Welcome to Show & Tell Friday!! …. Wow week 8 already!!
You may have noticed an absence of a Project 52 last week for week 7. I’m pretty sure it was obvious what my last weeks project was… just a little bit of discussion on Blog Etiquette 🙂 It was pretty self explanatory that I had a lot on – and you all had enough reading for the week from this blog so I didn’t bother posting any more…. my project was a week long series, with my something new being having a whole lot of guest bloggers. It was a great week!
This week I really wanted to try and get close to finishing my Dolls Quilt 10 quilt. It has been stressing me out and I needed to at least make a start & know where I was going with it. Well I did better than just make a start… Here it is all finished with the gorgeous Abigail trying it out for size…
Shockingly I didn’t even leave it until the last minute for a change – I’ve actually had it finished since Wednesday – yay me!! Here’s another close up –
And the back…
The Stats: It measures 24 inches by 24 inches. The half square triangles measure 2 inches finished, and the little squares you see measure 1 inch square once finished. I stitched the binding by machine.
I like this quilt but I have to say that I’m not head over heels “in love” with it. I would prefer the colours to be a bit more fresh & vibrant, and I would also prefer it less busy (I really like the back more since it’s more minimalist & punchy…) But that’s ok because that’s not what swaps are about! I would also prefer it to be the same fabric for all of the little squares – but I only had a charm square pack of Sunkissed available to me so I had to work with what I had…
… My partner specifically mentioned this fabric range, and I know through stalking her likes/dislikes & favourite Flickr items that this pattern will really appeal to her. I’m hoping so anyway LOL…
In saying all that (and with the risk of sounding completely up myself lol…) I am so impressed at the job I did with this quilt on a technical level!! It is quite possibly the best piecing and quilting I’ve ever done – the points nearly all match up… the piecing is tiny… the quilting is really tidy… the binding is really neat & has perfect 45 degree tucked corners…
I’m not quite sure why/HOW that happened – maybe partly because I haven’t made a quilt for a while and have improved technically since last time? Or more probably because the calibre in this swap is really high and I’m competitive and I don’t want to look like a loser *hanging my head in shame at this confession LOL…
Here are some more close ups
The first for me this week is the coloured quilting – for the first time ever I tried quilting with a different colour in the top to the bobbin…
I’d heard in the past that doing this could create havoc with the thread tension and ruin the quilt, but despite hearing this I just couldn’t imagine quilting it any other way and having it not look stupid on the back. So after a few tests I bravely decided to give it a go. I’m very relieved to report that my machine coped with it beautifully (they weren’t even the same brand threads) and the quilting looks great!! Have I mentioned before how much I love my sewing machine!!!
I’m really pleased that I gave it a go because I think using the same bobbin colour as the top would have ruined the minimalist pieced back:
And that is my dolls quilt submission! YAY for it being complete!! One huge weight off my mind!!
… Now on to my modern swap. As of my start yesterday I have ordered her fabric & decided on what I’m going to make for her – but I probably won’t get to make a start for a little while. I have the most awesome partner ever & we have really really similar taste – so I’m looking forward to creating something beautiful for my modern swap partner too.
I wish I knew which dolls quilt was for me LOL…
How did you all get on with your projects?
PS is anyone keen for a tutorial on how to make this block? I used a really easy piecing method so those 1 inch squares aren’t nearly as intimidating or time consuming as they look! If there are a few people interested I took photos to post a tutorial – so let me know. xx
Kat…this is a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!! What a fantstic job you have done. I LOVE IT!! Truely gorgeous me thinks 🙂
You so know that I would be interested in a tutorial.
xx
When I saw it on Flick’r I really hoped it was for me! But alas I did not specify a particular fabric line! It is really beautiful and would love a tute. I could imagine having a go at this!
Lovely! And I am always up for a tut! I learn so much by even reading them! Enjoyed your post from yesterday, as well. So happy you are able to stay at home with your children! Hugs!
You *should* be proud of this – I didn’t notice the coloured quilting on Flickr and that’s definitely the icing on the cake. Nice job, Kat!!
Wow, it’s just lovely. I would love to have a quilt like this (are you going to do a pattern?). Very nice!
I would love to see this as a tutorial. It really is lovely
looks really wonderful. sadly i didnt say anything about this line (i dont think) so i dont think its for me. but it is really lovely. would like to see a tute
I’ve always shied away from using a different coloured thread top and bottom but I’ll going to give it a try next time – the quilting here looks wonderful
Beautiful quilt and lovely directions! I may have to try this one 🙂 Thanks!
Gorgeous great tuit too!