Icebox Quilts

I was recently contacted by a friend who came across an unfinished quilt her mother had started, but was not able to complete before she passed away. My friend asked if I knew of somewhere to donate this. I told her I am actively involved in the work of Firehouse Quilts of Colorado, a 501(c)(3) organization, and I would be happy to complete the quilt and donate it to them. (See  Firehouse Quilts  for more on their amazing work.) She dropped off a quilt with 6 tumbling blocks hand sewn to background squares. Her mom had started to hand quilt a few inches of the center, but I could see the background fabric was not as large as the quilt top and the batting just barely fit. I was able to find some similar fabric to extend the back and load this 20+-year-old project onto my longarm to add an allowver swirly quilting pattern. The result was beautiful, and I could feel the love her mother poured into this quilt. I knew I couldn't just give it away.   My friend saw the pict...

I realized it has been a hot minute since I posted anything on my blog. I haven't slowed down quilting (or traveling), just blogging. As my little quilt business starts to pick up, I am getting more and more requests from scammers for quilts. At first the inquiry would get me excited, and I would engage with the conversation. Then it would always end when they wanted Zelle or CashApp information. I still try to be polite in case I ever get a "real" request from a potential customer, but I have figured out how to more quickly get to the point and let them know I am not giving out my financial information. This quilt did NOT involve a scammer. It was a request from a friend who ultimately could not purchase the final product. So I listed it for sale on Etsy and also posted a picture on my personal social media. An old college friend contacted me, and it was sold immediately.  Not my usual color palette, and way beyond anything I would have come up with. But it got a lot of ...

 This special quilt was made for a 30+ year friend for the wedding of her son and his new wife. She sent me a picture of the quilt she found online, and I was able to find the Mountainview pattern by Coach House Designs. Unfortunately, the pattern was for a much smaller quilt than the queen size of their bed. So I used the pattern as a guide, and I pulled out my quilt math skills to upsize each block and add a ribbon border to get the desired size. I used an edge to edge design called Blizzard Swirl by Prostitcher to look like the mountain wind.  I love the challenge of a bit of quilt math and taking a customer's idea to completion. It is fun to create outside my usual style.  

 As if learning my longarm software, improving my longarm free-motion and ruler skills, opening my Etsy shop and selling custom quilts wasn't enough, I am closer to realizing my dream of writing/sharing/selling my patterns. My dear husband gently nudges all of my dreams forward with his unending support. This year he gave me EQ8 software and is encouraging me to take as many classes as I need to create exactly what I want. Magically, a quilt designer that I have followed and admired for years is hosting a series on pattern writing starting in January!  I am going to eagerly soak up all the information I can and make pattern writing a 2026 goal!

I didn't know that when I started selling my quilts on  Etsy that I would be getting so many requests for custom orders. So far it has been fun to take other people's ideas and create a quilt they will love. It is requiring me to stretch my design skills and my longarm skills too.  This king-size quilt was completed this week, and I used every inch of my longarm! She gave me a little direction; wildflowers and butterflies. I pulled a fat quarter collection from my stash, and she liked some of the color palate. Along with a picture from her bedroom, I went to work gathering more fabric and designing. I think it came out great, and I especially loved incorporating more butterflies into the quilting. Thank you for your ideas and trusting me with the rest!

. . .. . and starting new ones!  Having a longarm is a game changer. This old quilt top has been ready for quilting for about six years. I even started it on my regular machine, but wasn't happy with the results so I stopped. It was easy to take out the minimal stitching I started and complete it in an afternoon on the longarm. Now this cheerful quilt is on the  Etsy shop  and making me happy in the meantime. Quilt pattern is "Just for Fun" by Melissa Mortenson. I am also working on my first comissioned quilt for a customer who found me on social media and purchased one of my quilts. It's a large king-size quilt, but I LOVE the color palette she chose, and the 16-inch blocks are coming together. I hope your finished projects give you license to start something new. I find it is a balance between wanting to clear out the old, but still be inspired to create by starting something new.