Friday, August 19, 2016

A Finished Top

It's been a long time between finishes around here so I'm pleased to have one this month.  This is based on "Morning Star" but I didn't measure the triangles that create the stars so they're not exact.

Morning Star quilt with liberated stars

When I was cutting squares and rectangles it seemed like I kept cutting more and more greens, more greens than any other fabric, but now that I look at the photo of the quilt green does not seem to be the dominant color.  Maybe it's just that the reds are brighter and the greens are more muted....  The colors are not exactly evenly dispersed but I think the stars overpower the background colors.  It would be less obvious if the quilt were larger but it is what it is.

I didn't measure it before I folded it but it should measure at 43 1/2" x 50" or thereabouts.  I hope to get it layered soon so I can begin hand quilting it.

I'll be devoting the rest of this month to my medallion quilt.  I've taken to calling it "Little Miss Medallion."  She seems to be just as particular as some little girls.

I'm linking this post to August Finishes: OMG Linkup at Red Letter Quilts.  At the beginning of August I declared my intention to choose a pattern for a baby quilt and begin.  I'm pleased to have not only chosen a pattern but to have also finished the top!  Thanks for hosting OMG, Heidi.

I'm also linking this post to
> Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.
> Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (TGIFF) at The Quilt Journal
> Show Off Saturday at Sew She Can
> finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

I hope you're enjoying life.

--Nancy.
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45 comments:

  1. Hi Nancy,
    I think it's lovely. I know what you mean when the colors in a quilt just don't read the way you envisioned, but honestly, I think it's a happy occurrence .I really like how the stars pop too. great job!

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    1. Thanks so much, Debbie. I guess with scrap quilts we to accept, at least to some extent, that we won't have as much control over color as with carefully planned quilts.

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  2. I do not see a dominant color--they are well balanced, IMHO.
    The stars "outshine" the colors anyway. I love irregular points on stars. I think they twinkle more. Great job, Nancy!
    I struggle when I make a scrap quilt to stop rearranging the color placement. I'm always sure there is a way it will look better. On the other hand, my daughter would just lay things out and sew them up without changing anything, and the results were always great. So I have tried to convince myself that I overthink those things. :)

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    1. Hi, Janet --

      Balanced color is good -- except that my daughter suggested a mostly-green quilt, which I guess I didn't manage. But knowing her, she'll like it anyway.

      I like the irregular stars, too, and they were fun to make.

      I'm with you on rearranging scrap quilt blocks, Janet. Maybe that's why it takes me so long to make them: more time on the floor rearranging than actually sewing them together. Ha! With this quilt I tried to rearrange less, imagining that the stars would be dominant. It must the the perfectionist in some of that makes us keep moving those blocks, do you think?

      Thanks for your kind comments about the quilt. I appreciate them.

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  3. congrats on getting a top finish. It's very lovely. ;^)

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    1. Thanks so much. I appreciate your kind comment.

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  4. It's gorgeous! It looks like you found the perfect layout giving the perfect flow of color!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jayne. I appreciate your kind comment.

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  5. The stars in your quilt really do shine. It's beautiful with all of the colors in the background.

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  6. Gorgeous top! I'm guilty of overthinking color placement on scrappy quilts, yet when it's all said and done, rarely do I (or anyone else) notice.

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. Reading through the comments it sounds like there are at least a few of us who over-think. I think the scrappier the harder it is to "perfectly place" blocks: rearranging one block leads to moving another and so forth.... And really, about the only time I see a whole quilt is when I hang it to photograph it and post it online; otherwise I see just sections at a time.

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  7. That is a beautiful quilt! I love your wonky stars - I agree with Janet above who says they look like they are twinkling. You've made me want to put a quilt lke this on my list to make!

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    1. Thanks so much, Diann. It was really a fun quilt to make. Those star points, once I figured out how, were fun and easy.

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  8. I love how your stars are not exact. It makes them sparkle. And you are right: they do stand out so well that the background is a colorful backdrop regardless of what color the patches are. I once made a quilt in which I made myself pull fabrics out of a brown paper bag so that they would be totally random. Similar and same fabrics were next to each other or very far apart. But you know what? It was one of my favorite quilts to make.

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    1. Quilts like you describe making are really care-free to make. We don't have to think or over-think about them.

      Thanks for your kind comments about this quilt. I appreciate them.

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  9. A lovely finish, very cosy & cuddly looking! I like your liberated stars, they certainly do twinkle!

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    1. Thanks, Linda. Now I just have to get it quilted and then I can cuddle my grandbaby in it!

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  10. The colors look balanced to me! When you have so many scraps, it is hard to be perfect, and if you rearrange one, then you mess up something else. Your top looks fabulous, so no worries!

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    1. Thanks, Susan. I've noticed the domino effect of trying to rearrange scrappy blocks: pretty soon no block is where it began!

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  11. I have a weakness for star quilts, and yours is lovely!

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  12. The colours work so well together and look balanced across the top. As you point out the stars are rightly dominant. I hope you get a lot of peaceful pleasure from quilting this one.

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    1. Thanks, Allison. I'm looking forward to getting this layered and I hope to get it quilted quickly. We'll see.

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  13. What a lovely top! the stars just twinkle and shine like the little song.

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    1. Thanks, Vic. I hadn't thought of "Twinkle, Twinkle" but it does seem to go with the quilt, huh?

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  14. Doesn't it feel great to finish a top! Your quilt is lovely and the greens aren't overwhelming at all. The colors really blend nicely.

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    1. Oh, yes, Kathi, it's great to finish a top. Thanks for your kind compliments about this quilt.

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  15. What a great finish! I think it is perfectly okay that the stars take over - they are the "star" of the show after all :*). I would have been nervous cutting all those greens - they tend to take over too, but they work perfectly with the reds here to showcase the stars.

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    1. Thanks so much, Teresa. The reason I mentioned the greens specifically is because my daughter suggested a green quilt, or at least a quilt with a lot of green. But I couldn't "see" dominant green for this quilt. I think she'll like it just the way it is: she's very agreeable and appreciative.

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  16. Those wonky stars are just such fun and this one will no doubt be a pleasure to quilt! What thread do you use for your hand quilting?

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    1. I think the stars turned out better than I thought they might, Karin. I've been using Connecting Threads's 100% cotton thread but I read recently that I should be using something a little thicker. I haven't gotten around to ordering anything else yet. I was thinking about using perle cotton to quilt this one but if not I'll probably use the CT thread. What kind of thread do you use to hand quilt?

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  17. A lovely finish and those white stars really "pop". Well done.

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    1. Thanks, Karen. I appreciate your kind compliment.

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  18. It's a well balanced quilt. The stars shine, like stars should, but you can't miss the wonderful sky they shine in. Beautifully done!

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    1. Hi, Kate. Thanks for sharing your kind thoughts about this quilt. I appreciate it.

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  19. A delicious finish!
    "Eye Candy" came to mind right away. I love how your brights are dispersed, it really twinkles. I hope it is a joy to quilt.

    And I hope Little Miss Medallion is behaving herself!

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    1. Thanks, Heidi! I think a name like "Eye Candy" sounds so much more fun than "Morning Stars!" I'm looking forward to quilting it. I bought fabric online (my husband's choice but I think it will work)and when it's delivered I'll get it washed, stitched, then layer and baste the quilt sandwich and begin.

      Little Miss Medallion seems to be cooperating today. Good thing because we're posting on the 1st.

      Thanks for hosting OMG every month. I appreciate it.

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  20. Oh those stars are so pretty! And it doesn't read as green, it's amazing how powerful red can be isn't it!

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    1. Hi, Carie. Thank you. Yes, I agree about red -- it can take over!

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  21. Your quilt top looks great! It will make a wonderful quilt!

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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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