My Heidi

This is my first complete project to be quilted on my brand new Bernina Q20 longarm machine!

After much deliberation this year I bought myself a Bernina Q20 longarm machine and studio frame (with an extension ready for when I want to go big!) instead of taking a planned trip to Europe this year for my 50th birthday, which I had spent a few years saving up for. 

You can read about it's arrival here!

 I started with using the straight ruler to make the triangles in the white squares, and then used the curved ruler to create the loopy 'cross' inside the blue and purple plus blocks - being my first project with the Q20, it's all a bit wonky but I'm quite happy with how it improved as I went along!

I also decided to free-motion the side-to-side lines inside some of the triangles.

This photo shows up the quilting really well...I alternated the direction of the triangles on each row, so some are 'up' and some are 'down'.

The pattern for this lap quilt was based on a Quilty Love pattern 'Simple Plus quilt', and I made it a square quilt of 45"sq, which was just the right size to fit on the studio frame for my Q20.

The top was made with leftovers from this Irish Chain quilt, and from the leftover vintage cotton sheet that I had used for that project as well.

The backing is from stash fabric and leftovers.

As my Q20 is nicknamed Heidi, it also felt like the best name for this quilt, which I will be keeping for myself. And of course, a polka dot binding to set it all off.

Here are some shots from when I was doing the quilting:

It is so cool to have the quilt all stretched out, and the movement all takes place with the needle/machine, rather than wrestling the quilt through the space and trying to keep it flat and taut while sewing.

With the studio frame only being 5 feet wide, I can tell it won't be long until I am asking Jenny and Pauline to come back and add on the extension so I can do wider quilts!

Now, I must get away to the sewing room and whip up some more quilt tops so I can quilt them on Heidi! Our school summer holidays have just started, so that will give me tonnes of free time in my happy place...

With Hugs and Kisses

 

Oops, I didn't record where I got the pattern from for this, sorry; if anyone recognises it, let me know! I think it might be from Make Modern (e-magazine) and I will jump onto their website index later and update this post if I find that to be the case.

This quilt measures 55" square and was a very belated wedding gift for my cousin's son and daughter in law, Reece and Charlotte McGowan, who married in April 2021.

This photo below shows the colours as more true (the photo above is a bit dark as was in the shadow); I have not had much luck this year with getting 'good' photo days.

I used a fat quarter pack that I'd had for quite a while, from Moda, but I also don't have the details of that (my record keeping for this quilt project was seriously lacking!)

I used leftovers to piece together the backing, and a polka dot print for the binding.

New Chapter

 

This lap quilt was made with some orphan blocks I had, along with other yardage fabrics from my stash for the sashing and borders.

It measures 46" square and I used some simple straight line echo quilting in the sashing and borders, with some loopy motifs in the corners of the blocks, using my domestic Elna 200.

The backing was also made using stash fabrics and leftover blocks.

I called it New Chapter as I created it while listening to an audio book where the reader would say 'new chapter' each time.

Lily's Irish Family Chain

I only finished this quilt a couple of days before taking it to Hawkes' Bay to gift it to our great-niece, Lily, (top picture), and the weather was also not very nice up there for photos, so did not get any decent photos of the quilt.

Lily had asked for blues and purples; I raided my stash for those.

For the white solid I used a vintage white Egyptian cotton sheet from a single bed set that had been in my mum's glory box when we cleaned out her house in 2021; the single sheets were called ' the Finlay sheet' and made in Scotland by James Finlay and Co - I will get a photo of the label and add it here later.

I used the Irish chain pattern (from the Jenny Doan MSQ tutorial) and for the quilting I used my domestic Elna 200 to free-motion a stipple and large double flowers randomly all over the quilt (you can see one of the flowers here below, as well as the blue multi-floral print that I used for the backing, and the navy print binding.)

This is how the quilt top looked on the design wall before I took it down for quilting.

Finished quilt measured 66" x 76"

While in Hawkes' Bay I also gifted a quilt to one of Lily's sisters, Laura Joy (bottom part of the picture at the top of this post) - 'Springtime Mosaic' - one of my Meadow Mist mystery quiltalong quilts from 2019-2020. 

In My Sweet Little Garden

 

Not great pictures, sorry, as I didn't get any time or nice weather between making it and gifting this!

This is actually an 'Abbie's Garden' quilt panel (measures 35" x 42") by Sue Daley Designs with Gabrielle Nfil for Riley Blake Design - I bought it online from the Sue Daley 'Busyfingers' website about 18 months ago as I absolutely loved it.

Such cute images! I stippled around the 'Abbies', and used straight lines elsewhere.

This was a baby shower gift for my cousin's son and daughter in law, who knew they were having a wee girl and asked for dusky pinks; their sweet baby, Addison Burgess, arrived safely in October.

The backing is a polka dot flannel, perfect for snuggling in Southland winters!

And who can resist a polka dot binding?!

I'm a Homebody

Another finish from earlier this year - using leftover blocks from this 2021 quilt.

It uses the lovely fabrics from Maureen Cracknell's 'Homebody' range; measures 45" x 47".

I did some simple orange peel motifs in the HST blocks, and loopy side to sides in the sashing, using my domestic Elna 200.

The backing is a lovely rabbit print that was in my stash.

At the moment the quilt is laid out flat in the pile on the spare bed while it waits for the right owner.

Fancy Flight

 

This is another catch-up from earlier in the year...it measures 48" x 49".

I used the leftovers from this 2021 quilt.

I love all the cute pictures and tried to fussy cut them so they could feature.

Some simple straight line quilting for the strips and squares (using my domestic Elna 200)...

...then some stippling in the print feature blocks...

...and some ribbons in the sashings...

More leftovers, and a stash gingham, for the backing...

No home for this one yet - the right recipient will turn up, I'm sure!