Friday, September 20, 2013

Center Light Bound and Finished


Every time I finish a quilt, after I put the last stitch in the binding and after it comes out of the washer and dryer, I feel like celebrating.  Some quilts are "ugly ducklings" and some are exquisite from beginning to end, but the completion of every quilt is cause for celebration.  I finished Center Light last Saturday and have been celebrating all week!  Thanks for joining me for a minute or two.

I stitched the top of this quilt 5 or 6 years ago then laid it aside while working on other projects.  I had forgotten how much I like it until it called to me when I had to choose the next top for quilting.  It was created because of all the small scraps of whites, off-whites, creams, and light tans I had lying around begging to be used.  Six-inch blocks seemed to be the perfect size for the scraps I had to use.

These blocks show the piecing of some of the whites/off-whites.  Some are very scrappy.



The back:

Particulars
Measurements:

67" x 87 1/2" unquilted
64 1/2" x 83 7/8" after quilting
61 1/2" x 80" after washing and drying (warm wash, regular dry)

Batting:
Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton

Time schedule:
5/28/13:  on the floor for measuring and choosing backing
6/3/13:  layered
6/3/2013:  quilting begun
9/11/2013:  quilting finished
9/12/2013:  binding sewn
9/14/2013:  washed and dried
This timeline doesn't show that during June and early July I quilted an hour or so a day and during the end of July until it was finished in September, I quilted closer to 4 hours/day.

Thoughts/Lessons/Observations (in no particular order)
  • Next time, if I'm using a large print for the back, I will take care to align the pattern along the seam.  I thought of doing that for this quilt but I was in a hurry (for a self-imposed deadline), tired, found it difficult, and just gave up and stitched the seam without regard for the pattern.
  • If I'm too tired to do a good job, don't do the job until I'm not tired.
  • This is the second quilt I've made with Cream Rose batting in the middle.  I like stitching on it but I'm beginning to wonder if it's just a tad too thin.
  • This quilt is not a cuddly quilt.  I don't know if it's because it's new, because of the fabrics, or because of the batting.  I need to pay attention to how this quilt changes over time with use and washing to see if it becomes softer.
  • This quilt is not a warm quilt.  Again, I don't know if it's the fabrics or the batting.
  • If I'm going to continue to use this batting and want a particular size finished quilt, I need to make the quilt top larger to allow for so much shrinkage.  When I wash and dry a quilt I assume it will not be treated gently in whatever home it resides, so I don't treat it gently to begin with:  warm water wash, standard heat in the dryer.  Of course, shrinkage is not minimal in that case.  This quilt lost 5 1/2" in width and 7 1/2" in length.

Thanks for visiting!

I'm linking this post to
● Leanne's Third quarter finish for 2013 Finish-A-Long at She Can Quilt.  I initially posted my "declaration" to finish at Slow Progress:  Center Light, Red & Green
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts 
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday at Missy Mac Creations

--Nancy.
.

38 comments:

  1. Congrats! Your quilt looks wonderful and it's definitely something to celebrate.:)

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    1. Thanks, Audrey. I appreciate your kinds words.

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  2. oh lovely
    This kind of quilt has such a good feel.
    LeeAnna Paylor from whoopwhoop

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    1. Thank you, LeeAnna. It's interesting how quilts can give the impression of home or comfort or warmth, etc., isn't it?

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  3. I love this modern quilt! The more I look at it the more I like it. Beautiful all these colors and the off whites. You did a great job.Congrats with your finish.

    Love from Amsterdam

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  4. This quilt just seems to sing. It's beautiful. On the construction side of things...I'm surprised at how much shrinkage you got. I haven't been paying attention to that since I've yet to make a quilt to fit anything in particular. But, it's good to know. Thanks for sharing....and it certainly IS cause for celebration!

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    1. Thank you, Nina. I was surprised at the shrinkage, too. This is only the 2nd quilt I've measured before and after and both have cotton batting in the middle. I assume that all quilts shrink some but suspect that cotton shrinks more than some others (except wool probably shrinks the most). I don't know when I'll use a poly or poly/cotton bat again but if/when I do, I'll measure that one, too.

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  5. Lovely!

    That's a LOT of shrinkage, isn't it? I guess it's probably different for every batting, but that does seem like a lot!

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    1. Hi, wipgirl. Thank you. Yes, I think it's a lot of shrinkage but maybe I'm really supposed to be more gentle with a cotton bat. I haven't yet measured quilts with other types of bats but I'll continue to measure quilts before and after just to see.

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  6. Nice finish!! I really love the scrappiness - just gorgeous. And wow - shrinking is crazy sometimes.

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    1. Thanks, Lyn. I like the scrappiness, too. And the shrinkage -- I don't have enough experience with cotton battings to know what to expect. I guess I should do some research.

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  7. The effect is incredible! Why did you leave it for so long? It's beautiful and really deserved being finished. Well done!

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    1. Thank you, Nesta. I was surprised at the effect, too. I don't think I purposefully left it unfinished... it just happened that I couldn't finish it right away and didn't get back to it for a while. I'm happy it's done.

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  8. Just gorgeous! Such a stunning effect!

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    1. Thank you, Snips. It looks just slightly ethereal to me -- and was a surprise. Completely not planned or expected.

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  9. How nice! I really like the look of this ; )

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    1. Thanks, Carla. I appreciate your kind words.

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  10. That is really really gorgeous, it totally intrigues me with the colourway...well done!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jenny. I appreciate the compliment and feedback.

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  11. The quilt is beautiful. And to think you hand quilted it - wow, that is an accomplishment! Great job.

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    1. Thanks, Karen. My hand quilting isn't fabulous yet but even so, it does feel like an accomplishment to have done it.

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    1. Thank you, Apple Slice. I appreciate your generous compliments.

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  13. Your quilt is incredibly beautiful. It's so delicate & "other-wordly" looking. Sorry it shrunk so much; the third quilt I ever made did something very similar. I still don't know why.

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    1. Thanks, Aimee, for the compliments. It's so encouraging to get feedback. It's not really a problem that it shrunk so much, it was just a surprise. I would have been very disappointed if I'd need a definite, specific size. But no worries with this one.

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  14. Love your quilt! Love your observations also. We were just chatting last night about bad decisions that happen when you are tired! The "it will be okay let's just get it finished" mentality does NOT work well with finishing a quilt. Thanks for sharing! I am going to measure my quilts pre and post wash now, just to see.

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    1. Thanks, Pam. This bad decision about not aligning the pattern on the back is not as bad as it could have been if had intended to give this as a gift. It's just a scrap quilt, but still, I won't do it like that again. Lesson learned!

      What kind of batting do you use? I don't know if Cream Rose shrinks more than most or if it's about the same for most cotton batting.

      Thanks for your kind words.

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  15. Such a beautiful quilt, and a good reason to celebrate..

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    1. Thank you, Dorothy. I appreciate your kind words.

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  16. Hello Nancy,

    What a fantastic use of scraps - I love it! And you are giving me ideas... I need to avert a scrap crisis.

    Love,
    Muv

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    1. Thank you, Muv! I haven't made too many quilts but it seems like sometimes I just have too many scraps (or too much of one color of fabric) and have to find something to create with it. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  17. Congratulations on finishing up a gorgeous quilt! I love the simplicity of the quilt. Shame about the huge amount of shrinkage but nonetheless, still a generous sized quilt. Also perhaps with time and lots of snuggles, the quilt will get to the 'cuddly' status :)

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Jacqueline. It could be worse about the shrinkage if I intended a specific size for a specific purpose when it was finished but it's okay. It's all a learning process. I think (and hope) it will become cuddly. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

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  18. Oh, wow, Nancy! I hope you're keeping that one - it's wonderful!! I love how those neutrals play across those pretty colors. It's like a dappled light is dancing across the quilt. I hope it gets cuddly with use. It would get cuddly very quickly here! :)

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  19. Oh! My! Word! I LOVE this quilt! It is calling my name! I have a stack of neutrals that could use some thinning out! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  20. I love this quilt! It's one of those that makes me want to run to my sewing room and get busy - very inspirational!

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    1. Thank you, Karen. It was one of those quilts that was created because I just had too much white, off-white, cream, and other neutral fabrics. Sometimes I have to buy fabric to make a quilt, other times I make a quilt because I have too much of a fabric.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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