Quilt Photography Company: Curious Dream Wonderland Quilt II

Previously I shared about Quilt Photography Company and how wonderfully convenient it is to ship off my quilt and leave the pictures to a pro. Today I have the privilege of sharing my second rendition of the Wonderland Quilt.

This version has less saturated hues, and uses scraps and thematic prints from Angela Pignel's Curious Dream for Windham, which you can find on sale at Fat Quarter Shop.

You can pick up the pattern on Payhip.

I also have tutorials to walk you through the details. Just click on the Wonderland tab above.

As always, I entrusted my quilting to Aurifil. This time I used colors 2620, 5007, 2615, 2024, 2692, 2784, 2783, 2805, 5006, 2884, 1114, 2860, 5015, 2214, 2420, and 6729. Details about the free-motion designs I selected are overviewed in a former post.



If you're an Albuquerque local, I teach free-motion classes periodically through the University of New Mexico Continuing Education. We have a great time trying out new designs, and you can even borrow a Bernina sewing machine without an additional charge instead of schlepping your own.

The words aren't actually hand embroidered, but rather, free motion quilted with Aurifil 12 wt. Check out my pointers on my previous post.

If you're interested in fantastic pictures for posterity, quilt show jurying, a pattern cover or just because you want to upgrade from the tan carpet, dimly lit, odd-angled shot, go check out Quilt Photography Company, and tell them I sent you.

Quilt Photography Company: The Original Wonderland Quilt

It's no surprise quilters are very visual people. Beautiful images draw us in and compel us to snatch up a new quilt pattern, buy charity quilt raffle tickets, enroll in workshops, follow blogs, and start up yet another block of the month.

Perhaps the most often neglected, and yet critical element in sharing quilting work with those who aren't able to see it in person is photography.

I've learned to invest in professional photographs of my children. Given that I've likewise invested months and even years to bringing quilts to life and watching them develop from a longing of the imagination to the manifestation of my hopes, it makes sense that they should also be commemorated with a digital likeness.

When Amy Garro of 13 Spools, who I met and immediately admired for her down to earth awesomeness at a book signing for her step-by-step visual guide Paper Pieced Modern, was starting up a much needed company designed to provide high quality quilt photography, I couldn't wait. Aside from having great parenting advice for active boys and spot-on home design skills, she's an exceptional photographer who knows her way around quilts.

I'm so proud to be given a slot on the Quilt Photography Company ambassador team, and had the privilege of sending my Wonderland Quilt in for glamor treatment.

I couldn't be more pleased with how she captured all the details with every draping and angle.

Whether you're an artist hoping to fetch good price for your quilt masterpiece, a pattern designer in need of a great cover shot, someone who would like to remember a quilt that will be auctioned to a worthy cause, one of many hoping for the chance to be juried into a national competition, or you have reasons of your own to want a captivating portfolio of quilt images, I highly recommend hiring Quilt Photography Company.

Multiple package options, ranging from Package 1 which includes a full and detail shot to Package 3 which contains a dozen shots capturing every detail from one bound edge to the other, are available to suit your budget and objectives.

As I'm very protective of my quilts, I greatly appreciated how organized Quilt Photography Company was throughout the process. 

Every step of the way, I received clear instructions and prompt communication. I didn't have to worry about if my quilts made it to their destination, or if they would be well looked after.

Because dim lighting is better suited to an upscale, romantic restaurant, and bare feet lend themselves to beach vacations more than quilt accesorizing, I'm so pleased to leave the intimidating task of shooting my quilts to Quilt Photography Company. 

Besides, it frees me up to stitch my next big idea. 

Please do me a favor and let Quilt Photography Company know I sent you, if you send a quilt for special treatment.

Last year I hosted a Quilt Along for my Wonderland pattern. You can now buy the full pattern on Payhip, as Craftsy chose to remove the majority of the patterns hosted on their site, making it no longer possible for me to make the entirety of the block patterns available without a different venue. 

If you are a designer searching for a new method of distributing pdf downloadable patterns, Payhip only charges a small percentage when you make a profit, and there is no fee to list patterns (referral link).

Fabrics are from the C + S Rifle Paper Company Wonderland collection, which you can find at Fat Quarter Shop. Tutorials for each of the blocks are available on the blog.

Thanks for letting me share a bit about Quilt Photography Company and one of my favorite projects.

Wonderland Quilt Along Winners

Let's start off this New Year with some fun, shall we? I'd like to share with you our winners of the Wonderland Quilt Along. See the projects under the #wonderlandquiltalong hashtag and in the Facebook group. Pick up the complete pattern on Payhip, and check out my previous Wonderland Quilt Along blog posts for tutorials and tips.

The grand prize winner is Ella Herrera of Throw a Wrench in the Works.

The quilting was completed by Rachel of Stitched in Color with a perfectly suited design.

She will receive 12 large 50 wt spools generously donated by Aurifil Thread, a fat 1/8 bundle of Rifle Paper Company Cotton +Steel, and a couple enamel pins.

Threads included in the prize are #2785, #2715, #2692, #4644, #2890, #2730, #2395, #2150, #1154, #6723, #2479, and #2606. These are also the thread matches I recommend if you are using Rifle Paper Company's Wonderland collection and want to match your threads to your top.

Laura Swenson is the winner of the fat quarter bundle and an enamel pin.

Thank you to all who participated!

Wonderland Quilt Along: Finishing

If you're participating in the Wonderland Quilt Along, it's time to get things quilted up. An allover design or walking foot pattern will do beautifully. However, in case you want to do some custom work, I'll show you what I did. My last version had different free-motions designs, so you may want to check that out post first. I also went into detail about how I created the free-motion machine embroidery words on my original quilt.

If you're just discovering the Wonderland Quilt, here's a link to pick up the pattern.

I used large spools of Aurifil 50 wt thread. While I started with an Aurifil Designer Collection, I added spools from my color rack as I went to match the fabrics in the top. The final selections include 2620, 5007, 2615, 2024, 2692, 2784, 2783, 2805, 5006, 2884, 1114, 2860, 5015, 2214, 2420, and 6729.

The bobbin contained cream to match the backing.

The entire background is a curling ribbon and bows. For the Cheshire, I used radiating curves for the ears and nose, pebbles for the main body, and a star meander to match the print on the head.

The teapot and cup feature lines with pebbles, rows of brackets, and radiating curves.

Some matchstick quilting, oval pebbles, and curvy lines appear on the bottle. The cake has ribbon candy, pebbles, and rows of square spirals.

The rabbit has a fur/flame pattern and a branchy meander. (Yep, that's the proper term I just invented.)

The hookah has overlapping arches, a wishbone on the navy and radiating curves.

I learned my lesson from last time, and committed to few words. I did a paraphrase of a line from the last page of Alice in Wonderland.

The flamingo has feathers (of course) and some angled straight lines. Flowers have scallops and veins for the leaves.

The suites were treated to a loop de loop or a curved grid. Mine's off, but this is me being okay with that. The intention was for them to cross in an arch.

Spirals, curvy lines, and a back and forth meander fills the mushroom.

#2785, #2715, #2692, #4644, #2890, #2730, #2395, #2150, #1154, #6723, #2479, and #2606 are Aurifil thread matches if you are using Rifle Paper Company's Wonderland collection and want to match your threads to your top.