While I was living in Nebraska, I quilted a quilt for my friend, Michele Muska.
Michele is a fan of Marcia Derse fabrics (and why not? — they’re fabulous!) and she had been collecting them for a while, and then she made this HUGE quilt out of them! I don’t know if Michele remembers, but I was with her when she bought some of the fabrics for the quilt. I remember because I bought some for my ownself at the same time!
I was introduced to Michele by our mutual friend, Victoria, who seems to collect Shellys for friends. (We’ve even contemplated starting our own girl band, Vic and the Shellys! I suggested that we stick to covers of songs by The Silver Convention because I have no memory for lyrics and the choreography is something I might be able to handle without breaking something vital.)
Anyway, the quilt! This thing is huge, and I couldn’t get a full-out shot of it because this was during one of My Cowboy’s stays in the hospital and he wasn’t there to hold it up for me or help me with it. This is as much of it as I can show you in one shot. Michele must have a king-sized bed to use it on. This shows none of the border at all.
What follows below is a LOT of close-up pictures of the quilting I did on it . . .
And you can see the wonderful fabrics a bit better.
I love all the muddy-ness . . .
. . . but those shots of turquoise!
They do me in.
It’s my favorite thing about the quilt. The turquoise shots!
It was a lot of fun to quilt.
I just made stuff up as I went.
I quilted something different in every sashing rectangle (but I did repeat some of them in spots).
There’s a lot to look at on this quilt!
I quilted “strings of beads” in the vertical beige sashing.
I quilted the centers of the blocks very simply, and they’re all alike.
The quilt has a very, very wide tan border.
I used it as a quilting playground.
I just randomly drew lines and put designs in and around them.
I worried the entire time whether Michele would like it.
Here’s the backing — how cool is this?
This quilt was on the frame for NINE days!
I don’t remember how many hours I worked on it.
I do remember being glad I wasn’t the one who had to put the binding on it!
I wonder if Michele has the binding on it yet?
She’s a very busy gal.
And I do mean VERY busy.
Michele and her studio just appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of Where Women Create. So you can grab a copy of that, and see where Michele works all her magic.
Michele is on the board of the Quilt Alliance, and last fall at Houston’s International Quilt Festival, she, along with 5 other quilters (Victoria included), had a group quilt hanging in the show. I managed to get a picture of it hanging there.
You may recognize it — it recently appeared on the cover of Quilting Arts Magazine (the Feb./Mar. 2013 issue).
Michele was also a Knit Simple magazine cover girl last summer with her very first knitting design, AND . . .
Speaking of covers, her PIE is on the front cover of the newly released book, Pie-ography!
That’s not all she does, but I can’t keep up with her. Frankly, I don’t know how she ever had time to make a quilt at all, let alone one this large! But it was a pleasure to quilt it for her, and she has assured me that she loves it, so I’m happy and relieved.
The quilting is awesome. The quilt is too. You did a wonderful job.
Wow! What a great quilt! It is really nice. Your quilting is really great. The string of beads is my favorite. Wow. Nicely done, Shelly!
I love this quilt…WOW !!!!!!
I love your quilting on this one. I’m not surprised it took so long.
Hi Shelly. Since don’t have time to bind the quilt
I decided to trim it up and put it on our bed. I took a picture
To send you last night but still haven’t. We were
Nice and cozy under the quilt. My husband tells
everyone that you took a beautiful looking quilt and
Made it into an heirloom. Thank you so much. I just
Live what you did. Thanks for thr lovely post!!! Your
Fellow band member “the other Shelly”.
Hugs.
This is SO beautiful. I am Michele’s sister-in-law, and I KNOW she loves it. The quilting is beautiful. Can’t wait to see it in her home.
Shelly, I LOVE all the quilting on this quilt! I especially like the “strings of beads”. I want my own machine so badly, so I can “play”! Love seeing your work!! And so glad you are back in good old MO!
All I can say is what I say at fireworks displays: OOOOOHHHH!
Wow!!!! Love the quilting you did on this quilt. I can’t imagine ever making a quilt that big.
Wow! Your quilting is just spectacular girl! Honestly, I’m kind of speechless and that NEVER happens! I love that pop of turquoise too – just compliments the rest of the color scheme so nicely.
Shelly, as usual, your quilting on this piece is absolutely amazing!