By Popular Demand . . .

Thanks for leaving me comments--I love to read what you all have to say! Several of you asked about the quilting I'm doing on the Prairie Paisley quilt, so I thought I'd tell you a little about it and show you how it's done.

Yes, the pattern I'm using is just free-hand, free motion, and it's simple as can be!

I think the name of the fabric line, Prairie Paisley, reminded me of this quilting pattern, and I had decided I just wanted to do an all-over quilt design on this one since I'll probably use it as a table topper or small throw, so this pattern seemed ideal. And with the scrappiness of the fabrics in the quilt, using the variegated red, white, and blue thread also seemed like it would work well.

I have a feeling I may have seen a tutorial on this on someone else's blog, but I have no idea whose--sorry! So I just drew out on a piece of paper how the pattern works. Try it yourself on a piece of paper and see how easy it is to do; I bet it will give you confidence to try it on a quilt if you've never done this before!

First of all, I like to start in the middle of my quilt. See where it says "start"? Self-explanatory, I think! From there, you just stitch a loop--see those arrows along the line of the curve? I usually try to go with an oval or tear drop shape but a circle works fine too--this really is a forgiving pattern that doesn't require you to be perfect.

Now change direction and make another loop, echoing the first one.

Finally, a third loop and your first "pattern" is complete. (What I'm calling a "pattern" is what you have when you make three loops--are you with me so far?) Ready to keep going?

Whichever direction you start your next inner loop is the direction you'll end up going when this second "pattern" is done. In other words, if you want to keep moving around more or less in a circle, clockwise, then start your loop going in a clockwise direction. Here, though, I'm making the second "pattern" go counter-clockwise.

Just keep going like you did the first "pattern" until you have three loops and are ready to move on again.

Here again I switched directions, starting the first loop going clockwise, so my third loop will end on the right side of this third "pattern."

And so there's the fourth "pattern" completed, and my "stitching line" (okay, actually my pencil in this case!) ends up on the left side of the pattern I just completed. If I keep switching the direction of the first loop each time, I'll end up with "patterns" that keep going in a somewhat straight line across the quilt, and I don't really want that--I want it to look more random. So, for the next few "patterns," I'll keep the first loop going counter-clockwise and start circling around that first "pattern."

So, that's pretty much it. Simple? The point is to keep going and filling in the open spaces. If you work yourself into a corner, it's not a problem--just stop, clip your threads, and start again at the edge of your quilted pattern where you have some open space to move.

Now I've worked up an appetite doing all this paper quilting. Time for dessert. Look what I found at the store today--

And gosh are they yummy! I know this because we've already eaten some. But this is a BIG container, so we'd best get busy eating more!

Oh, and by the way--here's a thrifting mystery update. Remember that rolling pin thingy? My anonymous but self-proclaimed "best Bro in law" left a comment for me today, advising that it IS IN FACT for back massages and suggested I try it out on hubby. Here's what he said: "Just don't try and flatten him like you would with a ball of dough!" How about if I just beat him with it instead, best bro in law?! Oh, but wait! Then you'd have to come arrest me, wouldn't you?! Unless, of course, you're one of my OTHER anonymous best brothers in law and not the one in law enforcement?! As I happen to be "blessed" with four brothers-in-law, I'm making an educated guess on which one left the comment. His mention of homemade apricot brandy, though, was a pretty good clue, since most of my best brothers in law are happy enough with plain old beer!!!

Thanks for stopping by to visit! And try out that quilt pattern soon--I bet you'll enjoy it!