Kristan's Esther's Bloomers Quilt

Hi Friends,
Oh, do I have a gorgeous quilt to share with you today!!! This beautiful quilt was made by Kristan, and it is the Esther’s Bloomers pattern by Kim Diehl which Kristan did as a block of the month with Fat Quarter Shop. Amazing huh?!?!?! The fabrics are Esther’s Shirting’s and are designed by Kim as well.

Kristan requested custom quilting and 8020 cotton poly blend batting. The rest was up to me. It’s so fun to turn on the quilting machine, pull out my rulers and start quilting. I actually used five of my different Circle2 rulers™, the 2”, 3”, 4”, 6”, and 8” circle for the variety of different curves throughout this quilt. My Circle2™ rulers are available in 12 different sizes, with two sizes per ruler. Which means every set comes with 6 rulers. My Circle2™ rulers are made in America from 1/4” high quality acrylic. For more information on them, check out this blog post. There is a picture at the bottom of this post of my 2”/8” ruler. Notice the 2” on the inside and the 8” on the outside. I also offer them in either green or clear. The green are great on lighter fabrics, which helps me see the lines better. However, the clear are just as great!

I quilted all of the lines with Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple. My favorite straight rulers!! It’s fun to use rulers and create a variety of different textures, with only a simple line or curve.

Look at all of those amazing borders!! Kristan did a beautiful job!!

I used cream Omni thread from Superior Thread, on the entire quilt!!

And, just because I can…here are some more pictures. I love adding freehand pebbles in the midst of all of the straight lines and angles.

I love the orange peel petals in the darker flying geese, which I did with the 3” Circle2™ ruler, and then the double lines on each side in the lighter flying geese. It’s great to have that mix of scale and texture.

Here is a close up on a couple of the blocks.

In the block below, I used my 2” Circle2™ ruler for the curves inside the center of the blue star, and the 3” Circle2™ ruler for the curves on the outside of the star.

Can you see how great the cream thread blends so great on all of the different fabrics? I prefer lighter threads on darker fabrics, than darker threads on lighter fabrics. I personally think it helps tie the quilt together is a whole.

All the quilting textures on the borders, compliment the large center block nicely.

Below is the green 2”/8” ruler that I mentioned above. The rulers are 2.5” wide to make it easier to handle as you’re quilting.

Below is all 6 of the clear Circle2™ stacked up ready to ship out.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I know that I didn’t go into detail about where I used each Circle2 ruler, because unless you were quilting this same quilt the same way, it’s not going to matter. I did use the 3” and 4” Circle2™ rulers, for most of the curves throughout the quilt. Those are my go to sizes!! When I know that I’m going to quilt a curve, I hold a couple of the rulers up to the block and see which one fits the best, to give me the desired look I’m going for.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope the quilt and quilting has inspired you!! If you’d like to have me quilt for you, please check out my Longarm Quilting Services page and send me an email at quiltingit@gmail.com Take care…Leisha

Kim’s Guiding Stars Quilt

My friend Kim made this for her daughter who just returned from serving as a missionary. It’s the Guiding Star quilt pattern by Kathy Skomp and Bekah Pipes from Lavender Lime, using the Songbook fabrics by Fancy That Design House from Moda Fabrics.

I wish you could see these adorable fabrics in person!! The pictures just don’t do it justice.

I used 8020 cotton poly blend batting and a natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads.

It was fun to see so many of the hymns that I know, on the pretty panels.

We decided on Soho for the quilting, which is by Sarah Ann Myers and is available at Urban Elementz.

We chose this design because of the texture, which is great on a busy quilt like this.

A couple of more close ups.

Thanks for coming on by!! I hope you enjoy seeing the edge to edge quilts, too!! It’s always great for me to see how a quilt was quilted.

Happy Quilting!! • Leisha

Wendy’s Table Toppers

Hi Friends,
I hope you’ve had a good week!! I have a couple of super cute runners to share with you, that Wendy and her mom made. You’ll never believe this…or maybe it’s just me…the designs are both machine embroidered. Yep!! Awesome huh?!?!! They do have hand embroidery patterns as well.

This is the Santa Quartet! Table Runner by Bird Brain Designs. You can select if you’d like a hand or machine embroidered pattern.

Wendy asked that I have fun with the quilting, which is great for me!! I love to add personality and texture to a quilt. Super cute!!!

I quilted Swirls in the checkered border, and Overlapping Circles to the background behind the Santas. Which are a couple of the designs that I teach in my Quilting It Freemotion™ course!! If you’ve been wanting to learn how to freemotion quilt, you should check it out!!!

I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles out of Ogden Utah. I also used a natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads. It is my favorite neutral thread!! I use that color more than any other. Color number is 3002.

The next runner that Wendy and her mom machine embroidered is the Snow Happens pattern by Bird Brain Designs. Please note that you have to select the pattern type you want, which you can do for both runners, if you scroll down in the links I provided.

This fun runner got Pebbles in the background, because um they are snowman…and I just love that texture around embroidery. It helps the design pop!

Just because…winter is coming to an end here in northern Utah!! Today was 58°. The snow is fast Lu melting. Hallelujah! Spring is my favorite season so I am so excited.

Back to quilting…Swirls, Loops, and ribbon candy in the borders, adds so much fun texture! Freemotion quilting is nothing to be scared of…it’s actually quite fun to try new designs. Do you have any questions about my Quilting It Freemotion™ course? I have some quilters who watched my course, and this is what they had to say.

Thanks for coming on by!! I hope you’re safe and well. Take care and happy quilting. • Leisha

Do you have any quilts ready to be quilted? I have quick turn around times. Email me at quiltingit@gmail.com or contact me, I’d love to quilt for you. If you’d like more info on my quilting services click here: Longarm Quilting Services. I look forward to working with you!

4 Quilts • 1 Pattern • 4 Designs

Hi Friends…Do I have a fun post for you!!! I’m going to share four different quilts with you, all made from the same quilt pattern, and quilted with four different quilting designs. Have I piqued your interest?

You may be wonder why we would make four of the same quilts. Truth, we’ve actually made this same quilt two other times. It’s our favorite baby boy quilt. It’s modern, fresh, and fun. I have a very large extended family. When one of my cousins has their first baby, they receive a baby quilt from my mom and me. My mom sews the quilts, and I do the quilting. We then tell those who receive one of our quilts to use them!! No sense in having the quilt folded up on a self and not get used. Which means my mom machine binds them, in hopes that they will be so loved and washed often…and yet still hold up. I love it when we can share something we love to do, with someone we love. Plus, I really love getting pictures of their cute babies having tummy time on their quilt.

The pattern is in Modern Patchwork’s Sept/Oct 2018 magazine issue. It’s by Krystina Hopkins and is called Star Shadows. It’s a good size quilt…great for toddlers. I actually want to make a throw size and do six stars instead of just the four stars.

I have oodles of pictures to share, just so you can see all the fun textures in the four different quilting designs.

My mom and her sister have a online fabric shop, which is where she gets the fabrics that she uses. She loves to use Bella solids, except for the gray it’s a Moda Cross Weave. Our favorite white is the Bella 200. I love the modern look of solid colored fabrics.

For all four quilts I used Natural White Omni thread from Superior Threads, and my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles. My mom actually pieced batting for one of the quilts, with the leftovers from two other quilts.

I love the shadowed effect that is created with the gray and blue fabrics.

Can you see why we love this quilt?!?!?! My mom made three of the four quilts at the same time. I helped a little…just pressing. Which helped her sew faster.

For this particular quilt, I used my digital Cornerstone quilting design. It quilts out beautifully, as you can see, with very minimal backtracking.

Next up…same quilt, another quilting design. It's great to see the difference in what a quilt can look like, with different quilting designs. This texture is fabulous…they all are, but I am a little biased!!

Love this close up of the block and quilting!!!

An angled look at the texture.

This design is one of my Domestic Stitches designs, called Domestic Stitches - Squared, designed to mimic designs that domestic quilters quilt on their quilts with their sewing machines. Which, believe it or not, is hard for longarm quilters to do. After getting requests over the years, and hearing other quilters get the same requests, I decided to design 9 different designs. I actually offer them in a bundle…which means you get 9 designs for the price of 8 designs. I used one of the other designs on one of these quilts , too.

Another close up…because why not!

Quilt number three…

Another fun texture, don’t you think?!?!?!!!

This is the first time that I have quilted out this design…which is the same for the other designs, with the exception of the Cornerstone design.

This design is called Steps, and I can’t believe its taken me this long to quilt it out. I designed it back in 2019. I can’t wait to use it again. It lined up great from row to row, even after advancing it.

Love this texture…it creates so many fun angles and shapes.

In this video, which I created a few years ago, I share some tips on lining up quilting designs after I advance a quilt to the next section. I actually do this with every single quilt that I quilt edge to edge, whether they rows touch or not. Let me know if you have any questions.

Last, but certainly not least…

This quilt has a more minty bluish green color, instead of the blue used in the other quilts. The fabric color is a little darker in person, but you know…trying to brighten a photo it gets lighter and lighter.

Okay…here is a close up and angled picture. I have shared a similar picture…the one above…of all the quilts. If you look back, you can see the variety of different quilting designs in this same picture. Plus, I love a good closeup picture of a quilt block.

This is another one of my Domestic Stitches designs. This one is Domestic Stitches - Triangles. I quilted it at a 5.5” height, which is perfect to make this quilt cuddly. My friend Kaitlyn from Knot and Thread, just used it on her Lemur quilt and did it super small at 2.25” height. Which I want to try sometime! This design also lines up great!!

Here is a great look at the minty color of fabric!! love it!!

I also bound this one by machine myself…which I am not good at, but this time it turned out great!! I need to keep doing it to get better at it. I still prefer to hand bind my quilts…it’s my favorite part of the process, which may be because when I’m done, I’m DONE!! Hahaha!!

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope that you enjoyed looking at the same quilt, quilted in four different ways. Have a great week!! And, happy quilting. - Leisha

Lisa’s “After the Rain” quilt

Hi Friends,
I’m excited to share with you Lisa’s After the Rain quilt! The pattern is by Elizabeth at Quilters Candy.

I love the colors that Lisa chose.

Lisa wanted some custom quilting just in the background, so we discussed my freehand Overlapping Circles design, and she agreed…which I’m grateful for. I’m mean, look how adorable all the mini rainbow’ish textures are behind the colorful rainbows. Love it!!! Lisa’s plan was to hand quilt the rainbows, however just to help them stand out a little, I quilted in the ditch on stripe…but then I felt line the very center needed something more. So, I suggested cross hatching and she loved that idea. Yay, again…I love it!! Just the right texture.

If you’re thinking about starting freemotion quilting, check out my Quilting It • Freemotion™ video course. My Overlapping Circles designs is one of the 10 designs that I have available, you can pick and choose whichever designs you’d like to learn. The videos are available in my shop.

Here is a short video of me quilting the Overlapping Circles on my Vimeo channel.

(If you’re reading this from an email, click this link if you don’t see the video below.) https://vimeo.com/672146793

After Lisa finished hand quilting, she sent me a bunch of pictures so you could also see the beautiful quilt finished.

As you can see, Lisa did a simple dash stitch in each of the stripes.

I used the natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads and I used my favorite cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

If you’re interested in having me quilt for you, please contact me or email me at quiltingit@gmail.com.

For more information about my quilting, go to my Longarm Quilting Services page. Thank you for reading!! Happy sewing!
• Leisha

Sherry’s “Lana Lemur” Quilt

Hi Friends,

I hope that your week is off to a great start!! I have a fun quilt to share with you, that I quilted last fall.

Sherry made this fun Lana Lemur for her lucky granddaughter!! The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman. Have you made this quilt before?

I used a natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads and my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

Sherry let me choose the design, and so I chose Pyrex Stems by Julie Hirt for the quilting design. It’s a design that quilts out lengthwise…meaning to get the design to look vertical on the quilt, the quilt must be turned sideways and also notice the direction of your quilt, so the design is in the right direction. I also offset the design. I love the look of the texture.

The background fabric is so sweet!! I’m not sure who the fabric designer is, sorry!

It’s fun that the lemurs are all solid fabrics, except for inside the ears, and those striped tails are the cutest.

Do you have some quilts that you need to get quilted? I would love to help you with that!! Send me an email at quiltingit@gmail.com and don’t forget to check out more quilting info on my Longarm Quilting Services page.

I haven’t blogged about my newest Domestic Stitches quilting designs…at least I don’t think I have.

I quilted this fun modern baby quilt that my mom made with my new Domestic Stitches Triangles quilting design. It’s one of nine designs that are part of my Domestic Stitches designs. They are inspired by the quilting that many domestic quilters quilt on the sewing machines. Go to my shop, to check out the other eight designs. Or you can get the bundle of all 9 designs for a discount. I’ve quilted out Domestic Stitches Squared on another one of these Star Shadow quilts. (I’ll share after I get pictures.) The pattern is by Krystina Hopkins and was in the Modern Patchwork’s Sept/Oct 2018 issue.

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope that you have a wonderful week and get to sew or quilt!!

-Leisha

Beth’s Wax Lyrical Quilt

Hi there Friends,

I’m so excited to share with you this amazing Wax Lyrical quilt that Beth made in an online workshop with Jenny Haynes of @pappersaxsten - whose pattern it is. It’s amazing, huh?!?!? The wovens are from Alison Glass’ Kaleidoscope line. If you have been following along on my instagram, then you’ve probably seen the four videos (reels) that I shared about this quilt. Two of them were of me freehand quilting the graffiti background. If you haven’t seen them, go check them out!! @leishakaye (the reels were posted on Jan 18th and 19th.)

My good friend Katie, and fellow longarm quilter from Modern Textiles, sent Beth my way…and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the opportunity to quilt this quilt for Beth. Beth sent me this picture above and asked what I thought about custom quilting this for her. It’s always wonderful to see what your quilts look like beforehand. She asked if I could do graffiti quilting in the background, and do something different in the circles, to help them stand out. She also sent me a few inspiration pictures. When she asked about graffiti quilting, I sent her a picture of the “I will cut you” scissor quilt that I quilted for Laser Cut Quilts, a few years back. I asked what she thought about this type of graffiti quilting, and she loved it!!

For more info on the “I will cut you” quilt, refer to this blog post that has all the details.

Now…first off, I am so incredibly impressed with Beth’s sewing skills. Curves typically create bulky seams and quilts that just don’t lay flat. I know…I’ve made a few quilts myself that have curves. Beth did such a beautiful job, and not just on the front but also the back…scroll down to see the incredibly beautiful thin curvy stripe that runs through the backing. Look at all the beautiful details…love this quilt!

Now let’s talk about details. First, the backing is a light gray plaid with a beautiful colorful stripe, and I didn’t want navy thread on the backing…because I use the same thread colors on the front and the backing. Tension is never 100% all the time. I was trying to figure out what to do, and then asked Beth what she thought of me using the Mono.Poly thread from Superior Threads on the top, and an Omni light gray thread in the bobbin. A few tips...I quilt on a Gammill Classic Plus. I loosened my top tension, so it was easier to pull through, but kept it threaded the same way that I do with regular thread. The thread comes with a net, keep that on the thread or it will unravel quick, and have the thread come up through the top of the net. This thread is plastic, so there is a minimal sheen to the thread. It is invisible, so it blends perfectly. If you’d like to use a darker Mono.Poly there is a Smoke color, however I have never used it. I used the same needle size, 18, that I normally use on my machine, and I didn’t change the needle position. My bobbin tension is 200 on my Towa bobbin tension gauge. If you don’t have a Towa gauge, it’s a really handy tool. Just make sure you get the correct size for your bobbin case. Mine is an M style. I used the same Mono.Poly for the quilting in the circles, too. Beth chose 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles, out of Ogden Utah.

Let’s first start with the background graffiti quilting. Have you heard that I have a Quilting It Freemotion™ course? I created a series of 10 videos, where I teach one quilting design per video. I don’t have a course on graffiti quilting, however I did use six of the ten designs that I teach, intermixed in the graffiti quilting and then I added some other fun details. The designs I used on this quilt that are in my course are…Pebbles, Swirls, Swirly Feathers, Grass, Overlapping Circles, and Overlapping Lines. Of course I have four other designs that are great to learn as well, and all are available in a bundle too. When it comes to graffiti quilting anything goes…hence the graffiti name. Whatever you’d like to include, go for it. Your graffiti quilting is going to look different than mine. That’s totally fine. When I quilt something this random, I like to have the designs travel throughout the quilt. That is the only rhyme or reason to quilting graffiti…at least for me. If you’d like to watch me quilt a little section of the graffiti, remember to go to my instagram and check out the two reels I shared. Video 1 and Video 2.

What do you think of all the different designs together? And…the circles, I’ll talk about those next. I love the contrast of organic quilting in the background and the modern look of the circles. It makes the overall design and look of the quilt, pop.

When I was teaching my Overlapping Lines, I had a new version pop into my head…introducing the pinstripe version of my Overlapping Lines. I hadn’t quilted it before so, I just drew it out. It’s fun to finally have a quilt to quilt in on. I love the look of it, and can’t wait to quilt it over and over again!

Now, for the circles…I pulled out my Circle2™ ruler set, and I ended up using 7 of the 12 sizes of circles. Starting on the outside and working my way to the center, I used the 12”, 11”, 9”, 8”, 6”, 5”, and 2” in that order. My rulers are 3/4ths of a circle, so I quilted most of the circle and then rotated the ruler to finish up the circle. The 3/4ths of a circle design allows you to have one sized circle inside, and one on the outside of the ruler. I was so grateful to have this set, for those beautiful circles. This quilt is quilted entirely freemotion, not computerized in any way. I used a couple of Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple for the straight lines. I was trying to figure out a creative curvy way to quilt the space between the two circles in the two blocks in the orange and purple colors. I decided to quilt straight lines 1/2” apart instead, and I love how it adds to the look of those blocks. Making it seem like the circles are connected. Love what simple lines can create!

It’s much easier to quilt all of those pebbles when there is a boundary of sorts. So, I made sure to quilt the large circles first, then filled in the pebbles afterwards.

Love all of the fun textures together.

If you are a longarm quilter, have you ever done graffiti quilting before? Graffiti quilting became popular from Karlee Porter. It’s fun to be inspired by other quilters. The quilting inspiration pictures that Beth sent me were from Jenny from @pappersaxten. Of course, I quilted my own versions of these designs. It’s not easy to exactly replicate another quilter’s quilting.

The oval shape below was quilted the same way as the circles, except that I used an Edge ruler for the straight center section.

I hope that you have enjoyed hearing the details about this quilt!!

A little close up, on only one part! Love, love, love!!

Here is a look at the backing. I love it when a back turns out awesome!! Love that thin curve. Can you see why I didn’t want to use navy thread on the backing…because I typically use the same thread colors on the top and bobbin.

Here are some fun close-ups of all of the quilting textures!!

Another, because one is not enough…

and another…

So much quilty goodness. Such a fun quilt for me to quilt!

Here are my Circle2™ rulers that I used for the circles…I used both the 12” and 6”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 11” and the 5”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 9”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 8” and 2”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Here is a look at the clear set all stacked up together. There are 6 rulers and 12 different sizes of circles. For more information go to this post.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Below is a look at the green set. The green set is great for lighter fabrics, so it’s easier to see the lines. My Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler set is made in USA from 1/4” high quality acrylic. It’s such a versatile set of rulers. Starting at 2” and goes up to 13”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the details about Beth’s Wax Lyrical quilt!! Hope you have a great week, and get some quilting or sewing in. Take care, Leisha

Courtney’s Triangle Peaks Quilt

Hi Friends,
I hope your week is off to a great start!! I have a fun baby quilt to quickly share with you…Courtney’s Triangle Peaks Quilt. The pattern is by Emily Dennis from Quilty Love. And, I love the colors of fabrics she chose!

Even though there isn’t a ton of white on this quilt, I still used my favorite natural white thread from Superior Threads because it blends so well, and is not stark at all. Plus, if you’ve been around here for awhile you know that I prefer lighter threads on darker fabrics, than darker threads on lighter fabrics. I also used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles out of Ogden Utah.

I sent Courtney a few options for quilting designs, and she chose my Southwest design!! Which I love!! It created some excellent angled texture to an already very angular quilt. Why and how does it work??? It’s all about the scale of the design. Not too big to compete, not too small that it doesn’t make sense, it’s just right.

Also, please refer to the images I provide to check out the suggested spacing between rows. I line the spacing between the rows of the design, to fit in line with the spacing in the design. Space done correctly adds to the overall look itself. Too much space shows, and makes the design look off.

You can see the spacing in this close up better.

The backing has minky, and so this one was extra cuddly.

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you have a fabulous day. Happy quilting!! • Leisha

Courtney’s Urban Abacus Quilt

Hi Friends,
I’m thrilled to be sharing this quilt with you finally!! I’m trying to blog in order of how I quilted my client’s quilts…and this one was hard to wait for. Why am I excited to share it??? I just love how it turned out.

Courtney made this beautiful Urban Abacus quilt, amazing huh?!?!!! Courtney is young and does a beautiful job making her quilts. I’m serious impressed with her abilities. I shouldn’t be surprised she’s already making a quilt with curves, when her first quilt was a Hexie quilt with Y seams. This fun pattern is one of the oldie but goodie patterns by the Sew Kind of Wonderful sisters, using their Quick Curve Ruler. Click on the Urban Abacus link above to be directed to the pattern, and then don’t forget to get their ruler while you’re at it. They have made curves not only possible, but so fun…instead of frustrating.

I’m loving the fabrics and contrast of the colors against the cream background. This would be the perfect pattern to showcase fabrics that you love.

With the overall look of the leaves and foxes, I thought that Patricia Ritter’s and my Birchwood quilting design would look great!! I’m a little biased, I know, but I think it looks fabulous!

I actually love this design so much, I used it on my Christmas quilt. It’s a fun take of a leaf shape wood grain. Such a versatile design. It’s available at Urban Elementz.

I used a cream Omni thread from Superior Threads, and my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

This quilt is a dream make for me. There are a few others I want to make as well, now I just need to be on the lookout for some fun fabrics.

A couple of other close ups. Just love it sooo much!

Thanks for being here for another quick quilting blog post. I hope you enjoyed all the pictures, and appreciate the info about quilting. Happy quilting • Leisha

Kathy’s Halloween quilt

Hi Friends,
Check out this super cute Halloween quilt that Kathy made in one day!! We sew together at a sewing group, and she put this together so quick.

The pattern is called Goose Chase by PineRose Designs, featuring the Black Cat Capers fabrics from Northcott. Kathy got it in a kit from our local quilt shop, Stylish Fabrics. As I was searching for the pattern, a blog post said something about this being a hard quilt to make, once the panel is out of stock. If you’re interested in it, please use the information above to search for one. I’m not aware of anyone who has this quilt kit available.

We talked about different thread colors, and decided Black would be great!! I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

Kathy wanted spiderwebs for the quilting, which is perfect with the black thread. I used Haunted Web by Apricot Moon Designs.

Looks so cute quilted over that cat!!

What holiday themed quilts are you wanting to make this year???

Thanks for coming on by! Happy quilting, - Leisha

Do you have something that you’d like to have quilted? I’d love to quilt for you. Please check out my Longarm Quilting Services page for info.

Julie’s Twin Stars

Hi Friends,
I’ve blogged a lot this week, in an effort to catch up. I have another beautiful quilt to share with you.

Julie made this Twin Stars quilt from a book called Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. It’s such a striking quilt!

Julie used Red, White, and Bloom fabric line by Kimberbell.

Julie requested Patricia Ritter and my Liberty quilting design, which I was thrilled to quilt for her. It was a great choice!!

I used natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads and 8020 cotton poly blend batting…if I remember right.

Such a fun cheerful 4th of July quilt!!

I blog quilts that I quilt edge to edge for a couple of reasons…to show off a great quilting design on an actual quilt, and also to show ideas on what looks good quilted on a particular quilt pattern. As a pantograph designer, I get asked all the time how a design looks on a quilt. I hope over time, my blog can be a great resource for that very thing. Also, I try to link every pattern…and I’ve quilted such a great variety, it’s always fun when a new one comes into my studio.

As I’m trying to catch up on blogging, I’ll be sending out a few emails here and there with links to other blog posts. That way I’m not flooding your inbox, but you still see the other blog posts.

Have a wonderful day!! Happy quilting, Leisha

Barbara’s Good Night Baby Quilt

Hi Friends,
I hope your first week of the new year was great for you!! I have my second quilt on the Longarm for the year. A large queen sized quilt, that I’m quilting custom. I only have a few other quilts ready for quilting. I’d love to quilt for you!! Email me at quiltingit@gmail.com and I’ll get you added to the list! For info on my prices, go to my Longarm Quilting Services page.

I quilted this bright and happy baby quilt for my friend Barbara last fall. Isn’t it adorable?!?!!!! She made it for her niece, who had her first baby. The pattern is called Good Night Baby and is by Annie’s. I found the pattern on anniescatalog.com.

I love all the colored fabrics that Barbara used!!

I used an natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles.

The backing is minky, so I suggested Malachite from Patricia Ritter at Urban Elementz for the quilting. I knew the texture would be incredible. I love it!!!

More pictures of that fabulous texture!!!

And…the minky yellow backing!!!

Have you made any rainbow colored quilts? I have a few, and they are just so fun.

Thanks for quickly stopping by!! Have a great weekend, and I hope you get in some sewing time. Happy quilting, Leisha

Barbara’s Berries Runner

Hi there Friends,

I’m back with more quilting, this one I did custom. Today it’s a table runner. Barbara did a beautiful job making it. The pattern is by Joanna from Fig Tree & Co and is called Berries. If you’re looking for some fun easy projects, that don’t take much fabric or time, check out some of Joanna’s other mini quilts or runners. Barbara also used Joanna’s fabrics.

This was such a fun one to custom quilt. I started with the 1/2” grid in the berries, using the 8” Edge ruler from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple. The pinstripes in the background are the last thing that I quilted, which I used the same 8” Edge to quilt. The backgrounds behind the berries really stumped me. It took me awhile to figure out what to do. I didn’t want to quilt something dense and have it compete with the grid or curves that surround it. I think the simple vertical lines were a perfect choice.

I used a cream Omni thread from Superior Threads. The batting was a scrap leftover from another quilt.

Look how cute that berry is!! I used two of my Circle2™ rulers to quilt these curves. I used the 4“ circle, which is pictured below, to quilt the curves in the green stems. I want to point out that the quilting is balanced because the scale in each part of the quilting is a little different. Differing sizes or scales, adds a different variety, but it’s important to vary the scale only a little bit. If I did something way too large or small, the size difference would stick out like a sore thumb. Just keep that in mind.

My rulers are called Circle2™ (circle squared) because there are 2 circles per ruler. My Circle2™ rulers are available in a set of 6 rulers, with the circles ranging in size from 2” up to 13”. I actually never would have guessed that I would have used the 4” circle and 11” circle on a table runner. It turned out great, because the curves fit the spots perfectly.

As you look at the picture below, notice the square’ish circle that is around all of the berry blocks. I quilted those curves with my 11” Circle2™ Ruler. For a more detailed look at my quilting thoughts, click this link to a Instagram video… https://www.instagram.com/tv/CT5q5jTpds1/?utm_medium=copy_link

I love all of the borders together. The ribbon candy, pebbles and swirls, and the curves that intertwine. Love it all!!

If you’re new to custom or freemotion quilting, and would like to learn some new designs or even get going, check out my Quilting It Freemotion™ videos for purchase in my store. I teach the pebbles and swirls in the checkered border, in the pebbles video.

Another close up and angled view of the borders. I also love to quilt a simple x, where all the curves come together.

Here are all the Circle2™ rulers stacked up and ready to send your way! They are made in the USA, from high quality acrylic.

They are a 1/4” thick, with a 2.5” width for easy handling while quilting. It has been such a great versatile set of circle rulers. For more info, check out this blog post about them.

Ruler - Design Patent D875,574 -

Thanks for being here! I hope you enjoyed a quick look at this fun little runner. Have a great day!!

Happy Quilting, -Leisha

Karla’s Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt

Hi Friends,
I hope your new year is off to a great start!! This lovely Disappearing 9 Patch quilt was made by Karla.

I’ve made a couple of these quilts myself, and it’s such a fast one. If you have a layer cake or some charm packs that you need to use up, this is a great option. Jenny from Missouri Star has a great video tutorial for this pattern.

Karla used gorgeous fabrics from Minick and Simpson by Moda. I used a batting she provided. Interestingly enough…Karla had some ladies that she goes to church with, tie this quilt. She didn’t really love it, so she undid the ties and brought it to me to quilt. I think it turned out beautiful!

With the traditional fabrics and pattern, I suggest Patricia Ritter and my Opal design for the quilting. Opal is one of many designs of ours that are available at Urban Elementz. Opal is one of my go to traditional designs to quilt on a quilt, that isn’t a feather.

I used a cream Omni thread, which blends beautifully.

Some close ups of all that beautiful texture!!

Do you love traditional fabrics and patterns? I do!! If you do too, what are some of your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by!!! Happy quilting, Leisha

My Stars and Stripes Quilt

Hi Friends,
Happy New Year!! I hope your holidays were wonderful! It’s always great to take some time at the end of each year and spend time with family.

To start this year off, I have a quilt of my own to share.

The pattern is called Stars and Stripes by Camille from Thimble Blossoms. It’s such a fun simple yet modern take on a flag quilt. I used her and her mom Bonnie’s woven fabrics to make it as well. The pink wovens work great, as a lighter version of the red wovens.

I used my favorite natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads, and 100% bamboo batting from Winline Textiles out of Ogden Utah.

I can’t remember what I initially planned on for the quilting, but by the time that I got around to quilting it, I decided on my Wicker design. There is minimal backtracking, and it lined up pretty good for me.

I can’t get over that quilting texture!! When I design a quilting design, I think about the overall texture, instead of just the single motif. That helps me visualize it so much better.

I used a muslin mates fabric from Moda, for the background. It has a little white on white dash. I get it from my favorite fabric store Sisters and Quilters. (Their image on etsy is rather yellow, but that is to help show the print.)

One thing I struggled with on this quilt, picking a backing and binding fabric. Something that went well with the wovens. I found this sweet backing, that has a little bud and leaf. I ordered a couple of different wovens that I used in the top for the binding, but I just didn’t love them with the front and backing. So I went with the same fabric that I used in the sashing, for the binding. I think it turned out great!! I’m a pretty decisive person, but for some reason I have the hardest time picking out backings or bindings for quilts.

I love my “handmade by Leisha Kaye” labels. I got them from Custom Labels 4 U.

Can we just pause and appreciate all that beautiful quilty texture? It’s one of my very favorites!!

Would you like Wicker or one of my other quilting designs, quilted on one of your quilts? I would love to quilt for you!! Check out my Longarm Quilting Services page, for more info.

Thanks for being here!! Happy quilting, Leisha

Lori’s Pinwheel Quilt

This Lovely quilt was made by Lori, for her son and daughter-in-law for their wedding. It’s big and beautiful!! It’s so big, I couldn’t really get it all in the picture. There are half square triangles on the outside border, all the way around the quilt.

If I remember correctly, she didn’t use a pattern. I used natural white Omni thread from Superior, and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline out of Ogden Utah.

She asked for feathers, and I was excited to quilt Patricia Ritter and my Ginger quilting design. It’s available at Urban Elementz. We have a handful of feathered designs, but Ginger is my favorite. We have oodles of other designs, if you’re ever looking for something new and fun to quilt.

While I have the image above and the quilt below, I’d like to point out the spacing between the feathers. When Patricia and I were talking about this design during the designing process, I wanted there to be space between the feathers, which I think defines the feathers and helps the design breathe a little. It makes it unique, which I love!

Look at all of that lovely texture!!

I like to quilt this design at a height around 9.5”. Which varies if the quilt itself has a bigger or smaller pattern.

I’ve quilted Ginger on several different quilts, it’s such a versatile design. A modern design take on a classic design.

I hope you have some fun projects in the works!!! Happy quilting!
• Leisha

I would love to quilt for you. Check out my Longarm Quilting Services page for more info. Contact me at quiltingit@gmail.com to get on my list. I look forward to working with you!!

Sherry’s Boo Crew Quilt

Hi Friends,
Happy Halloween!! Just kidding…I thought about waiting to share this quilt, however this would be a fun Christmas gift for you or one of your quilting friends. It’s a block of the month by Stitches of Love, and it’s called Boo Crew. It’s was made by Sherry.

This quilt was such a fun one to custom quilt!! Have you ever wanted to learn how to freemotion quilt? I have a set of 10 videos in my Quilting It Freemotion course, and it’s available in my shop. I used four of the designs on this quilt, along with some ribbon candy and ruler work.

Lets talk quilting details… I knew from the get go that I was going to quilt the Crackle in the background of the applique blocks, its just the perfect texture. The rest just came to me as I continued to quilt, which is typically how I custom quilt. I quilted ribbon candy in the black sashing, and Pebbles with swirls in every other pebble in the white striped border. I added little details in some of the applique, to help it lay flat. I quilted a little triangle in the black triangle, a half inch in from the outside edges. The haunted house got some Wood Grain and 1/2” angled lines on the roofs. To finish off along the edges, I quilted my Overlapping Lines design a half inch apart. Wow!! That’s a mouth full. Haha! I do love the combination of all of the designs together. It adds some modern whimsical touches that enhance the quilt itself. Love what I do!

I used Linda from The Quilted Pineapple’s Edge rulers to quilt the lines. Those Crackle lines however, are all freemotion…no ruler needed. If you’re looking to improve or start freemotion quilting, check out my Quilting It Freemotion™ videos. You can start with Stippling and work your way through the designs, or pick and choose which designs you’d like to learn. Of course there is a bundle of all 10, and you get the 10th video free! Please join me in Quilting It Freemotion™.

Some closer looks at all of those fun details!!

I used orange and natural white Omni threads, and black Perma Core thread from A&E. I used 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline, which is based out of Ogden Utah.

A close up look at all of those fun borders. See how great they all harmonize together. The scales are a little different, and yet the quilting itself enhances the shapes.

Do you have a quilt that you would like custom quilted? I would love to quilt for you!! Please head on over to my Longarm Quilting Services page, and check out the details. I have a couple of custom quilting spots left in January, and quite of few edge to edge quilting spots available. Hit reply to this email, and I’ll get you added to my list.

Thanks for being here. I hope that you have a wonderful week leading up to Christmas and New Years. Take care, -Leisha

• Longarm Quilting Services •

Hi Friends,
I hope your holiday season is off to a great start!!

Thank you for another great year!! I’m so grateful for my wonderful clients, and all of the beautiful quilts I’ve had the pleasure of quilting this year. Thank you, thank you!! Which means I have so many beautiful quilts to share with you all!

With a new year approaching, I decided to do things a little differently starting in January 2022. It’s been 9 years since I’ve upped my hourly prices, and thought it was time for a price increase. However I’m going to do things a little differently. Starting in January I will charge $40 an hour for custom quilting, with a $50 minimum. Edge to edge quilting will start at $.03 a square inch with a $50 minimum, and go up from there depending on the desired density. I already quilt edge to edge quilting at the appropriate scale for a quilt, however if you’d like something quilted more densely, that’s totally fine just let me know. (Which is when the price per square inch goes up to $.04)

Honestly… I’ve tried charging by the square inch before, but it was too hard to figure out what to charge for custom quilting, that’s why I stayed at an hourly rate. I’m hoping that separating how I charge for custom vs edge to edge quilting, will work out better.

Thread and batting are not included in the quilting prices. For more info click here: Longarm Quilting Services

I would love to quilt for you!! If you click on the link above, and scroll down, you can see a button that says “Machine Quilting Request Form”, which I linked, and a new window will open up. You will see a pdf, print it and fill it out, to bring or mail with your quilt. It really helps me to have the info about your quilts as I blog and share them on social media.

I’m also planning to quilt 3-4 custom quilts a month, along with all the edge to edge quilts I can fit in. To get on my custom or edge to edge list, you can text (if you have my number) or email me at quiltingit@gmail.com • My turn around times are typically 2 weeks, until fall when Christmas quilting starts. As of right now I have 3 custom spots open in January, and several edge to edge quilting spots still available. I will have more updates available in my Instagram stories @leishakaye of my quilting turn around. Please go follow along there.

Please let me know if you have any questions!! Thanks for being here! Here’s to a great 2022!

A couple of quilts I quilted edge to edge. Quilting details on these quilts, coming soon to my blog.

I quilted the rest of these quilts freemotion or freehand. Custom quilting is so much fun!!

Sometimes custom quilting can be light, like the quilt above. I used rulers, and it’s quite simple, yet the overall look is so fun! Just the right amount of quilting for this quilt.

When custom quilting I try to quilt something to enhance the fabrics and quilt pattern. Like the scalloped edge, which frames it nicely or the organic dense lines in hair and face. When it comes to custom quilting, it’s all about the details.

More of my work can be found in my work gallery and on my blog.

Thanks for stopping by!!
• Have a happy and safe holidays, Leisha

Corinne’s Stargazers Quilt

Hi Friends,

Happy almost Thanksgiving for all of my American friends, and to everyone else I hope your holidays are off to a wonderful start!!

I am sooo excited to share this super sweet quilt pattern called Stargazers by Corinne Wells from Frannie B Quilt Co., that I had the privilege to quilt. Today is release day!!! Click on that Stargazers link above to get your copy of her pattern.

Corinne and I talked about some modern quilting…nothing specific, and this is what I came up with. I wish you could each see the soft creams and beautiful prints by Gabrielle Neil Design for Riley Blake. I just love the combo of all of it together.

I used a cream thread from Superior Threads and 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline out of Ogden Utah.

As you look at the background in the picture below, you’ll notice random x or plaid like blocks. You’ll also notice my Overlapping Circles design throughout the background. There is a rhyme and reason behind it all. There are randomly placed squares, amongst several rectangles. I wanted to add some extra depth and variety to the background, and so in each of the square blocks I quilted a plaid like x. In each of the rectangular blocks, I quilted my Overlapping Circles design. So, that gave me a boundary of sorts for each design. Which helped the plaid like x, dance around the background. I love the combination. The Overlapping Circles add some softness and whimsy to this quilt. It’s my take on some softer modern quilting.

If you’ve been hoping to try freemotion quilting, you’re in luck!! I have a Quilting It Freemotion™ course in my shop. I chose 10 different designs to teach. If you already longarm quilt, and have wanted to learn some new designs, check out some of my more advanced designs…and if you’re a beginner, I suggest you start with Stippling and work your way through each of the classes. As you practice, you’ll be well on your way to quilting confidently. It’s so much fun!!!

Lets first start with the plaid x…I used my favorite Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple. I started with an X, and then used those lines to quilt a 1/2” line on both sides of each side of the X. I also paid attention to the corners, as you can see below, and made sure they felt complete. When the squares are together, like pictured below, they naturally create another mini four patch in the corners.

I used my 3” Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler to quilt all the curves in the stars. I repeated that same X in the center of the star, and did the orange peel petals on it instead of the 1/2” lines. Then used the same 3” Circle2™ ruler to quilt the curves around the outside of the star. Easy to do, and such a beautiful design.

Ultimately, I wanted the quilting to look like it was layered. As if the Overlapping Circles are in the background, and the plaid X is layered just on top, of course with the stars on the very top. The textures are just sooo beautiful all together.

Now…I want to make one and quilt it the exact same!! I love it that much!

I love these close up pictures that show the details, yet as you look into the distance you can see the beautiful textures. I love what I do!

This is a look at my 3”/9” Circle2™ ruler, and also the green set stacked on top of one another. The sizes of circles range from 2” to 13”, with two circles per ruler. Be on the look out for some videos on how to use them. They will be located on my @leishakaye instagram. I even have a video or two from quilting this quilt.

Circle2™ Ruler - Design Patent D875,574 -

My Circle2™ rulers are 1/4” thick, and are made with high quality acrylic in America. I use them nearly every time that I custom quilt, they are that versatile. I’m so grateful for the variety of sizes. For more info about my rulers, check them out in my shop.

I want to thank everyone who shopped during my sale, and those of you who have done so in the past. I really am so grateful to be apart of such a wonderfully supportive quilting community. Thanks for letting me be apart of it with you.

I hope this holiday season is a wonderful one for each of you!! Take care, and happy quilting.

• Leisha

PS…I just added these two videos, showing how I quilted the x’s and stars. Enjoy!!!

I’m quilting the x’s in this video.

I’m quilting the stars in this video with my 3” Circle2™ rulers.

Thanks for watching!!

Sherry’s Gnome Quilt

Hello Friends,
I hope you’re doing well!! So excited for the weekend, and I hope you have some fun plans. I’m going to the new ghostbusters movie with a friend, and also getting some things ready for Thanksgiving.

But first, check out this fun quilt that Sherry made!! It’s the Gnome block of the month from Stitches of Love. It really is such a cute quilt. I have lots of pictures and some quick details about the quilting.

When I saw this quilt, I knew that I wanted to quilt my Overlapping Circles design in the background, which adds to the whimsy of this quilt. I love how it brings so much more personality to the quilt, while also combining all of the monthly blcoks together. Have you ever wanted to learn how to freemotion quilt on your longarm??? I have a video to teach you how to do this very design. It’s available in my shop, and is actually on sale right now until Sunday the 21st at midnight.

Side note: While I do have a computer on my machine, this entire quilt was quilted freemotion. Meaning, I hand guided the machine. Which is so fun for me.

Look at all of those cute gnomes and their homes. Haha!! Really though. When it came to quilting the gnomes, I kept it pretty simple. Their homes got a little more quilting, because that’s just too much space to quilt minimally. I used my favorite edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple, for all of the lines throughout the quilt.

So many fun textures. I know that quilting adds great personality to a quilt, but I didn’t want to make this super busy by quilting everything so much, especially with the Overlapping Circles in the background of the whole quilt. So, my goal is to highlight each shape with just the right amount of quilting, while enhancing the overall quilting.

A closer look at the top, and then bottom of the rows. I love the flying geese rows, they frame each section beautifully.

Here is a closer look at the flying geese. This really is a simple yet modern design. For many years I quilted 3 petals in flying geese, and while it looks nice, I wanted to mix it up and try something new. It’s just four simple lines spaced 1/2” apart, crossing to create that fun grid pattern. To fill the negative space in the background I used my 4” Circle2™ ruler to create that subtle curve. Just the right amount of softness.

Also notice the corner block. Once again, simple lines spaced 1/2” apart. It creates some modern touches without losing the overall whimsy of the quilt itself. Custom quilting or freemotion quilting is all about creating textures that work together…which compliments the overall design.

Here are a couple of closeups. I love the pebbles in the santa beard, and the grid in the pilgrims hat. The fun little details are so fun to come up with.

Check out those fun pebbles and swirls mixed together. I have a video on this as well. My favorite thing to quilt in any 1” border.

Also checkout that adorable house…those petals on the top are so sweet!

I used my favorite 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline, and the natural white Omni thread from Superior Threads.

I love all of those borders together!! A great mix of straight lines and beautiful soft curves. They frame this quilt beautifully.

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at this fun block of the month quilt.

Here is a look at the 4” Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler, that I used for the curves on all of the flying geese. You can find out more info on my Circle2™ set of rulers, in my shop. Just a reminder, everything in my shop is on sale until Sunday November 21st at midnight. No codes necessary.

Circle2™ ruler - Design Patent D875,574 -

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend. -Leisha