Saturday, December 03, 2011

FO: Quilting edition

Now that a bunch of my deadlines have passed, I have had a chance to start picking up some unfinished projects from earlier in the year. I started this quilt at the beginning of the summer. I didn't use a pattern because I really wanted to use large blocks that would show off the bright colors and patterns of this Echino fabric, whereas most of the patterns I see use smaller pieces of fabric. So I cut big blocks myself, roughly 10 x 10 inches.



I opted for some neutral beige for sashing but thought it needed something more.  So I decided to add some little bits of solid color. I just played around with some Kona cotton that matched some of the colors in the prints, adding triangles and rectangles of color to the ten-inch blocks.

Although I like all of the bright patterns in the fabric, I think my favorite is the Viewmaster-inspired print, since I vividly remember having Viewmasters as a kid.



One thing I learned from this quilt is to try to be much more careful and exact when cutting blocks and sashing (and when sewing them together). I had to even out some of the edges, and realized then how lopsided some of my blocks were.

This was my first attempt at machine quilting. I decided to just give it a go, and not worry about crooked lines or other imperfections. I was amazed at how quickly the quilting went, and even though there are lots of wobbly places, I was still pleased with how my first machine quilting attempt went.



For the backing, I used half of a duvet cover that I bought at Ikea. (I'd read about this on a quilting blog and figured it was worth a try.) I used a brightly-colored dot fabric for the binding, and noticed that my binding technique is starting to improve and look more consistent.



It's been really fun to get back to a more normal day-to-day, instead of being frenzied and struggling to meet deadline after deadline.  The next quilting project I'm going to focus on is a throw for my mom. I started it with the hope of having it done for her birthday in October, but that just wasn't going to happen.  So I'm aiming for Christmas.


7 comments:

Barb B. said...

Very nice! I like how bright and cheerful it is.

Ted said...

Nice, Carol!! How'd you make the Black Bunny label? (I'm guessing you ran fabric through the computer printer? Somehow...)

Carol said...

I used Spoonflower (you can get custom fabric printed up) and uploaded my logo, then had them print out a sample square. Another tip I found from a blog.....

Bridget said...

Dear Carol ~ Please do something poorly, so the rest of us will feel better. Yours in the holiday spirit, Bridget.

Carol said...

Bridget, if I had known you were going to read this post, I would have insisted that my kids wear white gloves while holding up the quilt.

Kim Ivy Moore said...

Lovely! That viewmaster one is perfect! I've been collecting some batiks. Oh and a warning: quilting is VERY addictive, especially wholecloth and trapunto, at least where I'm concerned.

Crystal said...

Love this quilt! Echino fabric is one of my faves. Now that it is getting colder I keep meaning to finish up the first one I am trying to make. I jut need to quilt and bind it, but the motivation isn't there yet. Send some of your finishing vibes my way!