Check out how the variegated thread adds so much color and interest to the charcoal background. The quilting pattern is full of fall leaves and acorns and is a splendid choice to complement the pieced design of the quilt. What a cozy autumn quilt.
There is just something about a scrap quilt that clinches the idea of making a quilt. And to have one that is scrappy on both the front and the back takes it to a new level of scrappy! I quilted a whimsical curl that breaks up both the horizontal lines of the back and the diagonal lines from the front. Delightful!
While I knew that most of the quilting would be muted on the front, I decided to make sure it showed on the backing by using a contrasting thread. The result adds a terrific design element to an otherwise plain backing for a quilt project that is magnificent.
Sweet roses grace this antique quilt. This was a set of blocks found in an attic that was transformed into a charming quilt top. Add a solid back to show off the quilting and you have a finished project that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Look closely and you will see llamas in the fabrics and in the quilting! Add some cactus and you have a pickly llama!
Out of six customer quilts that were entered into the State Fair this year, five won ribbons including Best of Show! I am thrilled and so proud of our collaborative efforts.
This is an original design by my client. Imagine my delight when she said, “Quilt as Desired”. I used variegated threads throughout, from the blues of the water and sky, browns on the mountains and beiges of the cornfields. Interpretive quilting complements the scenic view. Spectacular.
Shades of the Southwest! The colors and scenery remind me of Arizona and the Painted Desert. The quilting reminds me of Native Americans. Ya-te-hey!
Chilly and Charming! Blowing snowflakes quilt across this delightful patchwork quilt. Just the thing to keep you warm on a winter night!
I am thrilled to have this off my unfinished pile and quilted. I made this little Albuquerque wall hanging years ago and just never got around to quilting it. It looks wonderful hanging in my studio!
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch! Fun novelty grinch fabrics come together for a quilt that will warm your holiday evenings. Look closely and the quilting pattern is also grinchy!
I was delighted to find an edge-to-edge pattern with Snoopy and Woodstock for this novelty quilt. I used a bright yellow thread in the bobbin so the pattern would show on the red backing and the result is fantastic.
I have so much fun picking threads, especially variegated threads for my quilting projects. It’s even more exciting when they stand out on both the front and the back of the quilt. Stunning Success with this quilt.
The flannel backing is perfect for displaying the paisley quilting. By using a thicker red thread on top, the quilting takes this quilt top from scrappy to spectacular!
This adorable, pieced puppy needed more dog bones, so I quilted in a huge supply. You can almost see his tail wagging.
Charming tulips and swirls dance their way across this little table topper and will look fabulous adorning a dining table this fall.
Sometimes there is no place for the quilting to show and that’s okay! The fabrics work magnificently in this quilt and although the quilting pattern does have cats, the quilting is more functional than visual.
There is just enough color in the thread to show on the white background of the quilt top and the gray backing. Blues and magentas from the quilt top are brought out in the variegated colors in the thread. Picking thread colors is one of my favorite parts of my job!
Bright red and royal blue are a cheerful combination. I added more birds in the quilting and this project just soars to new heights!
Old Gold colored thread must be my most used colors when choosing a thread for a quilt. It’s perfect to bring out the golds in the print of this charming lap quilt.
Could those triangles be dragon teeth? The dragon’s breath swirly quilt pattern looks fabulous on the front and back of this graduation gift for a dear nephew. Yes, I do think they are teeth!
To break up this brick pattern, I used a swirly quilting design. The texture that it gives both the front, and the back is fabulous. Now I can’t imagine any other pattern on this project!
It’s so fun when I can find a quilting pattern that matches the print of the fabric. By using contrasting bobbin for the backing, I brought the flowers to the back. Everything is coming up daisies with this one!
Someday I want to make a red and white quilt for myself. But for now, I thoroughly enjoyed working on this one. Red thread in the bobbin gives great texture to the backing, while the red thread on top shows up beautifully in the white border.
If I don’t know the back story on the quilt, sometimes I make up a story to go with it. Two almost identical baby quilts make me think of twins. I don’t know if that is true in this case but it’s fun to imagine these quilts with little quilted paw prints for twins. If not, I am sure two precious babies in separate households will have animal quilts to cherish.
I added a spikey quilt design to this jagged pieced quilt and the result is edgy and rugged. The dark thread adds interest to the plain white squares for a quilt that is serrated and incredible.
This quilt reminds me of looking at an aquarium, so I was inspired to quilt vertical wavy lines and bubbles. I added swimming angel fish to the border and outlined the fish and seaweed for a quilt that captures the beauty of the deep blue sea.
I just love it when the quilts are reversible. One side is a huge, pieced octagon while the other is a framed square in a square. Then to add more variety, I used two different variegated threads. Incredible!
I never tire of making Fireman T Shirt quilts. I was excited to quilt a new fire fighter quilt pattern. While I like the t shirts to be the focus on the front, I make sure the quilting takes the stage on the back of the quilt by using a contrasting color of thread. Magnificent!
I will admit that I was a little daunted when I received a bag of newborn onesies and was asked to make a quilt out of them. After removing seams, zippers and snaps, I cut all the remaining fabric into four and a half inch blocks. The blue border adds just the right touch.
Put your shades on because the colors in this quilt are really that bright and vibrant. And if that were not enough, I used a colorful variegated thread for the quilting. Did you catch the sun shaped circle in the center of the quilt before it sets?
I have been wanting to use this flag quilting pattern for some time and I am excited to find the perfect backdrop for the flags and stars. I think I need to make a patriotic quilt of my own soon.
This quilt makes me think of catch and release trout on the San Juan River. The top is machine appliqued and embroidered and I added the custom quilting. Fabulous gift for this client’s hubby who is an avid fisherman.
What a pumpkin delight! Instead of quilting pumpkins, I chose to quilt pumpkin leaves in a dark orange thread. The backing is light gray, and I chose an autumn color variegated thread, and it is stunning. Welcome to the pumpkin patch!
There are so many things that make this quilt unique. One is the extra wide binding and look at how it is the same size as the fabrics that make up the framed piecing. Another is the use of very dark contrasting thread so that the quilting design is more than just texture. And finally, how the quilt has a pieced back making it reversible. Stupendous!
When you have every color imaginable in the quilt top, what color do you choose to quilt with? Yellow was my choice and it turned out incredible. Subtle but distinctive, the yellow daisies mimic the daisy print for a beautiful floral quilt.
When I saw the backing, I just knew I had to quilt paisleys on this quilt. I used a burgundy thread so it would show and then I matched the color of the binding adding a touch of elegance making this a unique patchwork quilt.
Patriotic quilts just look better when they are quilted with stars! I used white thread, so the design really pops on the red backing. What fun it must have been to collect all the red, white and blue fabrics.
The hardest part of this quilt was trying to decide whether to use a sloth quilting pattern or a star pattern. After much consideration, a swirly star design was chosen and quilted and the results are spectacular.
What fun! My girlfriend and I did this pattern together. Hers has glow in the dark ghostly backing and a delightful collection of Halloween fabrics which differ from the ones that I put on my quilt. She chose a bat quilting design and although the photo doesn’t show it, I used a flame-colored orange in the bobbin so that the back is equally fantastic in the light!
The first question that I get asked when someone sees a quilt that I have custom quilted is, “is that computerized”. I rarely use robotics when I am custom quilting. I find it faster and more enjoyable to free motion quilt it. The answer for this quilt is, “there were no robotics used in the execution of the quilting process”. It is much more labor intensive to get the fills to fit in the unique curves spaces than it is to just drive the machine myself. I did however use straight and curved rulers to set the lines/curves and then free motion to fill the spaces.
Surf’s Up! Everything about this quilt reminds me of ocean waves from the print of the backing, colors and the quilting. I am ready to head to the beach with this quilt!
It’s always fantastic when I get to load one of my own quilts. I was able to use a variety of techniques on this vibrant wall hanging, including ruler work, free motion quilting, thread sketching and robotics. I like this one so much, it is hanging in my studio.
What’s exciting about this quilt is not the dragons, but the fact that it was pieced by one of my client’s daughters. It is always exciting to welcome a new quilter into the fold. I was able to quilt swirling dragons to complete this fantasy quilt and now it resides in her college dorm room.
Take strips and cut them into tumbling blocks and you have a quilt filled with candy corn. I added witches and full moons for a quilt that is sweet and bewitching.
The spooky swirl quilting pattern looks like a chilling fog across this haunted house panel. Look closely and there are mysterious bats in the gloomy pattern.
Fun quilted skeletons dance across this orange Halloween quilt making this quilt truly spooktacular!
Everytime I have seen this style of collage applique, I have seen it quilted in a half inch grid. So, when I was asked to custom quilt this wall hanging I wasn’t sure how it would look. I couldn’t be more delighted with the result. Thread sketching with both salmon and white thread gives realism to the flowered fox, while the background is all about floral quitling. Truly spectacular.
There is plenty of solid space in this quilt to let the quilting shine. I took advantage and used a light blue thread and a delightful flower and feather motif that really pops on the solids. I was told this is a surprise gift for my client’s sister and I know she will be thrilled.
An amazing color combination, together with a terrific layout for sampler blocks and an elegant quilting motif makes this quilt fantastic. It would look fabulous in a guess bedroom
I was requested to take the center pieced top and add borders. The dark red brings out the colors while the black border reflects the black in the quilt. I brought the red and black color scheme to the back by using dark red thread on the black backing and I love how the quilting stands out!
Na-na-na-na BATMAN! Check out the Batman quilting on this themed quilt. Great use of novelty fabrics and solids so that the main panel is the focus.
What a perfect gift for a spiderman fan! I was thrilled to find a spiderman quilting motif and add my superhero touch to this quilt.
This started as a photograph of a man with the road to Jericho in the background. It was then sketched out before the fusible applique work was done. It came to Ideal Stitches only fused. I was challenged to secure all the fabrics as well as thread paint. I used black thread to stitch in the sand dunes, and invisible thread to appli-quilt. Notice all the line work and directionality in the denim jacket. Finally, I finished with a silvery gray embroidery thread to paint in his facial hair. I am so proud of the work here.
Made for a third born baby this quilt is sure to delight. It has the cutest creatures from the sea. I need to get this pattern!
Third in a series of three, this quilt features turquoise fabric and a children’s toy quilting design. I looked for days for the perfect turquoise fabric to coordinate with the blocks. I felt like Goldilocks; this one too blue and that one too green but my perserverance paid off. What a privilege to be part of this project.
Second in the series of Rachel’s Courtyard, this stellar quilt has a star quilting design and navy fabrics. When driving on I-25 in Albuquerque, one can see the courtyard off the sixth floor on the West side of the hospital.
This is the first of three T-shirt quilts that I was commissioned to make. Rachel’s Courtyard is a play area for pediatric patients at an Albuquerque Hospital. This quilt features red sashing and a quilting design full of hearts.
This has been a popular piecing pattern this year, however, this is the first time I have seen it in the bright orange-reds and greens. The fabric is so busy the quilting hardly shows but if you look closely, you can see the hooks and the swirls.
Feathers are also a favorite of mine. Just look at how these feathers dance across the background fabric. The offset layout creates visual interest and keeps your eyes moving.
Fun hexagon shapes just needed contrasting lines. This pattern keeps the quilt looking contemporary and modern. I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.
Swirls must be one of my favorite quilting designs, especially for busy fabrics. This quilt has so much movement and texture now and would be perfect to cuddle up in and read a book with a beachy/ocean setting.
Gentle swirls provide a swirling contrast to the patchwork blocks. It also adds texture to the vivid backing. This quilt is sure to brighten any room!
Fun variegated thread dances across the front of this quilt in a jagged curls. Using a lavender thread for the bobbin, the same design gives fantastic texture to the back. Incredible!
What a great quilt to show off the quilting design. The diagonal triangles look great on both the stripes and the plaid backing. Finished just in time for the mom to gift it to her son as he goes off to college.
To break up the squareness of this quilt, I chose a curve and hook pattern; not too feminine and not too masculine but simply perfect to give movement and texture to the quilt.
Diagonal diamonds just sparkle on this striped quilt. The gold in the thread picks up the gold in the fabric for a stunning combination.
This quilt started as just three little antique handkerchiefs that I was asked to turn into a quilt. Look at how the border fabric picks up all the colors in the handkerchiefs. I saved the bright variegated thread for the back of the quilt and it sure packs a wow factor. I could not be happier with the finished product.
One of my favorite quilt designs is paisley and I am always thrilled when I can use a paisley pattern on a quilt. Matching purple thread in the bobbin looks magnificent on the blue backing. Fabulous and fun, definitely a winner!
I love the layout of the offset diamond on this quilt. I used a rose and heart quilting motif in a light salmon thread and the results are incredible! See for yourself.
If you know me, you know I love the color burgundy, so I fell in love with this quilt the moment it came into Ideal Stitches. I quilted an edgy spiral in a light gray thread. Maybe someday I will make one for myself.
It’s always fun to play with thread choices! For this quilt, I chose a golden thread for the front and a brightly colored variegated thread for the back. Now it’s hard to decide which side of the quilt I like better.
Retirement quilt for a very much-loved colleague. I masked out his face in the photos and quilted a fern pattern inspired by the border fabric. Wish I could have seen his face when he received this quilt.
Fun fabrics, delightful layout and loopy quilt design make this a quilt that is sure to please.
This fun patchwork quilt needed a quilt design to break up the square boxes. The spikey design gives this movement and texture and looks fabulous in the white background fabric.
Here is the final quilt in the series. It’s fun that each side has its own theme from Ghastly line fabrics to Mr. Chillingsworth on a previous quilt. I can wait to get started on my own Halloween quilt project now.
Here is the second in the series of reversible Halloween window quilts. I have so many fun Halloween quilting designs, however, I chose to use the same cobweb design on all three quilts, so they looked like a coordinating set.
First in a series of three quilts that are designed to be reversible and intended for a front window space so they can be hung and enjoyed from both sides. What a clever idea.