I have an unexpected finish today. My husband and I usually do errands on Fridays but he suggested we wait till tomorrow. That left me with the afternoon to do what I would have done tomorrow: measure, cut, and sew the brown binding onto this stars quilt. So, it's done.
Mostly, the border lies flat. In the photo above you can see three little ripples in the brown border on the lower right. I don't know what's caused them and I don't know whether they're enough of a problem that I should handle them now or leave them and they'll ease in with hand quilting. I'll leave the top on the floor for a day or two and decide. I can't remember if I've ever had a top with slight ripples or not.
The brown borders are 4" on the sides and 3" on the top and bottom. The center of this quilt is rather long and narrow and I thought wider borders on the side would help (though I know it's just 2" difference). As it is now, it measures 71 1/2" x 92 1/4". I have a post in the works about quilt measurements and proportions so I'll save my thoughts on this quilt and that topic for later.
I'm pleased it's finished. I think I loved the stars and scrappy backgrounds more than I like the finished quilt, but then it's not really finished until it's quilted. As with most quilts I make I see things that could have been done differently to improve the quilt (especially the borders in this quilt) but I'm chalking it all up to learning.
This finish meets my May One Monthly Goal (OMG) for participation in OMG It's Finished! Linkup May 2016 at Red Letter Quilts and my #BraveQuilter challenge at Pink Doxies for May.
I'm also linking this post to
Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
TGIFF at Quilt Matters
--Nancy.
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Hi Nancy! Man your quilt is beautiful, I love the colorful stars. That's a whole lotta appliqué going on and such a great job at that! I also peeked into your Airedale blog. I have to say we used to have Airedales and loved them both! They are the coolest dogs. My husband grew up with them as his grandpa was a breeder.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend Nancy!
Saimi
Thank you for your kind comments about this quilt, Saimi. I thoroughly enjoyed appliqueing the stars.
DeleteHow fun that you've had Airedales. They are my favorite breed. I love their energy, enthusiasm, and sense of humor. Ours keeps us on our toes. Did your husband spend much time with his grandfather and his 'dales?
I hope you had a great weekend, too. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
Looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brenna. I appreciate that.
DeleteWhat a beauty! Well done on completing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Scrapiana. And thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteGorgeous quilt ... well done! Those ripples are barely noticeable ...I have to wonder if you couldn't just quilt them out. I have to wonder if those ripples will be noticed when the finished quilt is being cuddled in. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words about my quilt, Kathy. I appreciate them.
DeleteYou're right that the ripples wouldn't be noticed when the quilt is finished and wrapped around someone. I sometimes wonder how we take photos of finished quilts and post them when in real life, when a quilt is in use, we see but a small section of it at a time.
For this quilt I think I'll try to figure out what's causing the problem with that section of the border and, if it's simple to repair, I'll fix it. Maybe the seam is more than 1/4" and is pulling that border a little. Who knows. It's still on the floor waiting for me to take another look. I think it would quilt into the batting but better to fix it if I can.
What a happy quilt this is, Nancy! Sorry you don't love the finish as much as you thought you would. Hopefully you will enjoy it with no regrets when it is quilted.
ReplyDeleteThe side ripple doesn't appear major to me. : )
Thanks for your positive comments about this quilt, Janet. It really is a happy quilt and I do love the stars in the center.
DeleteI suppose I'm strange: I've only made 8 or 9 regular-sized quilts but I notice I fall in and out of love with several times between first block and binding. By the end I sometimes only just like a quilt but more often I love them. I will probably love this one, too.
I'm going to at least see if I can figure out what's causing that section of border to have those little ripples and if it's an easy thing to fix, I'll do it. Otherwise, I'll just quilt carefully.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, and especially an opinion about the ripples.
Those stars are really lovely, and the border doesn't look too wibbly to me. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Itinerant Quilter. I appreciate the words of encouragement. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteThe outer border in brown is a good frame, gives those beautiful blocks a 'floating' appearance! If the intent is a utility quilt, those ripples are unlikely to be a concern. Sometimes quilting can make them more severe, but I do not have much hand-quilting experience and can see how you may be able to ease them in that way. Also by blocking prior to binding. I have even seen quilter's use a basting stitch to gather the edges a bit before binding, so that the end result will still lay flat. Whatever you decide, this is truly a beauty. I really love the scrappy backgrounds!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your comments about the "artistic" aspects of this quilt, Heidi. When one works on a quilt so closely and becomes emotionally involved it's sometimes hard to step back and look objectively. So it's nice to have other pairs of eyes giving more objective thoughts.
DeleteI think maybe the ripples will settle into the batting when I layer the quilt but even so, I'm going to see if I can figure out why they're there and fix them if it doesn't require too much work.
I love the scrappy backgrounds, too. They're a little labor intensive but a great way to use scraps.
It is a beautiful and completely unique quilt Nancy. I often fall in and out of love with projects. Hand quilting is a lovely way to get close up and personal with a quilt - hope you quickly fall back in love as you quilt those circles and stars ☺
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind compliment about this quilt, Allison.
DeleteI'm so glad to know I'm not alone in falling in and out of love with quilts in progress. I'm letting this lie for another day or two to see if I can identify any specific problem that causes me not to love it at the moment, while I might still be able to change it. If not, I'll fold it till I get batting and backing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it.
visiting from crazy mum quilts. That is an amazing quilt. Wow
ReplyDeleteThanks, Schulz Family! I really enjoyed making the stars.
DeleteYay for finishing your One Monthly Goal Nancy! Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks, M-R! I'm pleased to have it done.
DeleteI think it is just lovely. I really like scrappy quilts and applique is just so wonderful. Good job. BTW, I'm sure you can ease out the ripples when you quilt it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathleen. These appliqued stars are fun but they are so very simple. When I looked at the quilt this morning (to change one little thing) I noticed that the ripples were gone and the border was flat. Perhaps I had stretched the fabric a little, or ... who knows. I think they would have quilted out, too. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I appreciate your encouraging words, Kathleen.
DeleteLovely quilt. Greetings
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kleine.
DeleteWhat a lovely warm quilt! I love those pieced backgrounds because they add so much more interest. Lovely work and I'm sure you'll figure out the ripple. It doesn't affect the beauty of the quilt at all.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind comments, Jennifer. I appreciate them.
DeleteIt's a lovely finish Nancy! I love the 'pops' of white in your scrappy low volume backgrounds! And I'm sure that those little ripples will quilt out.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. I didn't specifically notice the white in the backgrounds until you mentioned them. The ripples seemed to flatten as the quilt rested for a day or two so I'm hopeful there won't be a problem with them.
DeleteThanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
Nancy, it's just beautiful, and I, too, adore the scrappy background! You should be so proud of your flimsy finish, and for your bravery at working on two borders. They ARE hard! I've experienced just what you're saying when one starts to get a little wavy, and the next is even more 'friendly'. I applaud you, and thank you for being a #BraveQuilter at Pink Doxies.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Thank you for your kind compliments and encouraging words, Julie. I appreciate them.
DeleteYou are a great cheering section for those of us who are brave quilters.