Shells on Shells

Seashells on Free Motion QuiltingIt’s a very chilly morning here in Minnesota-certainly, no day at the beach!

The good news is…we’re into February already and we’re that much closer to warm breezes.weather MinnesotaAnd…I’ve got my quiltin’ to keep me warm!

Seashells on Free Motion QuiltingThis small quilt (18 x 18 inches) included:

Seashells on Free Motion Quilting

Seashells on Free Motion QuiltingWhat are YOU doing to stay warm–or is it warm where you live?

We’d LOVE to hear!

Lori

PS…All images, information and tutorials are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, share or tweet with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other uses, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!

39 responses to “Shells on Shells”

  2. Rosemary B here:
    Well, first, crank up the heat.
    second, clean the house, and run on our new treadmill.
    Then do sewing projects and stay close to my warm sewing machines and iron.
    also: drink coffee, eat cookies.
    Then in the afternoon, I bundle up and go to the 92 year old twins. I check on them
    Today, hopefully we can go for a walk inside the new building. they live at an Erickson community and all of the buildings are connected at Ashby Ponds, Ashburn Virginia. They live in the Willow Crossing building. It is independent living, a lot like dorm life.
    I could soooo live there. No cooking, but you do have a fancy full kitchen, they have 4 cafes and an indoor pool.
    Happy Ground Hog Day

  3. Hi Lori
    Love the cold weather would gladly sway your 1* for our mid 30’s here in Central west of NSW, Australia although have to say we are having a pretty mild summer. Enjoy the quilting, love your blog
    Maralyn

  4. Snow and blowing, 12 degrees, and over a foot of snow since last night. Plow has been through but shoveling… to the car is not in my lexicon!!! Will work on my FMQing and love every minute of it… Should clean and cook but it is not going to happen!!! Thank you Lori… can’t wait till Wed. and our Mystery… I can’t remember who said it but I think she is correct… The spool, Polyester 50, and Cotton 50… are we correct?????

  5. well….it is -24c here in New Brunswick today and waiting for a huge snow storm later today…hoping they are wrong!!!! Lol. I have been doing housework all morning and will sew and do a bit of hand quilting this afternoon ..into the evening if we have power….fingers are crossed!!!

  6. Lori, there are lots of places in the West that are nice and warm. I live in Phoenix and looks like we are headed in the 70’s this week with some days up to 80! It’s beautiful here. You should come check us out! The only bad thing about living in a warm climate is you don’t use quilts enough! Well, back to my WIP.

  7. Chilly here too this morning!! I dig out my favorite hoodie and get the fire place going! I really don’t mind winter…I like the cozy clothes, and it’s like permission to stay in and sew. We have such a short summer you don’t dare stay inside and waste the warmth! LOL!
    The sea shells are so cute. I need to practice putting the designs together to fill everything in…my head and fingers don’t want to change gears that fast! LOL! Do you have a plan or just let the creative side take over? I think I might be able to if I plan a rhythm or sequence…sunshine, oyster, whelk dollar…sunshine, oyster, whelk, dollar…haha!

    1. I don’t plan very much…just start stitching and when I’m bored with one shell, I start another style…I have a short attention span as you can tell!

  9. Watching the snow flying in Ottawa, Canada this morning. I’m new to quilting and was thrilled to come across your blog this past weekend. Today I’ll be following your suggestion, organizing a quilt journal, and recording my first project.

    1. Ah, Ottawa. I just cancelled my flight there this morning. So sad. The weather delays via Chicago were too much to handle. I’m missing seeing our daughter but will perhaps try in the spring for your Tulip Festival !

  12. Lori, Thanks for being so generous with your information. It’s about the same here in NJ…with a nice crust of ice on top of the snow just to make it all that much more fun to shovel!

    Question: I usually use Superior’s “So Fine” thread for FMQ, but find that it’s thinner than I’d like. Aside from the fact that your quilting is evenly stitched, perfectly distanced and artfully created, I particularly like you your thread “pops” in your designs-the thread appears much thicker than mine. Can you give us insight into what thread you use in your examples, and what machine you use?
    I’m working with a Viking Skandanavia 3 which is a work horse. Would love to purchase another machine, but can’t decide if a long arm is the way to go or a more advanced quilting machine and continue with FMQ. Does a stitch regulator help/is it necessary? FYI I have not met with success with Bernina, especially with servicing it…just doesn’t appear to be worth the premium price. Just don’t know what to do!!!!

    1. Hi Laura,
      We will be talking about thread a lot in the next several weeks. I love Sulky Rayon 40 wt thread fro free motion quilting. I like that it is a bit thicker and pops. If you want texture only, use a finer thread. If you want the stitches to “pop” use a heavier weight like 40 wt and in a contrasting color.

      I stitch on two Berninas: Virtuosa 150-wonderful and foolproof, but small harp space. I also have a Bernina 820-larger harp space, but it can be temperamental with tension…

      I do not use a stitch regulator. They were not available when I began FMQ, so I learned without. You can learn to stitch evenly without a regulator, but some people like them.

      I am a big advocate of “Making it Work”. Use what you have to learn…

  13. I used to live in French Polynesia (Tahiti, Bora Bora, you know, those great and hot islands…), but sadly we came back to France, and it’s very cold!!

    Anyway, to change my mood, i’m running a fabric giveaway, you are welcome to enter!

  14. It was 9 below zero this morning in southwest MN. We were snowed in with my parents. The kids thought it was great! We played board games, started the fireplace and reminisced of blizzards in the mid ’70’s where we would be without electricity for several days and basically live around the fireplace. As children, we thought it was great fun. I’m sure my parents found it to be a lot of work, carrying water to the livestock, keeping the fire burning and finding meals to cook over the fire.

  15. Love the snow here in Canada and just had a fab day on snowshoes. Looking forward to some sewing time now–always inspired by your work and your motivating blog. Thank you.

  16. Hi Lori
    We are still waiting for summer in Victoria, Australia. We have had a very cool summer to date when the schools were out. It usually warms up when the kids go back to school, which they have just done. The temperatures are predicted (90 degrees +) to go up at the weekend and next week. I’m heading for the beach tomorrow. Love it in any weather.
    Regards
    Judy

  17. Received a huge dump of snow here yesterday – 8 inches. I guess that is not a lot but when you live in a big city it certainly throws everyone into a tizzy. Weather has been very cold -10 with blustering winds making it feel more like -25. I rarely go out only when I have to. Definitely hibernate in the winter and wait for warmer weather to bring me back out to my garden!

  18. I just found your site and I’m loving the shells. I read through the linked designs, but feel like I am missing something. Is there a way to find all posts that go with the shells wall hanging? Thanks!!!

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