Custom Quilting

I have been quilting for 7 years, and have done a few custom quilts over the years.  I am always nervous and have never been excited about doing these custom quilts.  I was worried about how they looked and if the clients would like them.  Didn't like how long they took.  Felt like I didn't have enough ideas - or maybe had the ideas, but didn't have the talent or was too scared to go with the ideas in my head.

Enter my new machine -  the ideas swirling in my head can now be put down and completed by the machine.  So they look great!  I can see it on the screen before it is quilted, and I feel like it actually looks great!

The week before Christmas I got a call from one of my longtime clients asking if I would be willing to do a couple of quilts for her friend.  One of which was a custom quilt.  I said yes to one and no to the other.  I hadn't had enough practice doing custom on this machine.  So little time before Christmas, I can't guarantee I can get it done.

A few days later she brought this quilt to my door....

I started with her first one, and did an all over edge to edge. When it was time to get going on this quilt I was nervous.  But once I got started I fell in love.  I love the fabrics she chose, I love this pattern, and I loved every minute of decided what to do in the blocks.  It was like each block was a its little own quilt.

Big double cross hatch in the grey and white polka dot and put a little snowflake in the tea cup.  I echoed the car and textured the ground a little below it.

I used a line fill around this snowman, freehanded the small squares and threw in some snowflakes and stars in the bigger blocks.

These 3 snowman were fun - outlines them, snowflaked one of them with a little crosshatch thrown in on the top.  (I could never make my lines that straight when doing them by hand, even with a ruler!)

The house was outlined and swirls through the block.

Crosshatch on the side border and som stippling around the blocks.  Outlined and echoed in the snowman.

This block was fun to do - the cake stand looked so cute!  I did baby loops in the background.

This house was fun with some swirls, crosshatch for the roof and lines on the door.  I thew in a few stars on the snowman to make him a little whimsical.

A close up of the feather border and corner squares.  I did a snowflake at each corner.  I also tried an orange peel border on this block and love how it turned out!

This quilt was so much fun to do.  A lot of time - and I need to get better at estimating time and cost.... she got a great deal - but it was such a fun learning experience for me.  I've never appliquéd before, but if I take it up, this quilt will be on my list!

This quilt was a fun challenge and I can't wait to do another one soon!  I have a small fall one, that I may have to pull out next to give this a try again.