Dancing with Francis

**Follow me on instagram for daily posts of fun** I love when long time clients bring me projects that have been sitting in their closets, all finished, except the machine quilting. This lovely lady, Marcia, brought me this top that she did a few years ago. Recently she found it while moving to a new house and just had to have it finished! It is just beautiful, right?! Marcia wanted me to keep the quilting traditional. Many of you know that I love doing straight lines, so this was a challenge to keep it simple and traditional. Sometimes it isn't what you would put on the quilt, or what you prefer to quilt, but what your client wants. Because this quilt was traditional, it called for traditional quilting as well. I used Madeira's Monolon thread to outline the applique and go inside the applique as well. I love monofilament thread in projects like this because you can see the texture, not the thread, and it compliments the entire quilt. I also us...

When Sharon sends me her quilts it is like Christmas morning opening the box. I am always amazed at the beauty of them and the perfect piecing that accompanies them. It makes quilting a dream!  I have Sharon hooked on wool batting too from Quilters Dream Batting . It really is a dream to quilt with. The texture that is achieved makes the quilt just come alive! Here is a picture of some feather work. Mimi (my grandmother) recently showed me a video of Judi Madsen's that featured her doing some feather work. In her video she showed how to do these feathers and I decided to try them out. Turns out I loved the rhythm and the look that was created. Judi's design adds detail to the traditional feather look and creates something special. I am glad I could find a place to incorporate the feathers into this quilt.    In these rectangle sections I wanted something different than feathers because: a) this piece is going a different direction b) it is surrounded by purpl...