Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival

 I hope Mr Linky is still open and I can get this quilt entered in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I just got my internet back after Hurricane Sandy.
  I made this quilt a few years ago for my younger brother and his new wife.  They live in Nashville and I live near Baltimore so I hadn't seen their home since their wedding and I knew they had decorated a lot.  No idea what color scheme so I went Multi!  I pulled out some black and white prints and my precious Cherrywood fabrics.  I didn't have a pattern, I just started with a big ol' star.  After I got the center star done, the middle looked 'boorrrrrrrring' and I knew it needed something.
 
 
I used some designs from Kim Schaefer's book Flower Festival and jazzed it up a little.  Aren't those Cherrywood colors just yummy?  I also decided to frame up those applique blocks (yeah, cuz I accidentally cut the blocks too small, lol.  Happy accident.)
 
I had so much fun with this quilt.  I tried things for the first time.  Like, quilting feathers!  This is one of the four large corner blocks.  This first picture is before I washed it and you can see the marks I used.  I just used 3 circles to give myself some boundaries.  Look at those plump and happy feathers!

 
And.............after a ride through the washing machine!  All nice and rumply.
 

 
For the triangles, I just stitched a freeform center line of stitching and then fit some feathers on each side.  I don't know why I haven't done this again.  I really need to.
 

 
For this quilt I even got out my calculator and did some arithmatic.  Oooooo!   I pieced a border!  Dang Lisa, you musta really been showing off that day, ha ha.
In each of the solid blocks around the border, I tried something else for the first time.  I decided to use some 'filler' patterns with my quilting.  I poked around Leah Day's website and got lots and lots of ideas.
Here's one, some simple wavy lines.
 
 
And some sassy zig zaggy lines.
 

 
Who likes curls?
 

 
I believe this was supposed to look a bit like flames.
Hmmm, really?

 
Circles!  Gosh I always love the look of this but I haven't ever gotten the nerve to try it in a large space.  Lots of thread used if you do that.

 
Itty bitty feathers.  Cute!
 
And I think I was either really tired or just plain running out of ideas or mojo.  Just some sorta outline stitching. 

 
I haven't seen this quilt since I gave it to George and Lara.  Looking at these pictures makes me realize that I need to stop and smell the roses more often when I'm making a quilt.  By that, I mean slow down and give each quilt a proper finish, try new stuff, and take a chance.   It's way too easy to get impatient after piecing a top when you can almost smell the finish line.  I'm so guilty of that, anybody else wanna raise their hands.  Nice solid border and a quick all-over meander and we can get going on the next quilt we've been itching to make.  I think I feel a resolution coming in my near future.
 
Anyway, here are the stats for this quilt.
 
Measures 64 inches square.
Special techniques: machine applique.
Machine quilted by Lisa Mathis on a home machine.
Best category:  applique quilt, throw, home machine quilted.

I hope you enjoyed this quilt!

5 comments:

  1. Gosh Lisa, I think you need to give us a lesson on all those fancy stitches! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your quilting - wow!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fabulous! Beautiful machine quilting.
    Janet

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's a riot of colour (which I always love!) and I totally hear you on the quilting. Im guilty of using old standbys that will get me through that part fast.

    Im so pleased you took your time and tried new things ...that medallion quilting is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wish it would let me vote for the one

    ReplyDelete