Sharon M

Wow, Jeanne! TEN grandkids!! Oh my!!! Yes, indeed, they are a gift and a blessing, and you are so right, I would have it no other way! 4 of ours live within 6 miles, so I definitely understand how your time gets used up! I see them 4 - 5 times a week. And they are still so little, when they come over the door to my studio closes, (too many sharp things in there!) and they have my undivided attention. I can hardly wait til I can teach the oldest one to sew! I believe grandparents make such a difference in these little ones' lives. Congrats on all ten of yours!

oh, thank you Lynn Marie...but I cannot tell a lie! ... not exactly my "first" quilt... I had done a small wall quilt in the bargello pattern, and thought it was quite simple piecing. My step daughter really loved that little wall hanging, so I made the one in the last picture for her 16th birthday. But it really was my first "bed sized" quilt, honest! Thank you ALL so much for all the lovely comments....gives me so much more confidence.... and makes me blush....

Oh my, thank you all so much for the wonderful comments! I actually feel like a real quilter now! They are the greatest compliments I could have, and it feels good to give a little something back after all the great advice and inspiration I find here. This is an amazing place. I would be so lost without this forum. Oma, your comment about your grandkids all graduating in succession made my eyes bug out! I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet! LOL Do they each get a quilt for their grad, and how do you keep up with making them all in time? At the rate I’m going, I better start now! Linda, hi back! Good to see you too! We’re practically neighbors, would love to meet you some day. I’m always looking for posts from my fellow Canucks on here, (Hi Cathy!) and wishing I didn’t live quite so far from you all. Dyan, thank you for your comment! I love that these pictures could inspire someone to try one of these quilts. They aren’t as difficult as one might think. There definitely are easier bargello patterns to make than this one though. There are so many interlocking lines in the Lightning Strikes pattern, I think my eyes were crossed by the time I was done. So worth it though! The very first bed sized quilt I made was a bargello, but a much simpler pattern, no lines cross each other. When I went to the quilt shop to pick fabrics, the ladies there discouraged me from trying one of these for my “first” quilt as they thought it would be too difficult for a newbie. I actually found it very easy to do and it went together quickly for me. It’s all strip piecing, and just a matter of moving the strip segments up or down to achieve the lines. Here’s a picture of my first. I didn’t have a pattern for a bed size quilt, but I had one for a small wall quilt, so I looked at a the picture and played around in EQ until I got what I liked. Oh, and I should say that I didn’t do the quilting on this one. I took it to a longarmer, and when I saw her magnificent Millenium, I became obsessed with getting my very own. I found this forum, and the rest, as they say, is history IMG_3959 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr

Hi everyone! I'm finally responding to Ardelle's challenge to post pictures! Due to my crazy busy life, I was only able to complete 2 quilts in the past year. In less than 5 years, I've been blessed with 5 grandbabies... the 6th is due any day, and I haven't even started a baby quilt yet! These little munchkins plus a full time job keep a Gramma busy! LOL Both quilts are bargellos... "Lightning Strikes" is one of my favorite patterns. The first, the green one, was made for my son's wedding last January. One of my first attempts at custom, I sweat buckets over the thought, but in the end, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I used Ronda Byer's rulers for the border... first attempt with them. They are so easy to use. Quilter's dream wool, it's my new favorite batting), and a silver/grey minky on the back. Ok, now to try posting pictures, fingers crossed that it works. IMG_5811 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_5818 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_5814 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_5812 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_5824 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_5820 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr The second, oranges & browns, was for my daughter & son-in-law. She wanted the quilting to follow the lines of color. Was tons of rolling back & forth, I think it took longer than the first one. Again, Quilters dream wool, and brown minky on the back. Both quilts are king size... 110 x 110 They take up my entire floor space in the living room IMG_6206 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_6207 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_6208 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr IMG_6214 by Sharon M2013, on Flickr Both girls picked the Lightning Strikes pattern, and they each chose their own colors, all Jinny Byer fabrics. I have her portable pallette... such a wonderful tool for choosing fabrics, especially bargellos. No issues at all with the minky backing, it quilted beautifully Thanks for looking, and thanks for the challenge Ardelle! And thanks also to Heidi for the instructions on using Flickr