Quilting this one was not a good experience. (I was going to say that it was a huge challenge, or maybe a real hassle, or maybe even a pain in the neck, but I'm trying not to be too negative.) First, I spent an hour trying to get the tension right. I was trying to use a light grey thread on top and black thread on the bottom, but it was not working at all. I knew it would be better to use the same thread on the top and bottom for the tension to work out. My friend Faye at Mimi's Passions told me to think about using chartreuse or orange thread. Now, why didn't I think of that? I'm always suggesting that to other people, but I didn't think of it for myself.
You know what? I really liked the orange!
Then, I had a lot of trouble stitching through all those layers. In some spots with all the slashing apart and sewing back together, there were so many thicknesses it was really difficult to get smooth curves or keep the needle going without it getting hung up. To top it all off, I managed to do this -
Take my advice. Don't do that.
I felt better once I decided on a binding color (with the help of Hubby) and I knew I was almost done.
Hand stitching the binding down is my favorite part of making a quilt!
Now that it's finished I really love this quilt. There are so many fun fabrics in it, from plaids and selvedge edges .....
..... to thirties prints .....
..... to juvenile prints.
Even watermelon!
So, tonight I'm sitting back and enjoying my accomplishments (when I'm not doing a happy dance!)
I haven't kept a quilt for us in a long time, so I'm looking forward to snuggling up in this one, drinking coffee, and reading a book.
I may just do that every morning!
If you want to see how the blocks were made look at this blog entry then read this one.
13 comments:
I love the quilt.
Binding is my least favorite part. I'll send all mine to you.
Bummer about sewing the safety pin in.
Bon
That's an amazing quilt. The orange thread and the green binding work really well. Always fun to enjoy your own quilt - brings a smile of achievement and pleasure.
I love this quilt; I'm glad you've got it finished. I like it so much I've pinned your post from February 2015 in which you describe the process of making the top to my Pinterest board "Quilts". I hope you don't mind, but if you do, just let me know and I'll remove it immediately.
I am so glad you stuck with it in spite of all the issues and challenges, because you created a one-of-a-kind bright quilt that is not only a work of art but also fun to snuggle with. The best of both worlds. You should be so proud of it :-)
Sandy, it turned out fantastic! All those cool fabrics, and the orange quilting adds just the right fun touch. This one is definitely a keeper :)
I've got some blocks made up of lots of pieced fabrics like that, so your experience with getting the curves smooth thru the thickness is good to know. Maybe I'll stick with a walking foot design on mine. Thanks for the info!
Very cool quilt! I can't quite imagine how you got that pin sewn in like that, but it's a lesson learned and one to laugh about later. Have fun snuggling under it!!!
Such a bummer that it became such a hassle. And yeah, that pin just made me cringe. What a relief it must have been to get to the binding. It looks TERRIFIC. I love the colors and lines. What a great quilt. Yay!
What a fun quilt! Binding is my least favorite and I'm not sure why since I enjoy hand stitching so much. Add my name to the "Sewed a safety pin list". You are in good company :)
I love all the little surprises from all the different fabrics, the fun thread color and the bright binding. Oh...can't forget the cool backing, too. That's one cute quilt.
That turned out so great, even with the pin that got in the way. Silly pin! Bet it won't do that again... ;) The colors are great, so cheerful. I can understand why you want to cuddle with an enjoy this one!
Hi Sandy, I'm really glad that it worked out! Sometimes the ones that give us the biggest challenges are the ones we love the most (although if it gets too bad, it can be a real turn-off!). Scrappy quilts are so much fun because they have such a history. Enjoy!
Congrats on finishing off the quilting. The challenging ones are often the most satisfying.
What an awesome quilt! Sorry for the trouble, but you made it, good job.
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