I Finished Another Quilt?
Here's Another Quilt I Made?
I don't name my quilts and I have long since passed the imagined necessity of making quilts because we need one on every bed in the house. And the people who have ever vaguely expressed a passing interest or shown any slight love for my quilts - they have got one too.
And what about the people I know who don't ask: who have babies and engagements and weddings and birthdays. I'm afraid they've all had one too.
So this is a quilt finish for no other reason than because I like making quilts.
You can see the original blurb about the making of this quilt here.
That was back in December of last year and it's sat in a corner of my sewing room because, to be honest, the one part of the quilting process I really do dislike is the laying out of the backing, batting and top and the putting of the three layers together, ready for quilting. If it's a fairly large quilt, I've got to be in the right frame of mind to do it...otherwise it sits to one side.
When I am feeling extremely lazy (as was the case this time), I lay the backing fabric on the floor, then the batting and finally the top. They're all kind of sitting on top of each other but I haven't done any of the usual smoothing out and I haven't used masking tape to adhere the backing to the floor...as I usually do.
On this occasion, I just scoop all three layers up and fix my hand quilting ring to the middle of the quilt (so it is nice and taut and smooth) and start lightly hand quilting.
Once it is secure, and the layers are together without any puckers, I then switch to the sewing machine. Especially, as in this case, I wanted to practice my mediocre free motion quilting skills.
The backing is not going to win any awards for creative application.
It was more a case of hunting through my stash and using some fairly old fabrics I had, which I thought went well enough with the limited colour scheme of the front of the quilt.
And that is it.
I Finished Another Quilt.
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| I think the actual colours are probably most true on this picture |
I love how you highlighted the bird. Really love the quilt.
ReplyDeleteAch Jeezo, Another one?!
ReplyDeleteNo better reason to make them if you ask me. Make what makes you happy. x
I like your quilt and am having a good chuckle over your post. For the most part, I don't name my quilts, either. To be honest, it never even crossed my mind to do so for the longest time. Perhaps you could have titled this post "Sunday Finish" or. if you do a lot of those, just add a number like you've done with Soy Amado. Whatever, just keep making them because they are pretty and interesting and I like seeing them.
ReplyDeleteI love making "Just Because" quilts. I have a lot of those :) It's beautiful! I love the colors and I love the birds. Great finish!!!!
ReplyDeletethat is just the reason,why we are making quilts,i love making them,i don`t need to posess them afterwards,susi
ReplyDeleteI love making quilts...just because! But I also enjoy the naming process. It seems to add another layer to them. It also helps me when I'm talking about the quilts I've made. Much easier to say ..."remember my Melbourne Town quilt?" rather than "remember that colourful, busy, little quilt I made last year?" Yours is really pretty- harlequin like with those diamonds! I'd call it Harlequin.
ReplyDeleteA lovely finish! I did laugh as I read this, keep making them 'just because' as I do so enjoy seeing your results!
ReplyDeleteWell you do have it...giving...making...enjoying...keeping in the closet for a quilt needing emergency...what else is there? I love to make quilts...My perfect life of 67 years has hit the shit fan....the past two years...a dead mother, a dead husband, a son doing Heroin in and out of jail, a sister in foreclosure, melanoma...OMG...but the making of quilts. and the enjoyment of color and design and other quilters have pulled me through...So quilting is thus worth a million dollars. This is a lovely quilt. Carry on sister
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with the 'just because'! I'm still in the childhood of quilt making, not everyone I know owns one of my quilts and my friends keep having babies..... But I quilt primarily because I enjoy the creative process and the time spent!
ReplyDeleteSoon some of the quilts will wear out and you can start doing the rounds all over again :-)
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is lovely and really makes the most of those gorgeous birds.
If there was a place to click "like" for a reply, this one would have gotten a click.
DeleteBirds of a feather....
ReplyDeleteus quilt girls all flock together..
we stitch and we sew..
for whom we do not know.
But the creative process leaves us all a glow.
So continue on
and share the fun
of beautiful creations
on an island in the sun
Neat!!!
DeleteI thought that's how everyone made their backings? Maybe it's just us lol :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not alone, making quilt, well, just because I'm inspired to. No other reason. The spare bed may be groaning under them, but that's ok! This one is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteYour "mediocre" free motion quilting is very nice. I love your quilt!
ReplyDeleteI usually end up naming my quilts for the colours, or reasons or the pattern or a combination thereof ... so birdy diamond would probably be my name for the quilt. I mostly do it to keep track of them ... and not have to think long about which one is which ... I mean how many quilts are you going to make with birds in them and a diamond base shape?
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful with the diamonds & the birds.
ReplyDeleteI also hate the part that vomes after the top is pieced: yuk! But then again, when the material changes from 3 layers to 1, I fall in love with it (all over again). To me that is a magic moment and it motivates me to finish the quilt.
Quilts without goals tend to live in the back wings here too. An event will come up and you will have a quilt ready! I laughed at the list of people who have quilts.I can identify.
ReplyDeleteI remember this quilt when it was a top. I love how quilting adds so much. I agree that one big hump in finishing is (in my case) pinning the front to the batting and back. It is just downright cumbersome. I never thought to use the hoop for tautness--might have to. I have never used tape. Can't make it to the floor and back. So I open the hide-a-bed and lay it out and smooth all three layers, then fold and carry to the cutting table which is reachable. Then I pin starting from the middle, smoothing as I go. I could substitute using the hoop and basting for the cutting table while it is on the bed. Hmmm.
Like others, I like how you let the birds puff out; your quilting looks good. I'm still in the learning stages of FMQ. https://knitnkwilt.wordpress.com/
Can you say something about the bird fabric? Are they appliqued? I love those birds.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this same thing recently. I've decided if I'm not inspired enough to know its name when I see it, I'll call it a utility quilt. Sounds sort of dreadful but at least it's off my conscience.
ReplyDeleteKeep doing them! I like the unusual choice of colours in this one. I actually think hand basting your layers down takes way more effort than pin basting on the floor though :D Not that I enjoy that stage either.
ReplyDelete'...because I like making them' is one of the best reasons for making quilts, I think!
ReplyDeleteP.S. It's stunning!
P.P.S. How about pinning on a table? (Not your dining table, obviously!)
I think how you have incorporated the birds into the design is perfect!
ReplyDeleteI hate the basting stage too, not that I am much of a fan of the actual quilting either. It is the cutting up of colours and sewing them back together that is fun, right?
Such a good quilt. I've loved watching this quilt come together from start to finish, even the 'let's avoid basting by hand quilting' section, actually particularly that bit. But you've given me a fair bit of hope, I'm still in the 'x needs a quilt, and y needs one too now, cos x got one and they'll feel left out and j, k, and m just got pregnant again'. But apparently if I wait long enough I'll run out of those people and occasions and I can start making all quilts just for me!! Decadent Quilting. I'm looking forward :)
ReplyDelete