Raining Cats and Dogs Quilt

Yey!  I'm finally done with my Raining Cats and Dogs quilt.  This pattern is from Bunny Hill Designs and I started this applique project around December of 2011 and finished it last Sunday.  I re-named this quilt "My Fluffy, Furry Friends".  

Quilting the individual blocks were a bit of a challenge because I got bored making loops and stars and loops and leaves.  I really need to expand my free motion quilting repertoire.

My friend Jennifer does great feathers (freemotion) but I am not at that level yet.  I did a modified feather in the inner border and I am quite happy with it.  It is almost like making half a heart on each side and just alternating it.  

I also blocked this quilt so I don't understand why there is a slight wave on the bottom border.  If anyone has a tip or advice to share for getting quilts to hang nice and straight, please let me know.

The quilt doesn't really photograph very well because the colors are so muted but maybe it is my camera and photography skills.

So far, I have completed 3 of Bunny Hill's applique patterns and I have 2 or 3 other patterns I'd like to make.

I don't own any pets but I wouldn't mind getting a little dog.  Something like this...

  

or one of these...

(all dog photos from the internet)

but I'm gonna have to lock up my shoes.

Applique Quilts to Show and Tell

Fall has arrived in Southern California.  It was raining pretty hard this morning and the temperature is in the 50s.  Here is the fall display at Piecemakers.  I dropped by the store during my lunch hour a couple weeks ago to get some Steam a Seam and they were having a pictorial at the store.  There were some people from Patchwork Tsushin magazine and the store will be featured in a future edition.  Hmm, doesn't it sound like a fun job to travel the world visiting quilt stores to feature in a magazine?

Last week, my friend Jennifer showed me a quilt which her friendship group made for one of their members who is celebrating a birthday. Her friend wants a tropical themed quilt and each member made some blocks for this quilt. Jennifer designed the quilt setting and appliqued all the flowers.

Don't you just love the colors of this quilt?  The entire quilt is made of Batik fabrics and some of the pieces were tropical prints, as well.

Jennifer did the quilting herself on her domestic sewing machine.  Now, this is a large quilt.  I would guess the size is about 70 x 70 so for Jennifer to do intricate quilting, including feathers, on this quilt is amazing.  Check out some of the quilting details.

Jennifer is not only a talented quilter, she is also known for her applique work.  In fact, she is teaching a class at Sewing Party starting this month and here's block one of the project.

This block of the month project is called Raining Cats and Dogs and it is designed by Bunny Hill Designs.  You can check out what the entire project will look like on Bunny Hills' website.  The program will meet once a month and Jennifer will teach her method of doing needle turn applique.  Kits will be available and the fabrics are from Moda's Etchings and Puttin on the Ritz line.  The color range is in light pink, grey, blue and creme. 

In fact, today I spent the day making kits for this project.  Here is a preview of some of the fabrics.  It is going to be fabulous!

Don't miss the chance to take Jennifer's class.  Here she is with her beautiful tropical quilt.

I also worked on an applique block this past week.  This flower cart has 45 pieces.  This project is from a quilt pattern called "Mon Ami".  The quilt is designed by Verna Mosquera and I took her applique retreat last October in Danville.  There are 22 blocks total and I am down to the last 3.  I can't wait to finish this quilt.