Design Wall: Halloween Quilts Already?

---

Name: Carrie Sisk
Title: Social Media Manager, Traditional + Modern Quilting
I live in: Roxborough, Colorado. Colorado is full of subdivisions that have their own subdivisions with subdivisions of their own. I think you get the point. So, although Roxborough isn’t the city name (it’s actually Littleton), Roxborough is accepted by the post office as an official mailing place. Confused? Me too!
I started quilting: When I began working with, what is now, The Quilting Company, I started my tenure here as the Video Production Coordinator. This meant that I got to sit in on tapings for quilting courses from talented and expert quilters such as Jenny Kae Parks, Nancy Mahoney, Darlene Zimmerman, Marsha McCloskey, Dawn Cavanaugh, Angela Huffman, Mary Fons, Thomas Knauer, the Sulky of America crew, Mark Lipinski, Patrick Lose, and so many more. How lucky am I?! And, I will also add, they are all lovely human beings.
What I’ve Made: I’ve worked with traditional quilt patterns, fabrics, and techniques, however, I’m going to take a crack at some art quilting next. Square Dance by Libby Williamson, from Quilting Arts April/May 2018, caught my eye and I’ve been a bit obsessed ever since. Since I’m a crafter at heart (crochet, paper crafts, drawing, painting, etc., etc.), mixed media appeals to me. And, if I can incorporate quilting into that mix, I’m all in!
What I’m Making: The Quilting Company staff is brewing up some Halloween goodies over here in Golden, Colorado. Yes, Halloween! We’ll give you the full story once we’ve gathered everyone’s creations together, but for now, here’s a sneak peek of my Halloween quilt…

---

Before we talk about future holidays, I must admit, I have two Christmas quilts—technically, Christmas gift quilts—that still need binding. I’m usually not the kind of person/crafter/quilter who lets projects sit unfinished, but these quilts are dangerously close to becoming UFOs.

Since they were wrapped and gifted, I have an obligation to get them done—my motivation! You may have seen them, actually—I wrote about them in “The Gifts Our Staff are Making” blog series during this past holiday season. (They’re part of a package of four FREE quilt patterns, by the way, so you’ll want to download those.)

I was up against a tight deadline, but somehow miraculously finished the quilting. But, as you now know, the binding awaits. Here they are with close-ups of the quilting in the middle.

This was my second and third time using a longarm quilting machine to quilt my quilts. I don’t love the crescent moon quilting on Classic Elements, but I’m happy with the wavy lines on Color Bars.

Every time I free-motion quilt on the longarm, I learn something new. I felt compelled to pass along some tips for those beginning their longarm quilting journey, which you can find in First-Timer Tips For Longarm Quilting (Everyone Can Longarm Quilt!). Those longarm quilting online courses from my Video Production Coordinator days stuck with me… thank you Dawn and Angela! 🙂

My goal is to get the binding on before mid-May. Here is how I like to add my quilt binding:

There are 4 videos for each of the major steps, so make sure to watch How to Bind a Quilt, Step 2 of 4: Sewing The Binding To The Quilt for more instruction.

I’ll likely be binding my Halloween quilt in the same manner, although I’m tempted to attach the binding by machine on the back. It’s going to be another quilt for my now 3-year-old (she’s realized the joys of trick-or-treating, which is really a euphemism for give-me-all-the-candy), but I’ll leave the size and layout a surprise for the upcoming Halloween extravaganza that many of The Quilting Company staff are participating in. In the meantime, here’s a look at the beginning of my quilt blocks.

It’s a time for firsts, it seems, since this project marks the first time I’ve dabbled in fusible web. I still have much to go, like adding eyes, beaks, and other embellishments, but I’ve realized how very forgiving the zigzag stitch is and that’s been a great learning experience. Here’s one embellishment you’ll see when we revisit this quilt (another first for me):

I have an idea of where I’ll be putting the ribbon, but I want to hear what you think? Any ideas?

Talk to you soon!