Sunrise Quilt Studio

I've posted a short video on my You Tube channel showing some interesting characteristics of a vintage LeMoyne Star quilt that I am currently working on.

Blue Tigers 2 is a replication of "Blue Tigers"(below) that I completed a few years ago. I had sold Blue Tigers and my daughters were not happy that I had sold a quilt of their cat, so I promised to replicate it. Unfortunately it took me a couple of years to get it completed. It isn't an exact replication - there are several difference. The fabrics are different for one. The blues are more turquoise and all the other fabrics are different except for the background. I had a leftover piece large enough to used for the quilt, I didn't add a border, and instead of hand-beading the quilt I used hot-fix crystals. The border is also a solid black fabric instead of a purple batik. The quilting is also different, especially the background and the leaves in the flowers. All in all I am happy with the way both quilts have turned out.

The 1930's Butterfly Quilt is finally complete including the binding. I used a 30's reproduction fabric for the binding and attached it to the front of the quilt using the longarm machine. I have a video on my YouTube channel that shows the process. Click here for the video: Binding . There is also a video on the background quilting on the same page. Hope you enjoy them.

I purchased this quilt top in 2014 at an antique shop in Warrenton, MO. A lot of the embroidery was not completed, so I hand stitched that over a few days time. A few weeks ago, I took it out and looked it over. It had a lot of stains on it and was just dirty overall. So with some advice from the local quilt shop owner I purchased some quilt wash and soaked the top overnight. It took out all the dirt and most of the stains. I dried it in my dryer set to air dry - no heat. My main concern was that the edges of the appliques might ravel with washing, and they did just a little bit, but nothing too seriously. They had been machine stitched down close to the raw edges by the maker, then hand embroidered with a blanket stitch. That helped keep the edges from raveling to the point of no return. The quilting was kept pretty simple. Here is a short video of the quilting in the butterfly appliques.

This 1950 Singer 15-91 is a new addition to my quilting studio. I purchased it at a tag sale from the estate of an elderly lady who used to come into work and help me fold bulletins each week. I've tried it out and it runs well, but it does need some work. The wiring to the motor has lost most of it's insulation and needs to be replaced. I'm in the process of breaking open the motor to get to the wiring but found I don't have the correct size screw driver to move on any further - I'm about half-way done. I also haven't found the correct size wiring to use for the replacement. So currently the motor and balance wheel are in pieces waiting to be reassembled. Luckily everything is in pretty good shape - it just needed some cleaning. The bobbin winder tire is missing, so I need to order a replacement. I can't wait to get it put back together and piece a quilt with it.