Challenge Quilt Done!

I belong to the Inland Northwest Machine Quilters - lovely group of ladies who love to quilt by machine!  We meet four times a year and have a guest teacher every year.  Most everyone has a longarm, many have computer systems on their longarms and all of them are incredibly talented!!  Every year we have a challenge where we buy the kit to make a quilted something - changes every year - and this year I actually pieced my little 25" square wall hanging and got it quilted in time to be in the challenge!!  The last week of quilting it was a bit of a challenge because I was suffering from vertigo for the very first time!!  Is it really hard to stand there and guide my longarm when everything is spinning and tilting!!  I really went out of my box with this quilting and it was so much fun!  I used Superior Threads' gold and cranberry metallic thread and So Fine on the top of the quilt, and Bottom Line in the bobbin.  I used a double layer of batting - cotton on the bottom and wool on the top.  I also used Lisa Calle's Quilter's Groove Pro Line 16 (found here) to do the match stick quilting on the edges.  I forgot to get a picture of the back - Kona solids light gray - but when I get it back from the WSQ Spokane Quilt show I get some pictures of it - looks so cool!

Of course, this is the only picture I took - while it was hanging up at our meeting!!  I'm sure you can enlarge the picture if you are interested in seeing the quilting more closely.  There were 11 of us who participated in this challenge who were hand-guided, and only one who was using a longarm with a computer - they were supposed to digitize their own patterns and I guess most of them didn't know how to do that (I am certainly clueless!!).  This is probably the worst job of binding that I have ever done - it would not stop swirling with the room!!!  We will find out who wins the ribbon at the WSQ Spokane Quilt show October 17.  This is only voted on by the INMQ members.  It was fun to stretch myself and do something totally different.  I usually base my quilting on the blocks, and while I did use them for determining where the star points would go, I pretty much ignored what I was quilting on!!  When it comes home from the show, it will hang in my living room - my first wall hanging in my house!!!

Rush Hour in the Blogs!

Have you noticed all the great quilty things our fellow bloggers have been creating in the Rush Hour Blog Hop?  You know that Mdm Samm of sewwequilt is the mastermind of this blog hop and Carol who blogs at justletmequilt is the head Cheerleader.  If you haven't been hopping, head on over to their blogs and prepare to be blown away!  So impressive!!  I was inspired to make a red, black and gray quilt...not quilted yet, but the top is finished!!  I'm not a part of the hop, but I thought I would throw my red, black and gray quilt top in there!

It quite reminds me of the crazy streets in big cities.  This pattern is from the book Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe, called Knots and is designed by Natalia Bonner.  I love it and can't wait to get it on the frame and quilt it!!!

Free BOM

Jacquelynne Steves is doing a free BOM called Sew Sweet Simplicity.  Did I mention free???  Oh yes, not a penny is she asking for her adorable design!  You can find it here.  Her blocks can be just pieced, machine appliqued or hand embroidered - something for everyone!!!  Check it out and see if you would like to go on this FREE trip with Jacquelynne!!!

you can just piece them

*OR you can applique them (hand or machine- I did machine applique)

*OR you can do simple hand embroidery

- See more at: http://jacquelynnesteves.com/sewing-quilting/sew-sweet-simplicity-free-block-of-the-month/?utm_source=The+Art+of+Home+E-Magazine&utm_campaign=ebe859484c-Blog_Update_9_11_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7301cf290-ebe859484c-339051405#sthash.3RhivTLm.dpuf

you can just piece them

*OR you can applique them (hand or machine- I did machine applique)

*OR you can do simple hand embroidery

- See more at: http://jacquelynnesteves.com/sewing-quilting/sew-sweet-simplicity-free-block-of-the-month/?utm_source=The+Art+of+Home+E-Magazine&utm_campaign=ebe859484c-Blog_Update_9_11_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7301cf290-ebe859484c-339051405#sthash.3RhivTLm.dpuf

http://jacquelynnesteves.com/sew-sweet-simplicity-free-block-of-the-month/#sthash.3RhivTLm.dpuf

Sew Sweet Simplicityhttp://jacquelynnesteves.com/sew-sweet-simplicity-free-block-of-the-month/#sthash.3RhivTLm.dpufSew Sweet Simplicity