Originally Posted by greenfairy

Karin pieced and appliqued this "Ladies of the Sea" quilt designed Sue Garman. Karin did a fabulous job and I would be lying if I didn't feel slightly pressured to make sure I didn't ruin this quilt. I am always grateful when I get to be a part of a quilt that will be treasured for a long time. So, this quilt was "simple" in the fact that I didn't have to think much about what I was doing. I had to draw a ton of lines, 1/4 straight lines on a 45 degree angle got a little tiring. Each block, from start to finish took me around 1 hour, some took longer than that. So, just in block work it was around 16 hours. The rest of the quilting, mostly pebbling took me 43 hours. So, 59 hours total to complete this quilt. Amazingly enough, I enjoyed the pebbling more than I enjoyed the straight stitching. Although, my back was aching for a few hours after each quilting session. It's all worth it in the end as you can see the applique pop and become the showcase it needs to be. I used two layers of batting - I don't use one layer anymore - but for this quilt I used a wool batting and a Hobbs 80/20 batting. I think it worked out beautifully. I used Kimono Silk Thread by Superior Threads for the first time. I have to say, I loved it! It's a strong, durable thread and super thin. I didn't have any problems with the thread and I am sure I will use it again. It's a little more pricey, but I think it is worth it for your masterpiece quilts. This was done freehand on my A-1 Longarm.