Quilting through paper

Christmas is fast approaching!!

(This quilt is finished but it must remain a surprise)

^^^^This was my game face last week^^^^^

   One thing I would like to share today is quilting through paper. Below are 4 examples. The first and second are relatively easy to figure out where to start and stop. The designs are easy to see after being quilted and the paper is ripped away. 

  This beauty was a bit more challenging and not as nice in the end. I was extremely sad when that list large chunk of paper was ripped away to reveal a big mess of lines running all over the place. I didn't get the helmet quite right and it ended up looking more like a bowl cut on a 2 year old who took a bath in his spaghetti instead of the angry face of a dog. Life goes on and all is well.

I quilted Cotton on a puffy batting and then layered it over fleece. I am not a fan of fleece quilting yet but I'm sure the more I practice the better it will be.

This is my favorite line art in quilting. The face looks more angry than I intended.

Live, Learn and Quilt on.

** Disclaimer: None of these line art pictures are mine. I searched google for football images and the images didn't have copyrights.

 All sewing on fabric is mine.*****

bow tie by hand

 I fell in love with the bow tie quilt. I make these blocks by hand with only 3 straight line stitches. Really easy and portable when taking your machine is not an option. Can you just see it now, the looks you'd get if you set up shop in the pediatric waiting room?

This bad boy is custom quilted with a light brown (fawn maybe) thread. I let the quilt shop chose the color as long as it blends in. I was more of a pattern Nazi a few years ago when i had this one completed but now, i like to have suggestions(choices, who doesn't like choices) but then i give the final say to the long arm master.

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(Binding matches the back of quilt, the true color is of the binding, not the backing)

I made this quilt for my boys and as such i wanted a back that didn't scream i'm full of flowers and pink. Nothing wrong with pink, my oldest really likes pink but i tend to work with girl fabric because it catches my eye so much quicker than boy fabric.  That totally could be because there is maybe one tiny section with 6 bolts in it for boys. (over exaggeration but you get my drift)

i have also switched to 108" "Utility" Backs. In the long run they are more economical, without cutting and piecing. Time saved, AND you have less math because length is already taken care of.  I just purchased 1 2/3 yard @ $13.95/yd for the back and binding for a 50 X 72". The binding is included in the length and the sections are longer strips for less piecing. Total win-win.