Friday 16 May 2014

Quilt festival spring 2014 - my bed quilt

It’s festival time! A huge thank you to Amy and to all the sponsors for making this fantastic event a reality once again.

My quilt for the big quilt category is this one - a double bed quilt that I started in the summer of 2012 and finally finished in February 2014.


Fabric: Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry and Kona fabrics. 80/20 batting and cotton background
Techniques: EPP, machine pieced blocks, machine quilted by Diane
Size: 95x95 inches

I have (selfishly) kept the quilt and it is the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning. Call me crazy all you want, but looking at the colors in this quilt makes me very, very happy… I also like the combination of traditional and modern blocks that somehow came together in this.


When I started I had no idea what I wanted to make. I was inspired by the Ferris Wheels EPP and had some FQ’s of Lark fabric on the shelf. I thought they would be perfect for the FerrisWheels, because the fabrics are quite different both in design and color and expression.


So I EPP'ed to my hearts delight. By August I had more than 1x1 meter. However, at that point I wasn’t too keen on making more EPP, so I decided to add a border. I choose the Lattice block from the book ‘Modern blocks’. I started making the lattice blocks in October 2012 and Bee Europa chipped in with some of the lattice blocks in the early spring of 2013.



 

When the lattice border was finally a reality in the summer of 2013 the quilt still didn’t feel finished, so I decided to add yet another border.


After much consideration I finally selected the ‘Pongo Stick’ block, which was funny enough originally the block I considered instead of the lattice block ((also from Modern Blocks)
 
 

With the final border on the quilt measured 95x95 inches. The thought of quilting such a large quilt on my old Pfaff and ruin it with my lousy quilting skills didn’t strike me as a terribly good idea, so I decided have it long armed quilted – a new first for me. I brought the quilt to Sweden, where my family lives and the wonderful Diane worked her magic all over it. Not a day goes by where I’m not happy about that decision. The quilting looks fantastic (and wasn’t as expensive as I had feared it would be). In February 2014 I made the last stitches on the binding and was finally able to put the quilt on my bed.


(Picture taken by Diane)

Behind the scenes
It’s a big quilt and very, very difficult to photograph. I thought the bench at the lake would be a good spot to take a picture and literally help to elevate the quilts, so we all went for an evening walk just as the sun was going down. But... even with the boys standing on the bench they couldn't quite lift it off the ground.

When taking the pictures I managed to sneak behind them and got this photo. It makes me smile big. It feels like the boys are growing up so fast, but in reality they still need a little help holding up a quilt this size.




Anyways, enough about this quilt. Thanks for stopping by here. There are so many other wonderful quilts to see and so much inspiration to be found, so be sure to visit lots of the festival blogs too.


AmysCreativeSide.com


15 comments:

  1. Hi Cille! This is so gorgeus quilt! I'm happy you took photo also from the 'quilt keepers'! I'm still quilting mine - hope to finish in time.
    Have a great festival time and good luck! x Teje

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  2. That's a pretty thing, and I can just imagine how great it is to wake up to. I think it has an Asian feeling to it.......just beautiful !

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  3. Gorgeous quilt! Love the colors and your block choices. Isn't if funny how a quilt lets you know if it's done or not?

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  4. i love it! the colors just sparkle against the blue background. congratulations!

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  5. I thought I had already commented on this quilt (so many nice entries I'm beginning to feel dizzy) Your quilt is amazing, love the borders you added and how it became bigger and bigger. Love your photos, especially the behind the scenes one ;)

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  6. What an amazing quilt. I love the Lark fabric, but never bought any. You must have some patience to have stuck with it. I can totally see why it makes you so happy :)

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  7. It's just so beautiful. Look great in your room too!

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  8. Beautiful quilt. Love the behind the scene photo of the helper.

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  9. Oh, wow! Gorgeous - and that lattice border!

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  10. Cille, you always do such beautiful work and this is no exception. Stunning!!!

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  11. Probably my favorite quilt you've made. It's just fabulous. Love the quilt holders. Thank goodness you have a tall family. :o)

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  12. Absoltuely beautiful quilt! Great colors and goes perfectly with your bedroom.
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

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  13. Beautiful quilt! Such lovely, vibrant fabrics you chose. The borders work great, like garden lattice and gates. I love the photos of it in front of the lake and draped on your bed!

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