Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Flying By The Seat of my Pants Quilt Finish!

Back in February, I made my first ever Dresden.  I was so completely impressed with myself, that I could pull something off, that looked so technically difficult!  It was meant to be made in to a cushion for my brother in law and his fiance for their engagement, however the colours just didn't feel right for the project - so I moved on to a second dresden!  I was left with this beautiful little piece of art and really had no idea what to do with it.  So over the past few months I have slowly but surely been putting together my "Flying by the seat of my pants quilt".  And this is is the end result......

quilt1
Using the beautiful "On the Pond" range of Sarah Fielke fabrics, I had lots of fun with the colour palette and basically worked from the centre outwards.  Just adding rows of different piecing until I was happy with the end size and result.
quilt2
The Dresden was made using THIS tutorial by Sew Mama Sew!

All of the quilting was done by me!  I used Aurifil thread (50wt) #2024.  A perfect, shimmery white.  There was a discussion in our QCA group on Facebook the last couple of days, with some wondering why Aurifil has such a great reputation?  I added to the discussion saying that I quilted this entire project without one single breakage!  Which is unheard of for me!  It also leaves far less fluff in my machine, which means less cleaning - equalling a happier quilter!

I basically echoed the star shape of the dresden, using my walking foot, and being ever so patient.  It was extremely time consuming, but once I committed, I knew I just had to stick it out.  I'm so glad I did!  The swirls in the white borders were another first for me.  A couple of months ago I bought a Craftsy class -  Free Motion Fillers Vol 1 by Leah Day.  So before starting this quilting, I finally sat down and watched about half a dozen of the "episodes" in the class, and thought I'd give the spirals a crack.  I have to say - the class gave me a hell of a lot of confidence, and made me feel like I could just do it.  Which I did.

I then also echoed around the triangles of the chevrons, balancing out all the quilting.
quilt4
The flying geese were made using THIS tutorial by The Purl Bee.  They were a great size and once again, another quilting element that looks harder than they are.  The chevrons are made using HST's.  Super easy and super effective.
quilt3
The backing fabric is a gorgeous cursive script print from Ikea!  I bought it ages ago and had it sitting and waiting for the perfect project.  I think it suits this quilt beautifully.
quilt5
This lovely piece of heaven is a finished size of 52" x 71" - bigger than a throw quilt and smaller than a single size.  Perfection for snuggling.  I'm still yet to figure out who this quilt will be living with.  My lovely friend Gemma suggested I use it as a sofa quilt, however, so much white fabric + four children = disaster.  Sooooo, I am contemplating selling this beautiful baby.  I'll decide over the next week of looking at it!  I want it to be loved and cherished, not just put away in a cupboard or drawer.

I think that's SEVEN finished quilts this year!?!!?!?!?  You can see the others HERE.  I nearly fell over when I just counted them up!  I seriously have a problem addiction.  No rehab for me though - I'm just about to head downstairs to start on a new one!

What have you finished lately?  Are you addicted too?

I'm linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday over at Better Off Thread!  You can too!
Better Off Thread

14 comments:

  1. Wow Melissa! You have so much talent! This quilt turned out gorgeous and it's so cool how you just designed it as you went along. I love that you just used the piece you had leftover too. I think that sentiment aligns perfectly with tradition.

    Aurifil is my favorite thread too. My machine runs so much more smoothly with it.

    I plan to do the Kate Spain challenge. Does the project have to be one of the tutorials? I have collected a bunch of purples from a few of her lines and already have an idea of the design I want to make but I haven't started yet.

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  2. PS I also wanted to say you should offer custom quilting after you get a little more experience! You have a knack for picking the perfect motifs!

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  3. Seriously just beautiful!! You definitely should be so proud of this!!

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  4. Gorgeous quilt and quilting!! Hard to believe it is your first go at some of the techniques/quilting you did! Guess there is hope for me :)

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  5. And here I was going to ask you what pattern you used! I love everything about it.... Wish I could afford to buy it, because I LOVE it!

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  6. I have liked this at each step of the way; now that it is finished, it is absolutely gorgeous! The quilting is perfect for the patchwork. I have bought that class--better get at watching it and trying too! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. Your quilting is amazing. Wish mine was - but then again I have yet to try quilting. And I was hoping I was gonna get it. Dream on woman (me not you)

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  8. P.S. You will be so sorry if you sell this beauty. Put it away until your children are older because it is too beautiful to sell that is for sure.

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  9. This turned out so beautifully! Your quilting is just fantastic!

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  10. Your quilting is amazing! I love that you made your own medallion quilt in your own way. It's a beautiful quilt! It feels contemplative and soothing, great for a restorative nap I'd say :)

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  11. Hey there Ms. Midge!
    This quilt is FANTABULOUS!!! Love your quilting, fabrics, piecing, design...all of it. Great Job!
    Following on bloglovin', don't want to miss anymore of this inspiration.

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  12. You did such a fantastic job with this quilt Midge! I love the story of how you got there. You have come so far with your quilting and design. Well done! xx

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  13. Absolutely beautiful! Dresdens are on my to do list! Love the quilting too.
    Thanks for linking up :)

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  14. Such a beautiful quilt! I love the quilting too. I love that you work and figure out as you go..much like my type. I would love to make a quilt that grows in medallion like this someday!

    Amira@ http://littlemushroomcap.blogspot.com

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Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment - I read each and every one of them! xx

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