"Carpenter's Star" by Julie

Julie is a "new to me" customer, and brought me this lovely quilt top which will be a wedding gift for her grandson and his bride to be.  We talked about how to quilt it, our conversation sounding something like "maybe some feathers in the stars, and a different feather in the black." 
She chose a thread called "Mercury" for the colored blocks which was perfect as it blends with all the colors.  Then the same type of thread in black for the background.

Continuous curves in the diamonds at the top and bottom borders, molar feathers in the star blocks, and traditional longarm feathers in the background.  I am not sure what Julie was expecting, but based on her tone of voice when she saw it initially, she was quite pleased with the results.  I am sure that this will be a family heirloom for this new family.

 

Two "Bar quilts" by Mary Beth

My friend Judy
described this style of piecing as a"bar quilt" to me once, and it stuck in my brain.  One of these is for Mary Beth's grandson, and I don't recall who gets the other.  (Maybe me?)  Both quilted with the same edge to edge design of simple wavy lines, but done much closer, and much more narrow on the purple quilt.  Both are quite effective.  When I first got ready to press the first quilt, the fabrics in the top are very light weight, almost sheer fabrics.  I was a bit concerned about quilting them, but they turned out beautifully.  Well done Mary Beth!

 

"Woven" by Beverly

This is a pattern that Beverly created by herself. 
She described it as "Just a 4 patch", but also pointed out that you really had to pay close attention to placement to get the pattern of the colors all in a row. 

Beverly also asked for "the simplest design" for quilting, so I chose "Tiramisu".  Amazing quilt.
 

"Baby Biker" by me

Back in February, after the snowstorm had ended, I got to meet my neighbor Andie from across the street.  We chatted a bit then, but as I would see her in the neighborhood and visited with her further, it became increasingly obvious that she is expecting.  Gotta make a baby quilt!  I know that Andie and her partner are cyclists, although due to her pregnancy, it's going to be a while before we get to ride together.    However, this gave me the theme for the quilt of bicycles.

Even quilted it with a bicycle design.

 

3 from Janice

Janice is a "new to me" quilter.  So, she brought me 3 quilt tops to help finish.  She let me decide on the quilting design, and the threads for all.  Hmm.  Decisions!

I'm referring to this one as "Fall Leaves" because of the fabric choices.  I found a thread that had all the colors of the leaves in the focus fabric, but didn't like any of my leaf designs.  Ended up quilting it with "Tiramisu" for the design.

Is this a "Crown of Thorns" block?  I'm not sure
.  Pretty red and white and pink.  "Tea Leaves" for the quilting design.

This one I am calling "Tulips" because that's what
the dark green fabrics remind me of.  So, quilted with a "Tulip" design in a variegated green thread.

 

Triangles from Zoe

This is one of those great quilts that you don't realize how great it is until you stand back and look at the entire quilt.  I love the mostly solid colors as the "focus" fabric, and then the fun print for the background.  Quilted with "Tea Leaves" design

 

Repair of Melissa's 2 king quilts

Sometimes, bad things happen to good quilts.  Sometimes, quilts get loved to death, or some 4 legged, furry family member decides that nursing on your favorite quilt is the best thing in the world.  That's what happened here.  One of the pups, needed some comfort so nursed on the quilt.  There was a hole through to the back, and the humans had loved the quilt so much that the binding needed to be replaced.  On the second quilt, on the left above, the fabric just fell apart in places leaving open seams.  I had planned on doing a straight stitch to close these up, but the fabric was beyond that stage,  and they all had to be zigzagged closed.  Moral of the story?  Keep the dog away from your quilt, or make them one of their own to use and destroy if that's what they want to do with their quilt.  Start by buying your fabric at the local quilt store, not the chain store.  You may pay more for the fabric at the quilt shop, but the quality will be so much better and will last for many many years to come.

Another zigzagged seam.

 

Two patches.  Top one is the backing, notice the applique stitching around the outside of the patch on the back.  Below, the front of the quilt, covering up the hole.  Ready for many many more years of love.

The patches and fabrics in the patches were chosen by Melissa.  She wanted the quilts to be repaired, but not look like restoration, just something to hold them together and add to the history of the quilts.