lately, but I have good reason. I recently got a promotion at work, and with promotions come more responsibility and more time at the company. In addition, we ran a quilt sale at the store and I got slammed with quilts to finish! This of course is a good thing for all the people that took advantage of the sale, but that means I can't blog as often for the rest of the world! :) So here are all of the quilts that I have been working on with most recent off the frame at the top. I have the machine running right now finishing the last row of another quilt. You'll just have to be patient to see a picture of that one. Enjoy!
Rachel

HAPPY 4th and BLOOMIN STEPS ALL DONE!

2010-07-04T17:34:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the quilt that I have been working on all day! My friend Karen made this one in our scrap therapy class at the shop. It is called Bloomin Steps, at least I hope that is what it is called! I have probably about 20 hours into the quilting on this quilt, and I think that it turned out awesome! Enjoy. Rachel Happy 4th!

A QUICK POST BEFORE WORK!

2010-06-18T06:36:00.003-04:00

Thought that I would drop a quick line before I head off to work to show you what I have been working on. Rachel

Not the greatest picture I know, but here is our table runner from Embroidery Club. It's a free design that you can get at www.youcanquiltthis.com. If you click on the picture I think that you might be able to get a closer look. It's really cute.

This quilt is from my friend Joanne. She brought me 2 HUGE quilts to quilt for her, and I know I have a picture of the other one, but I can't seem to find it right now! Will have to save it for another post! Have a great Friday!

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T08:21:00.002-04:00

Well yesterday I had the whole family over for a Memorial Day get together and we ate until we were ready to explode! Actually one member of the canine clan did actually explode all over my husband's clean kitchen floor. But what can you do, his belly hurt, and it didn't help that my dad fed him leftover chicken and pork ribs!

So moving on... here is a quilt that I put on the frame Saturday night and finished up Sunday morning before all the family got here. Now I just need to trim it up and get a binding on and we all know how I feel about the binding process! It is a store sampler from the scrap therapy class that we run. Thaks again to my friend Karen for piecing this! This pattern is called Star Light Star Bright and if you click on the link to see the original pattern you will see that the picture below has no sashing, and we decided to put a scrappy border on it. Makes it look totally different! I decided to quilt it with an allover feather pattern to give it a soft feminine look with all the pinks and browns. Trying hard to use up my scraps of yardage!

I hope that you enjoy the photos and have a blessed Memorial Day!

Rachel

I REALLY HAVE BEEN BUSY! AND 19th QUILT!

2010-05-28T17:12:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I know that it has been exactly 24 days since my last post...ok so that is really all I have. Well enough self pity and boo-hooing. Here is what I have been working on while I have not been posting!

The one above is my Big Ten Pattern that I quilted with my all time favorite pattern Turbulence.

This quilt shown above was a customer quilt for her grandson. I believe that he is graduating from high school this year and these were all of his t-shirts! She actually made 2 quilts. The back is all t-shirts too! I only took a picture of one side because it was so heavy. It is also quilted with the Turbulence pattern from Quilt Recipes. This is the 19th quilt for the year for the shop! C'mon ladies. I need those quilts!

This little table runner is one that was done for a sample at the shop when we were running the Table Runners club and I think that it is out of the Table Runners 2 or 3 book, I can't remember which one, but I finally decided to quilt it up. Enjoy!

Rachel

CINCO DE MAYO QUILT CELEBRATION!

2010-05-04T18:39:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I don't really need a reason to put a shout out for quilts, but I thought with tomorrow being Cinco De Mayo, why not?? As you may recall, last year (see the link here) I asked quilters to send me their quilts to help me pay for my dog, Max's surgery. Well I had 9 wonderful quilters send me there quilts, and I got the surgery all paid for. Now Max is doing just fine and he doesn't need anymore surgery, but I thought with the economy the way it is and with people making more and more handmade gifts, why not offer a special deal to help you get those quilt tops out of the closet and onto loved ones laps! With graduations and weddings right around the corner, why not give a gift that will be cherished for a life time! So here is the deal...

1. You must e-mail (rachel-call@neo.rr.com )me by Wednesday, May 12, 2010, to let me know that you want a quilt quilted and get your quilt to me by May 31, 2010.

2. You can send me any size quilt up to 95 inches wide (length doesn't matter). The cost will be a flat rate of $75 per quilt.

3. You must include backing and batting 4-6" wider than the quilt top.

4. I will include a neutral color thread to match your quilt

5. You will be offered to choose one of 3 pantograph designs that you would like quilted in all over pattern on your quilt. (No custom quilting, separate borders, etc will be available for this special. An all over stipple, Turbulence, and Hearts A Flutter will be the choices for the pantograph. I can send you a picture of the choices, just send me your e-mail to www.rachel-call@neo.rr.com)

6. If you mail your quilt to me, a $15 charge will be added for return shipping and insurance.

7. This is a limited time offer, and the offer will close on Wednesday, May 12.

8. Please only participate if you are serious about wanting to get your quilt quilted, as I will expect your quilt and payment by May 31, 2010. Only checks and money orders will be accepted.

This is a great deal, almost 1/2 off of what I would normally charge to do an allover design on a large quilt. So if you have been putting off getting a quilt quilted because of cost, wait no longer!

Thanks for all of your support and letting me quilt your quilt! Please note that this special is only available through me personally, so if you want to take advantage, please e-mail to get your place in line! rachel-call@neo.rr.com

Rachel

18th QUILT OF THE YEAR ALL FINISHED!

2010-05-03T05:44:00.005-04:00

Just a quick note before I get ready for work. Here is a picture of the 18th quilt that I worked on yesterday. The customer just wanted an overall stipple. It's a very pretty quilt. Drunkards Path's are a lot of work! Enjoy.

Rachel

15th, 16th, 17th QUILTS OF THE YEAR!

2010-05-01T06:37:00.003-04:00

I know that it doesn't seem like much to only be working on the 17th quilt of the year, when others out there are in the hundreds already, but with working full-time and getting 3 quilts done in a weekend, I don't think that that is too shabby, So without further ado...

The picture above is a custom quilt! Alot of work, but the customer really liked it!

The picture above is from a customer who got the blocks from one of her friends that didn't want them. So she put them together in a quilt. Each block was cross stitched.

The quilt above was a very large log cabin type block with stars throughout. A very pretty quilt!

I hope that you have enjoyed the update.

Rachel

I'M BACK! 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th QUILTS OF THE YEAR!

2010-04-24T07:15:00.004-04:00

Ok, Ok, so I know that another month has slipped by me, but I am here to redeem myself! I have been working hard on quilts. Below are the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th customer quilts of the year.

Here is the 11th quilt. It is a t-shirt quilt that I had to completely piece and quilt. I think it turned out very nice considering the quality of high school t-shirts that sell today!

This quilt was made by a customer who loves to use her scraps. She did the other quilt that was all triangles from a previous post. This quilt is based on some research that she did on civil war quilts for soldiers in the army. The quilt is very long and narrow! She said that in her research the cots they gave the soldiers were very long and narrow. I find this interesting, because when I have traveled and visited homes of the period, their door ways are always so short! She is giving it to a friend who is a civil war buff. (12th quilt)

This quilt is a first quilt! What I mean is that this is the customers first quilt that she has ever made! (13th quilt)

This little quilt is made with log cabin blocks. Each of the 4 corners are a different color and they create a pinwheel effect. (14th quilt)

Well I have the 15th quilt of the year on the frame, so I had better get a move on. It's a big one 86x103! Have a great weekend! Enjoy!

Rachel

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

2010-03-21T09:28:00.005-04:00

Well yesterday was National Quilt Day and that is exactly what I did all day! At the shop we are getting ready for The Sewing Expo in Cleveland, so I had to get a move and quilt these 3 quilts from the Big One Star book that we are doing a class on at the shop. It's actually pretty cool, you take one quilt to start and then from the leftover pieces you get two smaller quilts. Below are the pictures of what I had been quilting.

The picture above is the original quilt.

The picture above is the 2nd quilt.

And this picture shown above is the 3rd quilt. As you can see they get smaller and smaller, but still cool that you can make 3 coordinating pieces based on the original size quilt that you decide to make. each of them are quilted differently. The top 2 are more custom and the 3rd is an allover pantograph. Click on any picture for a larger view. Enjoy!

Rachel

I'M BACK!

2010-03-14T12:24:00.005-04:00

As you can read from the last post, I have been out of the computing world due to being hit with a variety of virus' and just nasty computer stuff! So if you are my family and are reading this, could you please send me an e-mail so that I can save your e-mail addresses again:)! I know pretty cheesy, but it is just like my phone, which I left at the store yesterday (sorry mom, you'll have to call me on the land line), I don't know anybody's phone numbers or e-mail addresses! Sounds lame but that just goes to show just how addicted to technology I am. Well enough beating myself up, I have my computer almost back to normal, and have gotten most of the programs reloaded, and have been working away. So here is a post with quite a few pictures of customer quilts that I have been working on while not able to get online. Oh before I post the pictures, I just want to say thank you to the local computer guy, Glen, who owns PC Computer Repair in Norwalk, what a fantastic job he did. Saved all of my files (thank god), and although I have to search for them a bit differently, I'll take it compared to the problems that I was having. I have definitely learned my lesson and am looking at off site back up technology so that if something like this should happen again, I will not lose anything. I'll keep you posted on what I find out. Back to the reason that you are all here reading this blog, QUILTS!

Here is a customer that is determined to use every bit of her scrap pile! It just goes to show you that with the right pattern, everything looks great together!

This is the quilt back to show you how the different areas were quilted on this Thimbleberries 3's Company Quilt. This was a quilt that I did for my friend Karen that does pretty much all of my piecing on quilts at the shop. We trade our skills!

And this is the 3's Company quilt from the front.

And here is the quilt that I just finished this morning! A close up of the stipple.

ENJOY! Rachel

WOW HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG!

2010-03-10T19:54:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been over a month since my last post, but you will forgive me when you learn that I have had nothing but computer problems! My computer is currently at the repair place getting fixed up, and I am using a spare that my husband bought. So no pictures on this post, but I have been quilting and keeping busy. The shop is getting ready to go the Cleveland Sewing Expo where I will be demonstrating the Aunt Philly's toothbrush rug, as well as having a great time checking out all of the other vendors and getting new ideas to bring back to the shop!
Rachel

DESIGN WALL SUNDAY!

2010-02-07T12:07:00.003-05:00

It's not very often that I am actually sewing, but I thought that I would give you a sneak peak of the quilt that we are working on at the shop called Bloomin Steps by Scrap Therapy. I decided that I would use batiks for the blocks and black for the background. I am going for striking! Enjoy. Rachel

7TH QUILT OF 2010!

2010-02-01T06:15:00.005-05:00

This is a quick post to let you know that I am still here and quilting along! I have to get ready for work so this post will be short and sweet. Since I did free motion on this quilt I couldn't hold the camera and take a video like I have on the others, so here are just a couple of pictures. This customer worked long and hard on all of the baskets! This is what I call determination. The quilt is 85x100, so you know there was a lot of time put into making all the baskets and the pieced border which didn't make it into the picture because the quilt was so big! Enjoy! Rachel

6TH QUILT ON AND OFF THE FRAME!

2010-01-23T22:45:00.005-05:00

Here are some shots of the 6th quilt of 2010! No you are not seeing double. A couple of friends saw a pattern that they really liked and decided to make the exact same quilt. Here is a picture of it when I just put it on the frame.

And here is a picture of the quilt all finished!

The interesting thing about custom quilting is that this little quilt took me just as long to quilt as an queen size edge to edge design!

Enjoy. Rachel

5th QUILT OF 2010 ON THE FRAME!

2010-01-19T22:27:00.003-05:00

The 5th quilt of 2010 is on the frame. This is a custom quilt that I am combining the IQ and free motion quilting on. There are actually 2 of them that I have to do and this is the first. I am not sure what pattern this is or what magazine that it came from, but you can see on the first picture a copy from the magazine that I am using as a guide for the quilting. They each wanted it quilted exactly like the picture! It's a very cute scrappy little quilt. Enjoy! Rachel

4th QUILT OF 2010 ALMOST FINISHED!

2010-01-17T14:55:00.003-05:00

Today is Sunday and I am at home busily quilting the 4th quilt of the year! This is a big one-110x110! It is a Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt and I think that many of the fabrics are vintage.

She loves the little red haired doll and I think has been collecting some of these fabrics for a very long time.

I also got the 3rd customer quilt all finished and I thought it turned out really nice. Below are photos of the 3rd.

Enjoy! Rachel

3RD QUILT OF 2010 ON THE FRAME

2010-01-13T06:03:00.003-05:00

Just thought that I would drop a quick line to show you the 3rd customer quilt of 2010. It's a very pretty design, and the colors are lovely! Nice and springy, which is what we need here in Ohio since it is so darn cold. I don't think that I have felt my feet in weeks. I am just walking on ice stubs! Well enough of that, here is the picture of the quilt on the frame. Enjoy!

Rachel

2nd QUILT OF 2010 ALL DONE!

2010-01-10T14:08:00.003-05:00

Well here is a very cute and lovely little person quilt! This quilt was made by a customer at the shop for someone very special I am sure. I quilted it with the all over swirl pattern from http://www.quiltrecipes.com/. I hope to get another customer quilt on the frame today and start with the quilting. 2010 is off to a busy start! Make sure that you check out the little video segments that I am posting on the shop website at http://www.sew-little-time.com/. Enjoy! Rachel

Below is a close up shot of the quilting.

1st QUILT OF 2010!

2010-01-08T19:39:00.003-05:00

Ok, so here I am again with another customer quilt on the frame. This one should have been done before Christmas, but I got a little behind. It was not a gift or anything, so don't worry, I didn't miss a deadline. Just thought I would show you a little picture of the quilt. I have added a new area to the Sew Little Time website where I am going to record a little video of each customer quilt this year to entice people to bring me more quilts! You can check it out at http://www.sew-little-time.com/ and click on the link at the top of the page that says quilt videos. Enjoy! Rachel

A QUICKIE POST ON A NEW QUILT!

2010-01-04T06:05:00.003-05:00

Ok, so as many of you know, I can't keep a secret when it comes to a quilt! There are many other things that I can keep to myself, but not about a quilt. So here it goes...My friend Karen and I decided that in order to motivate ourselves after the holiday that we would have a little quilt challenge using some fabrics at the store that we both thought were adorable. Now we are each making a pattern up for our quilts, and when they are all finished we will hang them in the front window of the shop to entice people at how two totally different quilts can be made from the same fabric. So without further ado, here is the beginning center of my quilt. You'll have to ignore the star table runner hanging next to it and all of the junk hanging out of my desk since I was sitting at my desk taking the picture, but I think that you get the idea! No cheating Karen:)
Enjoy!

Rachel

BACK IN THE GROOVE! HAPPY 2010!

2010-01-01T08:26:00.006-05:00

Well I finally made it through the holidays and New Years, and now I am back in the quiltin' groove. Prior to the holiday season sneaking up on me, I had 2 American Hero Quilts that I needed to finish. I completed the first quilt that you can read about here and I had let the 2nd one go thinking that I would have plenty of time to finish it before last year! That of course did not happen, so here I am with the first quilt of 2010! Here's to alot more quilts in 2010!

Rachel

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END!

2009-12-13T16:03:00.005-05:00

Well here we are, 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. My husband just left to go Christmas shopping, and I just finished the last of the quilts for the day. I am pooped out! I am going to work on the binding for the Christmas Quilt and do some laundry, watch some TV and just relax. Tomorrow will be another fun-filled action packed day.

Rachel

SEE YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!

2009-12-13T12:55:00.003-05:00

The third quilt that I will have done in 1 1/2 days is currently on the frame and having the 2nd row quilted. If you don't believe that the Intelliquilter is like having a 2nd you, this is the proof! Three quilts in a matter of a day and half! If I was a sales person for Intelliquilter, I bet that I could sell a bunch of them just based on my last 3 posts alone. This machine can put out some serious quilting, and it can even give the time I need to finish putting on the bindings! Ok so here is the customer quilt that is on the frame right now. It is the pattern that I designed called Big Ten, and is available at my website if you are interested in the pattern. Very simple, uses 10 fat quarters and a couple of yards for the background fabric. You can make it completely scrappy and use fat quarters for the whole thing if you want! It's your quilt and that is the beauty of quilting. Here is a picture of the quilt...

Enjoy, Rachel

QUILTIN' ALONG AND IT'S NOT EVEN NOON YET!

2009-12-13T11:41:00.003-05:00

Ok, so as I continue to avoid the binding on the Christmas quilt, which by the way is due Wednesday, I thought I would show you the finished Secret quilt for Anna! Finished as far as the quilting. Do you think it would be rude to just sew the top part of the binding down and give it to her to finish the hand sewing part??!! Alright, you don't have to yell at me, of course I know that it would be, but she does like to do the hand sewing and tells me this all the time...Ok, Ok, I will do the whole thing, gosh the pressure of you people on this blog is unreal! :) So in between finishing the quilting on this quilt and continuing my ever continuing fight with the binding process, I have started to put a customer quilt on the frame. She wants it done by Christmas as well. I told her I might not be able to get it done by then, but since I am now avoiding all the bindings that have to be finished, might as well get this one on the frame and get it going! I mean only 11 days until Christmas, what the heck. My family doesn't need any gifts, right?! Actually I really don't know what to get anyone in my family for Christmas, since they just go and buy everything they want anyway, and they are the worst people to ask for a list, since they give the same list to everyone! How is that helping my cause? Ok so enough rambling, I must stay focused and get next quilt on the frame and quilted!

Here are some photos of the finished quilt. I was even more impressed with myself because she pieced the back and and I had to center it on the frame. It actually worked out! I am math challenged, so that is why I am so impressed with myself and getting it to come out even on the top and bottom! Ok I know I said enough rambling here are the pictures...

CHRISTMAS QUILT DONE, NEXT ONE ON THE FRAME

2009-12-12T21:50:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I got the Christmas quilt quilted and trimmed.

Now it just needs the binding and rather than do that, since we all know how much I hate binding, I am writing another post on my blog! I know not a very good use of my time, but that just goes to show how much I hate binding!! So I have the next quilt on the frame.

This one is for someone at the shop. Now for all the customers that read this blog, you have to keep this a secret. This quilt was probably made 2 years ago by Anna for herself, and it has been sitting under the counter just waiting to be finished. You never know what you will find under that counter, but I have been keeping my eye on it for about that long waiting to see what she would do. I wanted to do this for her last year, but ran out of time, so on Wednesday when the shop was closed, I snuck in and grabbed the quilt, the backing and the binding. I don't even think that she has noticed that it is gone at this point, but here it is at my house and now it is being quilted for her Christmas gift! I am using the swirls design that she has said that she likes, I just hope that I make it through without running out of thread. It is looking really good so far! Here are some pictures.

ENJOY!! Rachel

CHRISTMAS QUILT ON THE FRAME-OR THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

2009-12-12T17:49:00.004-05:00

Ok, so now there are only like what, 12 shopping days until Christmas, and I am severely under the gun to push out some serious quilts before then! In addition, my work Christmas party is this Wednesday, and since I have a ton of fabric at my disposal, as well as the ability, I usually make my secret Santa person a quilt. Of course I came up with this brilliant idea last week, and so I had to get busy making the top so that I could quilt it. Well it worked out that last night at the shop we had a Santa Sew In, which is kind of like a UFO retreat for the customers, but I was on a mission to get this quilt finished. It is very simple piecing of 5" squares that were left over from fabrics for the Scrap Therapy Club, alternated with a left over white fabric that we had. So now I have it on the frame and have to get it quilted, and bound before Wednesday. In addition I have to make chocolate covered pretzels, and 2 items for the potluck that we are having. Again, no pressure or anything. I really don't know why I do this to myself. In addition, another person at work ordered some towels from me for Christmas, and I am not sure when I am going to get those done. This is part of the problem with being a "pleaser" type person. The ability to say "no" rarely passes my lips which often times gets me into trouble with deadlines! I still have to Christmas shop for my family, and getting to a store in near impossible because I hate shopping so much. I wish I could find everything that I need online, but sometimes you just have to be able to look at it in person to make sure that it is the right item. Know what I mean?

Above is the picture of the quilt hanging on the frame and probably a more accurate picture of the the colors. The one below is of the first row stitching out, which the camera flash really lightened up.

Ok so now that I am rambling, my goal for the night is to get 2 quilts done that I really, really need to get done! Wish me luck and enjoy!

Rachel

DETROIT QUILT ALMOST FINISHED!

2009-12-06T13:13:00.004-05:00

This quilt is made pretty much from a graphic of the Detroit Tigers logo. I used EQ fabric paper along with a poster program that I have and printed out each part of the logo and then sewed them altogether. Added a border and quilted her up.

Now I have a question that I hope the quilt followers will help me with...Have you have used the EQ printable fabric and the EQ Cotton Lawn printable fabric? If so did you notice a big difference in the 2? Did the cotton lawn feel more like quilt shop fabric and less like photo fabric? What about the drape of the 2? I hope that you will take the time to give me some feedback if you have had any use of the 2 products. I would like to be able to offer these types of quilts to all of those hard to shop for sports fanatics!

All I have left to do is put the binding on and then this one is done! Enjoy!

The front and up close.

The back done in a navy flannel.

Rachel

ONLY 20 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-05T21:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, ok, so there are only 20 days until Christmas and not enough hours in a day to get it all done. I have to admit though that I have been procrastinating a little...I have had a bit of a cold and with the time change have not really adjusted to it getting dark at 4pm. I hate that it gets dark so early!!! Anyway I thought that I would share a picture of a customer quilt that I finished this evening. i should be working on another one instead of typing, but I am easily distracted! So I hope that your crafts are coming along better then mine and I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

The top picture is obviously one of the front of the quilt, and the one below is the back of the quilt. The quilt pattern is a ginkgo pattern by Tammy Finkler. Click on any picture for a larger view!

Rachel

JACOBS LADDER CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT

2009-12-01T21:39:00.006-05:00

I notice that a lot of people are always searching for a Christmas tree skirt. When they search for it, they often end up at my blog, but after looking at my own blog, I see that there is no picture of it or a way to purchase it anymore since I moved all of the patterns to my website at http://www.sewbehind.com/quilt_patterns.htm. So if you have been looking for a Christmas tree skirt that is nice and large and easy to make then check out the pattern at my website! Here is a picture of the quilted tree skirt just in case you don't make it to my website. Enjoy! And thanks for all of your support.

Rachel

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING AND HERE'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON!

2009-12-01T06:20:00.003-05:00

This post will be quick since I have to get ready for work, but wanted you all to know that I have survived Thanksgiving and am steadily plodding along on getting holiday gifts out! This is a picture of a quilt that I am making for a friend for her husband. It's the emblem for the Detroit baseball team. I just need to get the borders on it and get it quilted and bound! No rush or anything! Enjoy!

Rachel

FINALLY THE CONFETTI QUILT IS ALL DONE!

2009-11-10T22:05:00.004-05:00

Finally, the confetti quilt is all done! I have been toiling over the last border, and even picked out the whole thing as I was so unhappy with the alignment of the feathers, but I think I finally got it, and I once again learned a ton on the IQ. Hopefully you can see all of the different quilting. Enjoy the pictures.

Rachel