The first thing I have to say to you as I present you these quilts is…
Whoops!…
Because I learnt a valuable lesson today!
Actually I learnt several valuable lessons today in the process of photographing these quilts.
So shall we start with the first lesson…
Valuable Lesson 1:
Do not try and be sneaky and photograph your children’s Christmas presents while they are home…
Yep that’s right – I was that stupid. I thought that their attention was very taken with drawing outside on the ground with chalk. I knew they were fine out there – after all, I could here them fighting!…
“Hey… that’s MY chalk…” “Waaaaaaahhhhh”….
You know the drill!
So I decided to try and be quickly sneaky by putting Hannah’s quilt on her bed to see how it looked and get some photos so that I could blog about it today…
But alas, a certain person came to investigate what I was doing.
(Perhaps she heard the internal squeals of joy as I admired my handiwork! LOL….)
I tried to stop her in her tracks, but the only problem is that we don’t have doors on the kitchen.
And how could I resist a face like this…
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| “Pulllleeaaassseee let me see the secret Mum!”… |
So I caved.
I know – I’m hopeless at surprises. But it was kind of worth it because this was the reaction…
“WWWWOOOOOWWWW! I LOVE it…. it’s SOOOOO cute and beautiful. I love it I love it I love it!”
That was literally word for word!
Although then she continued on… Hannah has the ability to gush a bit. (Which in all honesty I don’t mind in the slightest because it made me squeal internally with even more delight.)
So we continued taking photos and admiring it.
I stroked and admired Jeanette’s wonderful quilting…
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| fairies & flowers… |
Jeanette was truly wonderful to work with and has some amazing prices on offer over at her blog at the moment, so I fully recommend that you check her out if you are within Australia. I got her December special of $2 per square foot. Unreal! I then did overnight delivery bags and the cost was pretty reasonable I think for two quilts. I will certainly use her again if and when the need/desire arises to get something else long armed!
We then also admired how well my scrappy binding worked with the design. I just did the frugal resourceful thing and pieced the binding from the extra large backing pieces that were left over since the backing had to be so much larger for long arm quilting. I think the scrappy binding complements the quilts perfectly, and it was certainly a great use for the left over fabric & made making so much binding a breeze.
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| Portion of the scrappy binding |
We then admired how well the backs came out using the vintage sheet in strips with strips of some of the other left over fabric…
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| The back of Abbie’s quilt |
Only problem was that after we’d stroked, ogled and admired it on her bed for a while was I then I had to tell Hannah that it still had to be washed and that she couldn’t sleep with it until Christmas – that it would have to now be put away so that she could open it on Christmas day…
– Hannah also has the ability to self combust into a pile of wet hysterics in 2 seconds flat, so that part wasn’t quite so pretty!
There endeth valuable lesson 1 and brings me to…
Valuable Lesson 2:
When making a quilt in summer, with your 60’s green & yellow ugly external vertical blinds down to block out all the summer heat (and therefore natural light), be careful to use the same batch of white for the entire quilt!!!
Because otherwise you will end up with something like this…
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| Look at the top block compared to the others & also at the inside strips of the other blocks. |
Can you see the colour variations in the white borders? In natural light some are a very crisp bright white and some are almost bordering on cream!
Whoops!
Hannah’s quilt has the same problem…
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| All the top blocks are cream & from the third row down are a combination… |
So many different white combinations – ahhhhh!!
I swear you cannot notice the difference in colour from inside my house since I have the shutters down. The quilts survived hours of me working on them and me taking the first batch of photos before I eventually took them outside to photograph. Only THEN did I notice the craziness that is the white predicament…
It is lucky that I am not a complete perfectionist or I would be devastated right now!
Thankfully I am only a slight perfectionist – slight enough that I can see the funny side.
Lucky that isn’t’ it!
Because it would be a bit hard to remedy the problem now!!!
I still cannot actually quite believe that I was so stupid though. I mean in one place I have actually pieced two of the different whites together in 1 strip without even noticing!:
So there you have it.
The moral of this WHOOPS story is:
Always use fabric from the same bolt. Otherwise you might end up with significant colour variations!!!!
I mean after all – this was just white! Who would have thought!!
Luckily Hannah, Abbie & I will continue to love them regardless!
At least they will be unique, that is for sure! And as we will be enjoying them inside the house hopefully noone will ever notice.
Besides, they are yet to be washed, so lets face it, there is still potential for the white to end up taking a slight pinkish or coral tinge all over anyway…
I guess I’m about to find out!
I’m still going to let myself utter a *sigh though…
And hopefully I’ll be back sometime this week for grand reveal 2 – my Cheeky Quilt.
Although that is nowhere near finished so I’ve still got some serious work to do on it!
Kat you have outdone yourself…these quilts are truly beautiful pieces and the odd whites only add to their charm I think 🙂
x
LOVE that look on Hannah’s face! (Has she had a haircut?) The quilts are absolutely gorgeous and you have done an AMAZING job on them. I am sure the girls will tresaure them. xx
They are both really lovely quilts, and I’m sure in time the white will fade and the cream will get well washed and no one but you will notice.
BEEE*YOU*TEA*FULLLLL!!!
I think the different colors of white just enhance the scrappy gloriousness of the quilts. The look on Hannah’s face says all that needs to be said about it.
Two different fabrics? I dont think so – this is a DESIGN feature.
Too cool
Linda
They are absolutely lovely…never speak of the design fault again and no one would even know….Love Hannah’s cute haircut!
Absolutely gorgeous, Kat!!! Something you and the girls will treasure…
You have outdone yourself Kat, your quilts are PERFECT for little girls!!! They will treasure these forever!
I think the use of different whites looks deliberate and is part of it’s scrappy charm. I love those photos of Hannah! Doubt my two will be up to those over the top wonderful reactions Christmas morning. But I would love it if they could be!
They are lovely! I think the different whites look like dappled sunlight, and I would call this a “happy accident”! I like the way you shose the patches too, esp the one with the little one leaning over to pat the cat!
I think the quilts look great! I didn’t mind the different shades of white at all, and your daughter’s reaction was precious! She’ll be so excited to finally get her quilt on Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
They are totally gorgeous! And I love Hannah’s cute face 🙂
I sometimes purposefully use different whites because I like things to look not completely perfect. I think it looks great and they will look better with each wash 🙂
Oh no! The whites… A mistake I’m sure we’ve all made, or at least I have anyway. They are gorgeous quilts, white issues or not. But I cant believe you thought you were still going to get to take quilt away after wee one had seen it…. silly billy… lol
Beautiful quilts, and I agree, it looks like a design feature rather than a mistake.
Love the photos of Hannah, so very cute.
Oh, soooo beautiful! And I love the reaction of the girl! Greetings from Berlin Germany *Floh*
Very cute! Perfect for the littlies… Hannah has such a cheeky grin in that picture!
The quilt is so precious and so is your daughter! Good lesson learned…but I think it looks perfect as it is! I read somewhere that in the past women would put a mistake in their quilts to acknowledge their imperfection before God who is perfect. I think it was called a humble block. I have far more humble blocks per quilt than one:) I love how the backing turned out with your vintage sheet from your childhood. It really is a quilt to be cherished!
Just think of the story the quilt will have to tell years down the road when it is being handed down to your grandchildren (how is that for the future). I really think you should put this story on the label.
You’re not the first to sew different whites together! The quilts look stunning! Beautiful gifts! Jxo
Hee hee, you nut! Although you would have been safe with me as a kid, I actually walked past my dad making my present once and was entirely oblivious lol Glad you were eventually able to prise it away from her til the big day though, and as for the white issue, well, it’s a design feature… ;o)
May I, however, recommend you ask Santa for a daylight bulb for the lighting in your sewing room… :oD
I love the quilt! And your daughter is wonderful – nice that she is so expressive. I love the different “whites”, they go perfectly with the scrappiness of the quilt. If you had not said anything, I would have assumed you cleverly planned them.
I’ll bet no one would ever have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out! I sure wouldn’t have!:) They are so sweet!! It’s so fun & rewarding when they love something you slaved over with love!!
Hi Kat! Those quilts are adorable and beautiful and it doesn’t matter even the whites are not the same. It makes the quilt more alive. I’m sure you girls love their new quilts!
Merry Christmas! xxx Teje
Wow, those quilts are amazing. No wonder Hannah loves hers so much. It’s such a beautiful girly quilt. Just wonderful!
Those ‘whites’ work, so don’t stress it – those lucky girls won’t give a hoot!
they are lovely! I’m sure the girls will treasure them for years to come. I wouldn’t worry at all about the white issue. When I was young I made my mum make me a quilt (yes, made her, and no, neither of us had ever made a quilt before.) it took months of choosing fabric, figuring out what on earth a rottery cutter was, sewing the mentally difficult pattern etc etc. On the final night of finishing it my mum accidentally cut a two massive holes in the backing (after she had quilted it!) she was devestated and patched them as best she could. I told her at the time that it would forever remind me that she made it, it wasn’t shop bought, and it was made with love. It’s still on my bed every night and I love it completely, patched holes and all!
I also think it is soooooooo cute and beautiful….
A gift they´ll treasure forever.