A Quilt A Day

January 31, 2010

The final seam.

Filed under: blocks, flickr, quilting bee, sampler — jennicakes @ 12:32 pm

I finished a quilt top last night! It’s composed of blocks made by the lovely ladies of the Threads Together Quilting Bee, as well as some other helpful folks, and even a few by little ol’ me!

I may be totally insane and alone here, but does finishing a quilt top ever feel anticlimactic to anyone else? There’s something about assembling all those small, fiddly pieces that just feels right. It seems as though the whole thing will never come together. But then, with a single, final seam, it’s done. And I’m sitting at my machine thinking, “Really? That’s it?”

Make no mistake – the anticlimax is hardly a disappointment. Maybe it isn’t an anticlimax at all, since, let’s face it, finishing a top does not equal finishing a quilt. Sewing on a binding represents the real finish line.

Still, it seems to warrant some (small) celebration. How do you mark a quilting milestone?

January 30, 2010

Having said that….

Filed under: flickr, string quilting — jennicakes @ 12:02 pm

I know yesterday I went a little nuts with a just quilt it! post. Having done that, I would also like to point out that there’s something to be said for knowing when to say when. Exhibit A:

I really love the way there’s only one full “web” in this quilt. It’s hard work making spider webs, and this layout really shows off the wonderful craftsmanship. And I think the size is just perfect for showing off all of the gorgeous prints – prints that might have gotten lost in a larger piece.

According to the blog of Ms. GoingSewCrazy, she worked on this for a month and decided it wasn’t going to get any bigger. Which makes sense – it’s a complicated, labor-intensive block, and while it can make great use of scraps, it still requires a lot of them.

So she quilted and bound. And that was that.

Is this going to cover her bed? Probably not, unless she stumbles upon some cool Alice-in-Wonderland style pharmaceuticals. Is is awesome nonetheless? Absolutely yes!

January 29, 2010

On just going for it.

Filed under: applique, flickr, vintage — jennicakes @ 3:59 pm

galadrielthompson found this amazing quilt at an estate sale, which is pretty amazing. I don’t know if I’m crushed that it wasn’t passed down as an heirloom, or thrilled that it somehow managed to find its way out into the wild where it could be adopted into a loving home.

At any rate, looking at this and beholding its infinite fabulosity, I’m reminded of all of the smaller projects I’m working on, and I wonder how many of them would add up to something as gorgeous and complicated as this.

The fact is, it’s tempting to believe that, in the old days, quilters had more time than we did, but I’m not sure that’s true. This quilt started out as nothing more than an idea, and somebody, whoever it was, somehow found the time to finish it.

Did she give up on it once or twice, or a dozen times? Maybe so, but then, obviously, she picked it up again. Did she doubt her design choices? I sure hope not! What’s clear is that she wasn’t afraid to commit to the project, because made it got.

This quilt is a lot of things, but, above all, it is a reminder that even the biggest projects can be finished. And we can put a lot of hours into less complicated, more “finishable” efforts, but, if what we really want in the end is a quilt like this, we need to start it, and keep going.

Or we need to get really, REALLY lucky at estate sales!

January 28, 2010

quirky little quilts

Filed under: applique, doll quilt, etsy, vintage — jennicakes @ 6:56 pm

If you’re jonesing for a little art this week, might I suggest the “quirky little quilts” section of extra toppings etsy shop?

They truly are quirky, and priced and sized for gift-giving. And if the recipient is yourself? So much the better.

(And if the recipient is me, get “Serving Mr. Man,” pictured here. They’re all great, but this is my fave.)

January 27, 2010

Oh, boy!

Filed under: baby, etsy — jennicakes @ 6:40 pm

This baby quilt by Alexia Abegg has been one of my flickr faves for, literally, years.

Not a lot of years, obviously, but, in internet terms, anything more than a month can seem like ancient history.

Still, my admiration for this quilt has not waned. I think it’s wildly successful, for a number of reasons:

1. Simplicity. It’s tough to stitch up a square within a square that isn’t pleasing to the eye, after all. And the number of prints seems just about perfect to me: there’s enough variety to make it interest, but not so many different novelty fabrics that your eye doesn’t know where to look next. Which brings me to:

2. Movement. See how some of the stripes and dots are oriented sideways? Replace those with different fabrics, and you could easily have a hot mess on your hands. As they’re arranged here, they add playfulness while keeping the palette streamlined and chic.

3. Print sashing and border! It’s easy to forget to buy subtle, quiet little prints like the one shown in the border, but they do play well with others, don’t they? Much as I love white sashing, it can be a little jarring when the block designs just end, and a solid blue fabric could very well be too blue in this case. And speaking of solids:

4. Solids! (Comma judicious use of.) Notice how the solids bordering the print blocks don’t exactly match the prints? The sashing? Each other? Notice how it somehow looks better that way? There’s a lesson in this, methinks.

Ms. Abegg is not exclusively a quilter. Check out her etsy shop for lots more in the way of Good Design Choices.

January 26, 2010

Tutorial Tuesday: Hanies’ 3×6 Block

Filed under: blocks, flickr, quilting bee, tutorial — jennicakes @ 6:23 pm

I’m sort of breaking the whole quilt a day rule by posting this tutorial, but it’s hardly the first time. Plus, you must admit, this block by Hanies has a little bit of everything. If you’re in search of a great starting place for a mini-quilt, may I suggest:

See what I mean? A little bento, a little bear’s paw, a whole pinwheel in the middle. And tons of possibility. She even has a wonky version on her tutorial page!

Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress