Good Morning, Sunday Morning!

At long last I can welcome "Sunday Morning" into true quilthood (if there is such a thing).  With top, back, and batting layered and stitched together it's a real quilt!

Both the front and back are scrappy.  My husband likes the back better than the front.  It seemed like a bear to put together but I do rather like it.

From the photos above it looks like I quilted on the diagonal in only one direction but look at the close-up below and you can see a double line of diagonals in both directions.  I used masking tape as a guide to stitch from corner to corner then added a square in the middle of those.  I wasn't too concerned that the center squares were exactly square or exactly centered.  It's a scrap quilt, after all.

I wish I could say I love this quilt.... When I saw the pattern in the book, Sunday Morning, a few years ago I took an inventory of my strings and thought it would be a great quilt to make.  Perhaps if I'd been more particular about the colors I used I might like it more.  I'm not a white-white person.  I like naturals, creams, and tans much better and this quilt has a lot of white.  But it will keep someone warm in the winter.

Details
Timeline to Completion

spring 2012 - quilt begun
 5 Jun 2013 - all blocks laid out
15 Jun 2013 - top stitched
19 Jan 2015 - scrappy back finished
21 Jan 2015 - hand quilting begun
 9 Jul 2015 - quilting finished
17 Jul 2015 - binding stitched
23 Jul 2015 - washed and dried

Batting was Cream Rose 100% cotton

Measurements
74½" x 90"  - top before layering
73½" x 88½" - after quilting
73½" x 88¼" - after binding
72"  x 86¼" - after washing & drying


I'm linking this post to
> Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts 
> WIPS Be Gone Week 31 at A Quilting Reader's Garden
> Creative Goodness Linky Party - July 31st at QuiltShopGal
> Can I get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
> Link a Finish Friday #179 at Richard and Tanya Quilts

Thanks for visiting and, if you leave a comment, thank you for that, too.

I hope you've had a great week!
--Nancy.
.

Scrappy Back In Progress

- a mess on the way to becoming a quilt back -

Sewing together large pieces of fabric is so far out of my comfort zone that I almost backed out of a scrappy back for my Sunday Morning quilt.  It feels like a puzzle but without the help of the photo on the box.


The first challenge was whether to keep the colors light or use medium tones.  I thought if I used medium tones it would be like having two quilts in one, but I couldn't commit to the light and medium back to back so I've stuck with a lighter color range.

The next challenge was whether to use only a particular range of colors.  The quilt has a wide range of light colors -- tints! -- in it.

Then the layout.  Then the measuring, the cutting, the sewing.

I hope it lies flat when all the pieces are finally stitched together.  The layout has been in progress for a few days.  I hope the cutting and stitching will go quickly.  Only a few of the pieces on the lower right have been sewn together and, of course, I may change my mind again about the fabrics and arrangement.

I'm linking to
> Scraptastic Tuesday at She Can Quilt.  Thanks, Leanne.
> WOW at Esther's Blog.  Thank you, Esther.
> WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  Thank you, Lee.

--Nancy.
.

Three Things

ONE.  I'm hoping not to buy more fabric until I've used more (much, much more) of the fabric I have.

TWO.  I need to layer a quilt and begin hand quilting.  I'm at a loss without handwork and I finished the most recent quilt nearly a month ago.  The one above is the next to be quilted.

THREE.   I don't have a piece of fabric large enough for the back of this top (or any of my finished tops).  This means I'll be piecing a back from fabrics I have on hand, including cotton and linen, yardage and pieces.  I think it will be almost like making a second quilt top.  It's the first time I've tried piecing a back from only "scraps."

These are the fabric possibilities.  The photo's a little dark but I hope you get the idea.

It's always hard to choose backing fabric when the fabric in the quilt top is so varied, especially if I don't want a plain fabric.  Even though the top has all pale fabrics, there's a variety of colors - cream, pink, blue, tan, white, and colors between.

It should be fun.  It will feel like a huge success if I can sew small, medium, and large pieces of irregular-shaped fabric into one large back that lies flat (that may be the hardest part) and looks appealing.

Wish me luck!

I'm linking to Design Wall -- January 5, 2015 at Patchwork Times.  Thanks, Judy.

--Nancy.
.

Choosing Backing Fabric(s)

I'm eager to begin quilting but I don't have a back ready for this quilt.  I've been considering the fabrics along the top of the photo below. 
 

They're in the color range I think might work.  Except maybe the light one is too light; I think deeper tones might be more comfortable for this quilt.  I don't have enough of any one of them and would have to piece the back. 

I'm fine with piecing a back but haven't had been too happy with the ones I've done that way.  I only have two leftover blocks from the front which I could incorporate into the back. Then too, I'm trying use up fabric instead of add more to what I have.

On the other hand, hand quilting through even more seams with a pieced back isn't quite so much fun. 

I've been doing some online shopping for (= looking at) fabric but haven't made a decision yet.

I'm linking this post to Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life.

I hope you're enjoying your day.

--Nancy.
.

Quiet Expectation or Bright Surprise?

When you look at the front of a "quiet" quilt do you expect the back to match?  Or do you anticipate the possibility of a surprise?

I'm sometimes indecisive about quilt backs:  should they "match" the feeling of the front or should they be a surprise -- almost a second quilt?  Is it better to have two options with one quilt or better to have unity between front and back?   (High Five for Brenna is so bright and colorful that I suggested a calm fabric for the back.  I thought if she got tired of the bright front she could turn it over and have a calm quilt.)

The front of this quilt, below, (which I'm calling Center Light for now) is laid out behind the red-flowered and the creamy fabrics.  Are the fabrics in front too bright for a back to this quilt?  Too surprising?

The two fabrics on the left, below, are options for the back along with the fabric with red flowers.  The cream on the lower left almost matches the cream flowers in the fabric on the right except for its olive green leaves, which don't go with the 1940s green of the leaves on the fabric at the right.  If I ignore the olive green, the fabrics would work together.  Hmmm.  Can I ignore that olive green?

The cream fabric on the upper left is just a tad brighter than the cream in the red-flowered fabric.  I have enough of that to use with the red flowers -- about a third cream and two thirds flowers.

I thought about using just cream for the back but I don't have enough of any one fabric (and maybe not enough of several fabrics together) and I was hoping to be able to use fabric from my stash.

All of this brings me to a question:  does it do justice to a quilt to make do, possibly using less than the best (perfect?) choice of fabric in order to use up stash, in order not to spend more money on fabric?  (One of these days I'm going to die and there will be all this fabric left.  I'm trying to use it up!)

These are things I'm thinking about as I consider fabric for the back of this quilt.  I welcome any thoughts you have.

I hope you're having a great weekend.

--Nancy.
.