Five Cheater Quilts

[Heidi]

Let me tell you, steroids may have played heck with my waistline but they are fabulous for my quilt production!

I have made these five quilts in the last two weeks. The 1st baby quilt was professionally quilted, the other two children's quilts I quilted myself. The two horse quilt tops and the butterfly quilt top I made in four evenings this past week.

I call these 'cheater' quilts because they are made from pre-printed panels. The butterfly one was a kit from a catalog and I used their squares as the focus for this nap quilt. It will take a while before the larger ones get quilted. I will be sending them out for long-arm quilting and will need to do one/month as the money is available. I'm not sure I can wait that long to be able to send them to who they need to go to!
Patience is not one of my virtues...
Heidi

A panel I cut down and used two of...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/78SilvAnniv/quilts/Kayb.jpg
Same panel theme, but in pillow size squares. This quilt is 100" long, it is for friends who are both over 6' tall...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/78SilvAnniv/quilts/Coreycnda.jpg
For a friend due in May. I found a wonderful border print and I mitered the corners for this quilt...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/78SilvAnniv/quilts/klaAnsleya.jpg
Same fabric panel as above but I made for brother/sister using blue and pink squares in the corners and for flannel backing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/78SilvAnniv/quilts/klgboth.jpg
Butterfly quilt for me. I have enough to make two more for some friends...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/78SilvAnniv/quilts/Butterflya.jpg

[CarolU]

I call all mine "cheater quilts" too. I buy them already made! ;-)

Beautiful work Heidi! That's amazing!

[appyday]

I call all mine "cheater quilts" too. I buy them already made! ;-)

Beautiful work Heidi! That's amazing!


:shock:

[Linda Y]

Just beautiful! I wish I had that patience.

[CarolU]

I call all mine "cheater quilts" too. I buy them already made! ;-)

Beautiful work Heidi! That's amazing!


:shock:

Why are you shocked????

I'm known to hem pants with a stapler, and mend with duct tape. I am hopeless when it comes to sewing! Since Walmart started selling fabric glue I'm almost a seemstress! ;-) (I got D's in the sewing part of HomeEc.)

But, being so thread-challenged, I can appreciate beautiful work like Heidi's. Amazing that anyone has that kind of patience!

[appyday]

They are beautiful but as she said they are cheater quilts....you could do one..I did some nice quilts then did a cat quilt that was KILLER...never made another..

[Terry Wallace]

I've got one in the works....it is paso Fino stallions with Capuchino in the center with other Fino stallions bordering....

Quilts take so darn much time... drawing the horses... cutting them from fabric....embroidering manes & tails..... I'll probably NEVER get it done!

For me..it is a labor of ART.... a heart & soul kind of thing..... I work on it, lose interest, put it away and get it out "some other time" ...its a vicious circle with me & quilts!!!

I love the butterfly one...are the butterflies embroidered? I cannot tell...

[lalecl]

Heidi........ I hope your my secret santa this year. i love the horse quilt.. I would love to find just the right Indian squares for one. I love the indian maidens and horses.

Just a thought

[Carol Nelson]

Heidi, those are absolutely gorgeous!!! You are very talented!! :D

[Heidi]

Like Appy said, they are cheater quilts... :D they go together quickly because they are already a panel that does not require intricate (time-consuming) construction, usually just add borders to make it large enough to nap under and be useable.

The butterflies came a dozen on a pre-printed panel. I cut the squares apart and treated them as a "quilt block". They are not embroidered.

Like Terry, I like making quilts for the artistic experience. The panel (cheater) quilts are just to get a quilt made quickly and be able to send it out to a friend. I have an idea for an applique horses quilt, it (only one) would be made for me, since I DESTEST doing applique.
Appy, do you have a pic of the kitty quilt?
How do you do your applique, Terry? Iron on? Needle turn?
h

[Terry Wallace]

Depends on the size of it Heidi... usually I pin it and sew it...tack it down by hand so I can run a zig-zag around it once it is secured... have also ironed with a double-sided sticky pelon like cloth, have also used a spray applique adhesive which is ironed and have started gluing the small ones... Glue on day one, sew around on day two....after it dries.

If it is horse's legs....I usually just draw the horse on the fabric, sew around the legs in a straight stitch to secure it, and THEN cut away the excess cloth...I don't try to apply legs already cut out...they distort too easy... too hard to pin, to hard to keep the material flat.

I sew the straight stitch right on my drawing line, and depending on how intricate the design is.... like around hooves & fetlocks...I use a tiny pair of manicure curved scissors to cut out the excess cloth... Cutting cloth out behind a fetlock can be a little tuff!

[Heidi]

Great. Googley. Moogley.
I may have to re-think trying a horse applique after reading about your technique. :shock: I thought it would be easier...
I'm all about 'easy'...
h

[appyday]

I cant do the applique...I like faster stuff..like irish chains double chains etc....applique is too time consuming..I like instant gratification..

[CarolU]

Are you all speaking English?? :shock:

[Terry Wallace]

I like realistic detail... so it takes me forever...but I have to really like the finished project...or I'd never finish it!

I much prefer sculpting or painting to sewing...that is more of "instant gratification" for me! If it takes me less than two weeks to complete a project...that would be "instant" enough for me! :D

[Heidi]

...I like faster stuff...like irish chains....
...I like instant gratification..
Oh yeah, Appy is speaking MY language!
Speed piecing and simple patterns that let the fabric sing...

[Terry Wallace]

Ever do any strip quilts Heidi? Those are awesome when colors are used
to the "best advantage".....fairly easy too....

[Heidi]

LOL.... Hahahaha... I think almost all of my quilts are strip quilts! Though I think perhaps you and I are thinking of different things?

To me, a strip quilt is one that is constructed by sewing strips of fabric together and cutting them apart to re-sew together in a fast, efficient manner.
I strip piece Irish Chain, Split Rail, Berry Patch, Sashes/Squares and everything else I can think of, but those are my favorite patterns.

My favorite thing about using color, is to find a 'focus' fabric. One that calls out for attention, or has gold in it, and use coordinating fabrics around the focus fabric to make it all "pop".