Bloggers Quilt Festival

I am always hesitant and excited to post for Bloggers Quilt Festival.  I think it is a great resource for quilters (and others) for inspiration, community and connection, yet I am always a bit nervous to post on such a large stage for whatever reasons.  I am always glad I entered, and I always meet some new people, so there really is no down side.  All in all, my great thanks to Amy for hosting.

My entry this season is in the applique category, and it is my Grandmother's Flower Pots.

I really enjoyed watching all the pieces of this quilt come together, from the cute hexie flowers, the HST sashing, and the corner blocks. What I like best though is the quilting.

I love before and after quilting shots.

 Teeny little circles in each flower.

And one final shot of the back

This quilt is large, measuring 81"X 104" and I found the pattern in a Fons and Porter Favorite Scrap Quilts Magazine.  I do not have the year, but I have been working on this quilt for three years for sure.  It was a long time carry along, and then a UFO, and now it is in Bloggers Quilt Festival.

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate the company and any comments.

Esther

Photo Finish

This quilt is so full of photos and memories, it gave me lots of things to think about while I was quilting it.  I would see the graduation picture, or the little league, weddings and birthdays, and think of my own family and all that we do with each other to honor and remember special events.  

This quilt is also huge.  One side is dedicated to my clients mother, the other side to her father, and children and grandchildren fill the center of the quilt.  There was a lot of space to fill, and a lot of photos to highlight.

This is almost the whole quilt, but a good portion of the top is rolled over the hanging rod.  

The photos were printed in groups, and sometimes there was space that needed to be quilted on the photo page.  I stitched around each photo to frame it, and if there was extra space I put straight lines to fill it in. 

 In the background I did swirls.  Lots of swirls.

 Around the outer border I did feathers.

I did whatever this is called, square filler or meandering squares, or something, in the brown sashing.  It was fun to do, and I like the contrast with the swirls.

I enjoyed spending time with this quilt and this family that I only know through their photos.  Thanks for joining me.

Esther

Annual Harvest Party

Such fun!  We had our annual Harvest Party today.  Instead of carving and scooping, we paint and decorate our pumpkins.  

All set up, now all we need are children

 Pom poms are the perfect accessory for a pumpkin don't you think?

 Ethan loves his glue and glitter

 Serious decorating going on here

Sophie thought we said "Punkin" painting

Joey made pumpkin pi

Shay looks like an artist with his brush and hat.

Then we had our pomegranate hunt.  

Kids getting coaching, with bags ready to find those pomegranates.

 Pomegranates on the ground,

and in trees.  Lots of pomegranates.

Posing with their stash.

It was a very fun day!

Thanks for joining us in our celebration of fall.

Esther

Susie's Flower Baskets

This cute Flower Basket quilt was fun to work on.

 Susie does such a nice job of piecing.  Originally I was going to do the same design in each basket, but that idea changed quickly, and I mixed it up.  I like the variation it added. 

 I love the swirls on this basket, and all I did was follow the design in the fabric,

 This shows the accent I put into the outer border.  I was inspired by this quilt made by The Quilted Pineapple.

I seem to get the best photos when the quilt is on my frame, that is why most of them are sideways.  Anyway, you get the idea of the quilting and texture whichever way they sit.

I am feeling more caught up lately, which is a good feeling.  Isn't it always about balance?

And these last two pictures that shows other parts of my days,

Little Micah sorting a pack of Charm Squares

And I made two of these darling dresses.  I call the bottom ruffle the "one hour ruffle"  Seriously this ruffle took me an hour to put on, and I like to think that I know what I am doing when it comes to sewing.  This little dress is very full, and it is a long way around, but an hour?  And, because I am making two of them, yep, another hour for that one as well.

I can hardly wait to see the girls in these dresses!

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!

Esther

Karen's Quilt

Here is Karen's wall hanging.

This is a look at the whole quilt. I loved the stars and subtle colors in this design, and here are pictures to show you how I quilted it.  Be patient though, photography is not my gift, the batting was thin, and the lighting was poor.  With my disclaimer posted, here are my photos.

Interlocking circles unite the stars and center of the quilt.  I think the circles define and the four star blocks, and at the same time brings them all together.

Feathers in the border, that fit under the brown pieced blocks.  I wanted the blocks to appear to be floating on top of the feathers.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your company.

Esther