Hello Sweden!

Göteborg, Vastra Gotaland or more simply...Sweden has been stopping by my blog on a regular basis. This post is just for you Swedes out there who have been following my blog. Thank you! I would love to hear from you - who you are, what you do - quilter or not, what it's like where you live in Sweden. Are you on Gotland Island? I googled Sweden, but that's not half as exciting as getting to meet you! So please, shout a hello my way! Send some pictures! You know about what I do...what do you do? I know there's more than one of you because I saw that someone shared my blog with an entire Swedish yahoo group...that was pretty cool! Please email me or leave me a comment! And definitely keep visiting!!! Email: BethanyQuilts@gmail.com

Below are some interesting facts I found about Sweden...

>Sweden's largest and most populated islands are Oland and Gotland, located off the eastern coast in the Baltic Sea.

>Sweden comprises about 174,000 miles of dense forest and 100,000 lakes. The fourth largest country in Europe, it can be compared in size to California.

>Sweden is generally divided into three main regions: Norrland is the mountainous northern zone, Svealand is the hilly, lake-filled region located in central Sweden, and Gotaland is the country's broad southern plateau.

*Sources of Information & Photos:

http://www.map-of-sweden.com/

http://earth.esa.int/ew/oil_slicks/gotland-sweden_may05/

http://antimonite.blogsome.com/2008/04/27/the-island-of-gotland/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imphy/2835656389/

http://www.unitetheunio.com/

Bursting Blooms

My mom Nancy has completed another beauty. The soft victorian florals pieced in a modern design allowed for quilting that was soft and yet playful. The whimsical flowers stitched in the circles of each block compliment the quilt design and bring a lively new element. The piecing for this quilt is "busy" but the colors are muted. This is the main reason why more than simple quilting worked. Way to go MOM! Below are a few of the sketches she drew in order to come up with a design most appropriate for the top.

The meandering in the background area added movement but also blended in, allowing the floral design to "burst forth."

More of the Stunning Mariner's Compass...

I was so pleased with how well this turned out. I had a blast setting it "on fire"!!! See the post below for more info. about the quilt.

Stunning Mariner's Compass

I just recently quilted a top for Kim, owner of Carolina Sew n' Vac in Raleigh, NC. See more information on her store here. http://www.carolinasewnvac.com/ Stop by her shop and check out the quilt and all of Kim's fabrics and quilting goodies. Kim was delighted with how well the quilt turned out. It will be hanging as a sample in her store soon.

Before & After... Being around such intense colors made this quilt a lot of fun to work on. As always, I took great care that the quilting complimented and did not dominate the top. I had more freedom than usual to "go wild" with the quilting on this top due to the large plain areas of bold color. But I was also careful to be sure that all the differently quilted sections worked together as a whole. The goal was to have the quilting come radiating from the center. The flames in the pink, green, and blue areas intensified the explosive elements of this top & added a whole new dimension to the quilt. This quilt is literally bursting with personality, color, & texture. It makes quite a statement...

Before....

After....

3,000!!!!

Since December 22, 2008 I have had over 3,000 people visit my blog!!!!!! WHOOPEEE!!!! 3,000 people in 9 months is exciting! America stops by my blog the most frequently and Sweden is a close second as of late. Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, South Korea, Ecuador, Argentina, India, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Croatia, Peru, Japan & New Zealand are some of the many countries who have visited. Thanks for coming everybody!!! I've got loads of pictures and many more ideas to share with you! Daffy knows how I feel - ecstatic!!!

Swirling Whimsey

My adopted grandmother Nancy gave me another one of her beauties to quilt! It is rich array of colorful batiks set off by a dark purple background. She is making it for one of her grandchildren who will soon be going to study abroad. The country where she will be staying is quite cold, so Nancy put flannel on the back of the quilt and requested 100% wool batting. The lofty batting in combination with the soft flannel and a colorful block arrangement, made for a quilt that is both stunning and snuggly. I was sure to make the quilting open and big. This prevented the batting from being flattened. Part of the appeal of the wool batting is it's incredible poofiness. (if that's a word) The most open type of quilting I do is whimsey. But this seemed too whimsical for such an exquisite quilt. So I added some swirls. The quilting turned out better than I anticipated.

The quilt looked like a jewel collection - such lovely colors.

Me and my adopted grandmother... In the post below this one, you will see a quilt that is identical in pattern to this one. It was also done by Nancy for a grandson of hers who is also off to college. It was fun doing a guy and girl version of the same quilt. They both took on entirely different personalities. (every quilt has a personality) See you again soon! I have so much to post!!!