Welcome to my corner of the world.  When I signed off last Wednesday I had a long list of projects on my to-do-list.  I always have BIG ideas and high expectations on what I would like to accomplish.  The unfortunate reality is there are never enough minutes in the day.  If only I could add in a few more, perhaps then I would be happier with my progress.

Even though last week’s plan of attack did not bear much fruit I am very pleased to say I successfully completed a contract quilting project.  The quilt was made by my youngest daughter’s mother-in-law.  Perhaps you remember the photo I shared last week.  Any time I quilt a project I like to take my time pondering the endless stitch pattern possibilities.  Often I even draw mock-up pictures of the quilt just so I can test drive my ideas.  This sweet little quilt was no exception.

This quilt provided several challenges.  The first was its small size.  The span between the rollers on my long arm quilt machine is 26 inches.  The quilt measured 23.  The second challenge was the missing corners.  I’m certain the pattern directions told the quilter to cut them off.  Unfortunately having the corners missing meant attaching the quilt to the long arm rollers would be more difficult.  The third and final challenge was the undersized backing fabric.  At the very least, quilts that are destined for a long arm quilt machine must have three inches of extra fabric on all four sides.  The additional fabric is needed for attaching it to the machine rollers as well as space for the side tension clamps.

None of the hurdles were insurmountable obstacles.  I found workable solutions for all three.  To solve the undersized quilt top and backing fabric as well as the missing corners I added strips of unbleached muslin.  You can see here the added fabric corners.

The added fabric made it very easy to position the quilt.  I was very pleased with the ease in which I adapted the quilt.  Once I had everything situated it was smooth sailing.

Here’s a photo of the quilt loaded and ready for quilting

Here’s a photo of the center Prairie Points

The borders were quilted with a loop-d-loop pattern

I had so much fun adding these swirls

Here’s the final project

I delivered the quilt to my daughter’s house on Monday.  My daughter called later that evening to say how pleased she was with the outcome.  Now I can’t wait to hear what her mother-in-law thinks.

Next in line was my oldest daughter’s Still Life with Crows  (which is her very own creation, I might add).  This is by far the easiest quilting project I have ever had.  My daughter likes to think outside the box, in more ways than one.  Her quilt is a prime example.  When mainstream quilters are precisely cutting and piecing quilt tops together my daughter is exploring applique and creating a quilt with far less work yet plenty of impact.  Her request for quilting was just as unique as her art work.  The only specifications given were a request for randomly spaced wavy lines.  Pictured here is my progress so far.

Thanks for stopping by.  Come on back next week to see the final project as well as updates on other quilts.  Have a wonderful day!

I’m linking up with Freshly Pieced.