Friday, May 8, 2020

T-shirt Quilts

As this quarantine continues I have a few more closets that I’ve cleaned out!
How about you?  Do you have some favorite t-shirts you really don’t want to part with?
T-shirt quilts are a perfect way to turn those shirts into something that will be loved for years to come.  Below are a few pictures of t-shirt quilts I have made for customers.
If you are interested in finding out more you can contact me at 


Friday, April 17, 2020

Nana’s chair

I don’t know about you but this quarantine has allowed me to get a lot of customer quilts done and finish up some of my own projects.  I have a chair that belonged to my grandmother that I have been wanting to paint and reupholster for several years.  I finally did it and am so happy with how it turned out.  I wasn’t able to go out and buy upholstery fabric so I made my own using a 100% cotton top, a layer of batting and a muslin backing.  Then I quilted it up on my longarm.  It worked perfectly! 
I used the BBFrosch chalk paint powder mixed with a little navy Behr paint I had on hand.  No sanding or stripping necessary.  Sealed it with the BBFrosch clear wax.



I do hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy!  

Sunday, October 27, 2019


Hearts ‘n’ Hands Quilt Quilt Show 2019

The month of June took me back to Southern Illinois where we lived for 
13 years prior to moving to Idaho in 2017.
I was invited to be the featured quilter at the Hearts ‘n’ Hands Quilt Show.
It was an honor and a privilege to be in the midst of so many talented quilters!
I pulled together a display of quilts that I have machine quilted for customers and many of my own creations.  Below are some pictures of that display followed by pictures of 
customer’s quilts that were on display at the show.




It’s always a treat to see quilts that I have quilted hanging in a show.  
When they leave my studio they are “rough” around the edges and ready to be bound.  
The binding on a quilt is like the frame around a beautiful piece of art.  
Sometimes it blends in with the artwork and sometimes it makes a bold statement.
It is the final touch!

Joan’s “Over the River and Through the Woods” quilt.
Hand embroidery and piecing is always a great combination.

Bev pieced this “To the Moon and Back” quilt for her first grandbaby.

Diane’s applique quilt “Tulips For Sarah” was given an 
Award of Merit by a nationally certified judge.
This is a beautiful quilt that I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work on.


“Champagne Hangover” was pieced by Bev.  This is a stunning quilt that was accepted into two AQS juried shows this fall.  It will be shown in the Paducah Fall show and Charleston, South Carolina.
Her attention to detail, beautiful piecing and applique shine in this quilt! 


 Debbie’s “Desert Sky” quilt from a Judy Niemeyer pattern.
The batik fabric gives it lots of dimension.

Joan’s husband served in the military and her “Oh the Places We Went” 
quilt shows all of the places they lived.

“Lucky Ladybugs” was pieced by Pat and is a fun little table topper to quilt!

It’s hard to tell in these pictures but the hand embroidery in these next two quilts is amazing!
Laura does beautiful handwork with  “Colonial Designs in Blue”.


After seeing “Ruby’s Roly Poly” hanging in the show and reading a judges comments 
Laura decided she wanted more quilting in the circles.  
Crosshatching was the perfect choice to finish it off.



Katie’s “Ruby Goes Green” sampler in every shade of green is a beauty!

Leslie’s “Joyful Window-Sunglow” (top) and 
“Joyful Window-Heavenly Sky” (below).
It’s always fun to see a quilt in different color ways.

“Star Dust” by Leslie is beautiful done up in batiks.

“A Simple Mess” was pieced by Bev.  
She wanted more loft so I quilted this with two layers of batting that 
really added a lot of texture.  There is a lot of quilting but it isn’t real dense.


Jean does beautiful machine embroidered applique and doesn’t miss the 
chance to add those extra special touches like the appliqued leaves around 
the borders in her “Colorado Journey” quilt.

Midge’s “French Roses” is a raw edge applique quilt that is so fun 
with it’s bright colors and whimsical feel.

Heather’s “Art Nouveau” is a beauty!  She asked me to quilt the borders to look like cathedral windows.  Inspired by Linda Hrcka of The Quilted Pineapple I was able to fill that request.
Heather’s quilt was accepted into the 2019 Spring Paducah quilt show.  
Quite an honor for her and well deserved.

Karen’s “Forever Spring” quilt is needle turned applique at it’s best!
She is a master and the embroidery embellishment was perfect.  Take a look at the spring 
on the pruners and the lace edge of the glove.  Amazing!

“Fat Quarter Scraps” pieced by Bev is a beautiful folk art quilt.
I love the applique border!  

Marsha’s “Shoo Fly Red & Black”.  
I love the contrast of read and black in this quilt!.

Katie pieced “Cute as a Bunny” for her granddaughter.  
What little girl wouldn’t love this precious quilt?

Who doesn’t love a scrappy quilt?
“Happily Scrappily Irish” pieced by Pat is the perfect pattern to use up
those bits of fabric we can’t  bear to part with.
Jean’s “Prairie Garden” was the third 2018 
Twisted Mystery quilt that I had the opportunity to quilt.
Each was done in different colors which gave them their own personality.

Edie’s “Twisted Mystery 2017”.  
Isn’t it fun to see the same pattern stitched up in different colors?

“Ursuline’s Memories” was pieced by Midge. 
T-shirt quilts are such wonderful gifts.

“Pam and Joan’s Block Exchange” pieced by Joan is another great scrappy quilt.
I do believe these blocks were three and a half inches square.  That’s a lot of blocks!

Midge participated in a guild block of the month and created “Compass Rose”


“Blue Ridge Beauty” pieced by Pat.  
I love her use and placement of dark and light fabric in this quilt.


This show always has a very nice Bed Turning of Antique quilts.  In the past a make shift bed is assembled with the quilts piled high on top.  The quilts would then be peeled off one by one as a story was told about each.  This year Harl, a guild member,  went all out setting up this “room” with a truckload of antique furniture from his home.  He recruited other guild members to 
dress up in period clothing and from what I hear, put on a wonderful bed turning.  
Unfortunately I missed it since I was busy at my display.

This is just a sampling of the more than 200 quilts displayed at the show.  
 I am grateful for the association I have had for the past 12 years 
with the members of the Hearts ‘n’ Hands Quilt Guild.  





Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Under Construction


Following our recent move to Idaho, our boxes are unpacked and my machines are up and running.  
I wanted to share with you what I've been working on.  
Several customer quilts were in the Hearts and Hands quilt show this past June
in O'Fallon, Illinois. 
Here are just a few...

Teresa pieced together this Twisted Mystery quilt that was designed by
Linda Lee Hodges.  It's a beauty!




Chris hand embroidered a very sweet baby quilt.



Katie's block-of-the-month appliqué quilt is beautiful.


Another guild block-of-the-month by Pat.
It was so much fun to see such variety.



I will be sharing more soon, including pictures of my studio in our new home.

Happy quilting!