Friday, November 10, 2017

A Scrappy Finish


How I wish my photos did justice to this quilt.  No light seems quite right.  Indoors with a flash the colors look just a tad warmer than they really are.

Outdoors the colors wash to white or grey.


You'll have to trust me that its true colors are lights, naturals, warms, and creams with hints of coral/peach/pink and just a few scraps of light yellow and a few whites/off-whites here and there.


This quilt began as scraps cut from behind applique pieces on another quilt.  The pieces were too large to throw away but the largest measured only 4".  There weren't enough by themselves to make a quilt but I had lots of small, light/neutral scraps to sew together.  (But not quite enough.  Susan from DesertSky Quilting sent some to help me finish.) 


For a while they became my leaders and enders and sometimes my purposeful sewing, leading and ending each other until I had a nice stack.  I put them together into blocks with coral/peach sashing and red centers.  Once sewn together I added the circles where four blocks met, but only in alternate squares.

The top measured 61½" x 77½".  The back is scrappy but with only several large pieces of fabric.  The batting is Soft 'n' Crafty 80/20 (cotton/poly).


As much as I loved the top I wasn't sure how I could hand quilt through all the seams.  Some 4" blocks have as many 10 pieces of fabric.  One of my readers, Martha of Q is for Quilt, suggested circles and sent a diagram of her idea which I adapted and altered, then created my own templates.  (I used Prismacolor pencils to mark the circles.  I'll post about that a little later.)


I knew I lacked the skill to make fine, small stitches but I also knew I didn't want do "big stitch" quilting with embroidery floss or pearl cotton.  I finally chose Americana brand quilt thread in a color called buttercream, which was a delight to use, and managed about five stitches/inch.  Big stitch with quilting thread, I guess.  The seams were a challenge.


After quilting it measured 61" X 76".  After washing and drying it measured 58¼" x 72".  I was surprised at how crinkly and puckered it became.  It's easy to imagine how the air caught between the layers will add warmth to someone sleeping under the quilt.  In the photo above you can see the crinkles and also the quilted circles and lines that connect them, creating a diamond box around the red cornerstone.  I used masking tape as a guide for the straight lines.

Out in the sunshine.

And on the floor inside ... because I'm not ready to fold it and put it away yet.  It is just such an inviting quilt. 


I loved the process of creating this quilt, from sewing scraps to sewing binding.  And I love the finished quilt, perhaps more than any other I've made.  My only regrets are that it's not larger and that I wasn't able to/didn't try to take smaller stitches.  Even so, I love it.

I'm linking this post to
> finish it up Friday at crazy mom quilts
> Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
> Can I get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
> TGIFF at Celtic Thistle Stitches
> ScrapHappy at Tall Tales from Chiconia

I'm also linking this post to One Monthly Goal - November Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Finishing the binding on this quilt was my goal for November.

Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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46 comments:

  1. It's a wonderful quilt! I love the colours, your quilting, and, I agree, the whole quilt is just so inviting!

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    1. Thanks so much, Linda. I really appreciate all your kind words for this quilt.

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  2. How warm and soft and cuddly looking...very nice!

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    1. Thank you, Julie. It's still hanging where I can see it (over the door) but I haven't actually tried to see how cuddly it is (or isn't). But I'm sure it will be. ;-)

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  3. So pretty! I love the way that it's quilted and that soft palette makes you want to snuggle right into it for hours on end. Lovely.

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    1. Thanks for your kind compliments about this quilt, Marie. I appreciate them.

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    1. Thanks so much, Carol. (I didn't receive an email for your comment and don't have a way to email you or I would have.)

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  5. Love your beautiful quilt finish! I think the quilting looking great too!

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    1. Thank you, Karen. I'm enjoying looking at it just for a bit.

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  6. Your quilt is wonderful. I love the neutrals, the soft pinks, the quilting. What a finish!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words about this quilt, Marla. I appreciate them.

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  7. I love it too! Congrats on that wonderful finish.

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    1. Thanks so much, Cathy. It's always great to finish a quilt.

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  8. Very beautiful. I love your circles quilting, was that not hard to do, I d be rotating the quilt like crazy?

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    1. Thank you, Lizzie. I appreciate your kind words. I anticipated that the circles might drive me nuts but quilting them wasn't so bad. I sometimes take the easy way out with Baptist Fans -- all the same direction and little turning of the quilt -- but lots of other patterns require turning a quilt, too. I tried to turn this one just once/circle and if I turned it right and then back left to the original position it meant I didn't have to flip/rotate the whole quilt for each circle.

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  9. I can see why you want to love on it and not hide it away. It is beautiful.

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  10. This quilt is a treasure from beginning to end. I love the circles, how used the scrappy pieces to create the background, and how you accentuated the circles with the circular hand quilting. It's just perfect. If it were mine I wouldn't be folding it up and putting it away, it's the perfect size for a sofa throw and just too wonderful to be hiding away in a dark drawer!

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    1. Hi, Pat. You are so generous with your compliments and observations about this quilt. Thank you! I appreciate your kind words.

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  11. I'm sure the outside photos are the most accurate. It's a real treasure! I love the soft colours. And the quilting design is perfect! Great finish. :D

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    1. Hi, Monica. Thanks for your kind words about this quilt. I agree that generally outdoor photographs are better but I think that's true only if they're taken away from bright sunlight shining on them. In this quilt, when I look at it and look at the photos, the ones taken with a flash seem to be closer. I wish I were a good enough photographer to take a few photos of this quilt that actually look like the quilt -- at least the true colors.

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  12. The colors are so soft and understated. It makes me think of a farmhouse bedroom, decorated in those soft colors, with the afternoon Autumn sun streaming in, casting a warm golden glow. I just want to curl up under that quilt for a peaceful nap. :)

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    1. Thanks for your kind words and the imagery of a place for this quilt, Janet. Yes, I can imagine it in an old-fashioned farm bedroom. I have yet to curl up under it. It's still hanging on the door where I enjoy seeing it -- for another day or two.

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  13. Wow .... what a lovely quilt! No wonder you are thrilled with it!

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    1. Hi, Rose Marie. Thanks so much for the kind compliment about this quilt. I appreciate it.

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  14. Such a gentle, soothing quilt! I love the circle quilting and the abundance of neutral fabrics. Scrappy goodness :)

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    1. Thank you, Louise. I appreciate your kind words and compliments about this quilt.

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  15. This is so pretty!! I really, really love good scrappy quilts like this. A few months ago, I started using blue "crumbs" as leader-enders (and occasional play time) to make "fabric" that I can cut 4-1/2" blocks out of. I really like the mindless sewing and the resulting blocks, but I do think about the quilting task over it all! I am really impressed that you hand quilted this, and it's absolutely lovely.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words about this quilt, Lynette. Like you, I loved the mindless sewing of these blocks and, also like you, wondered how on earth I was going to quilt through all those seams. It turned out not to be too bad, but maybe because I was somewhat casual about the size of stitches, especially over the seams. Did you post about your blue crumbs? I'd love to see photos.

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  16. You're also added to the list at our monthly ScrapHappy post on http://talltalesfromchiconia.wordpress.com, as requested :-)
    It's a beautiful quilt, and I too do big stitch quilting with regular hand quilting thread, so I know what a work of love you have there!

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    1. Thanks so much, Kate. I appreciate being added. Thanks, too, for your kind words about this quilt. Maybe some day I will succeed at small quilting stitches on quilts with so many seams.

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  17. Oh, that's wonderful! Great use of scraps, and it just looks so inviting and warm!

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    1. Thank you, Sue. I have yet to sleep/nap under this quilt but when I do I expect to have sweet dreams.

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  18. Gorgeous quilt and I love the soft colours.

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    1. Thank you, Nanette. I enjoyed working with the lights, off-whites, and other neutrals.

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  19. A gorgeous quilt! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

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    1. Thank you for the kinds words about my quilt, Patty, and thank you for hosting One Monthly Goal.

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  20. This is gorgeous, such a lot of work and I do love it. I've never hand quilted so I am in awe. Love the circles.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind comments about this quilt, Kathryn. I appreciate them.

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  21. This is a beautiful quilt, Nancy. I feel your pain on the quilt photography too. Mine never looks the same when I try to post them no matter how hard I try.

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    1. Thank you, Lynda. I generally assume the photography problems are my lack of knowing how to take good photographs.... Maybe one of these days I'll get some great photos of this quilt.

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  22. What a beautiful quilt! I love the design, the low volume squares, and especially the circles in the center. Did you turn those under and hand applique?

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  23. Thank you, Maidenhair Fern. I love all the things you do, too. It was such a fun, gentle quilt to make. Yes, the circles are turned under and hand appliqued.

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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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