Now I am able to stad back and say that it doesn't look so bad in this picture. And that is why you won't be getting any close ups LOL. It finishes at 90" x 100" and is the largest quilt I've ever made (significantly). I chain pieced the crosses and because the center bars are one piece there is some wonkiness to them. But the worst is the quilting.
There is crazy puckering all over this puppy. As I quilted the last few rows and bound it, I was able to reframe my thoughts. Like I told one of my students, I simply began to look for what I had learned.
One, if I want crisp shapes, mindless chain piecing is not the best option.
Two, more basting pins. Use as many as you think you need and then add more.
Three, If it's really important to have "perfect" quilting on a queen size quilt, send it out!
At the end of the day, I'm able to appreciate it. My husband loves it and it keeps us warm :) You can see the back here.
Next up, a finish that was quick and came together exactly like I envisioned.
I've really enjoyed watching Anne's quilt design a day over on Instagram (#qdad). When I saw her hanging hearts, I knew immediately I wanted to make it. I've been drooling over pixelated heart quilts pretty much since I started quilting. So I grabbed my notebook, sketched up a mini and started cutting.
The pink squares are 1" finished. I made my HSTs using 2.5" squares and trimmed down. Everything in this mini is from my scraps which makes me incredible happy. A shout out to Jenn for inspiring my quilting. Straight lines on the diagonal :) I used my Hera to mark the center line and then used my foot for spacing so they are around 5/8" apart.
The backing is more hearts, All My Love by Robert Kaufmann, that I picked up in a destash on Instagram.
These are finish one and two towards my next fabric splurge and I'm linking up with all the Friday Finish parties I can find :)
Hi Leigh Anne,
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are going through... I have quilted large quilts and have been disappointed with my work, but from looking at the picture, your quilt looks great, and not at all like a hot mess! I love the bold, graphic pattern. I don't have the patience for repetitive patterns myself, but I love the result. As for your hearts, very cute!
Your Clementine Cross looks glorious to me! No one is ever as critical of our work as we are as its maker! Now I have yet another idea for a new quilt! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenn! We are our own worst critic! This looks beautiful to me! I love how you did the multiple lines around the blocks, sort of framing them in. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love it!! Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteI think this quilt is wicked! And it has moved back to the top of my bucket list. and those hearts are adorable!
ReplyDelete90 x 100! Just finishing something that large gets you 9000 high fives -- one for every square inch of the quilt! And, I do love how you choose to straight line around the blocks and to leave the blocks alone. It shows off the blocks and adds beautiful texture! (and give yourself some grace - quilting it that way means you had to be bold and couldn't hide your puckers in the quilting, which is my dirty little secret. Don't tell.)
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is lovely!! The colour is absolutely fabulous! And super cute hearts
ReplyDeleteYay I'm so happy to see this finished quilt, I've been looking forward to seeing it ever since you shared your inspiration picture! I've also had this little plan in my head for ages that I'd like to make a king size quilt for my bed but now I'm terrified of trying to quilt something that size!
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