Sunday 3 June 2012

Absolutely NEVER EVER again

A little recap.

I bought this pattern about 10 years ago


Having a clear out a couple of years ago I rediscovered it and wavered between putting it on the 'never going to do it, need to find a new home for it' pile and the 'oh go on, I'll give it a go' pile.

It ended up on the latter pile.

I kept doing bits of it, getting tired of it and putting it to one side.
There were just so many itty bitty pieces that I kept getting disheartened with the whole process.

A jigsaw of over 1,200 pieces to sew together.

The smallest square on point measures just 1 1/4 inches.

I have loved and loathed the process of making this quilt top in unequal measures.


To the point where I am a little bit out of love with it.

Colours are probably most true to form in this picture

Plus there is still this little lot to remove


Next quilt is going to be a whole lot more simple me thinks.


68 comments:

  1. but it is amazing! One day you will be able to look at it without remembering the pain. Just like childbirth ;-)

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  2. Oh my goodness, it's fantastic!! Maybe you need to put it away for a few weeks until the bad memories have subsided and you can fall back in love with it...Can you recruit some child labour to help with the paper removal? (Outside in enough of a breeze to carry away the paper fluff!) Or have a paper removing afternoon (I'd suggest a BBQ but you wouldn't want to risk getting grease on this beauty!) and bribe friends with tea and cake?!!
    Honestly, I love it - the scrappiness and colour combinations have you written all over it!!

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  3. Wow! You may be absolutely sick of it but it was so worth it! What a beautiful job - and how modern it looks with the amazing colours you chose.

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  4. Good for you for finishing it! It looks fabulous. I don't mind paper piecing, but hate the paper when the quilt is finished. Good luck removing it!

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  5. I think you will be happier when you will see it completed, you will see!. The pattern is fabulous, the fabrics are so nice and fresh, I could end up being your favorite quilt ever!.

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  6. OMG but it's worth every minute spent on it!
    I think a bottle of something chilled your favourite film and someone else to vac up afterwards should make the paper removal much easier!

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  7. It looks great! Think of all the knowledge you gained and now you can check it off your been there, done that, never have to do that again list,

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  8. it is beautiful loads of work but when you look at it ,it is gorgeous pat on the back to you go and open a bottle !!!

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  9. So beautiful and what an amazing accomplishment!

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  10. that is SO cool!! good luck getting the paper out though! it's amazing.... if you don't feel like "fighting" with it right now, take a break and come back to it later, with new energy!
    when it's all done, ENTER it into a show!

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  11. Amazing!! What an accomplishment-- sort of like climbing Mount Everest!! Congratulations! :-)

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  12. I love it! I remember when I was making Bonnie Hunter's mystery RRCB, I wore never ever again will I do string blocks. Well you know that saying "Never say never"? Well I have done strings a few time since then. I think just doing 60 of them at once made me hate them. That quilt top had approx 5000 pieces in it. But I love the outcome of that quilt.

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  13. Oh my goodness!
    War a ton of work! Stunning!,,,

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  14. You will love this quilt once it will be done and quilted! It looks A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Love the fabrics and they look together nicely! I love the way it looks!

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  15. It looks wonderful. To help pull the paper off, stretch each section a little on the diagonal, and it should pop off some of the seams.

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  16. It looks so good! But after a baby like that I think you definitely deserve something that finishes quickly. Maybe a stacked coin quilt?

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  17. Can I swear here? Because I want to say "Holy shit!!!" but I am not sure if that is allowed ;) That is a quilt top of epic proportions. It looks fantastic. But I can see how you can start to hate something that is so labour intensive. Definitely ship that off to be quilted and then just slowly put on the binding and admire and appreciate your hard work. Definitely have earned an easy one next time out!

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  18. You should be congratulated for sure..but omg!!!
    The best bit for me is the wavy border..love it!

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  19. Don't know if you are interested in... but I love your "simple" quilts a lot more!

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  20. You should be proud.It`s absolutely fabulous.Love,love!!

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  21. But...this quilttop is soooo beautifull! It was worth all you work you had on it!

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  22. love your quilt.....it's great to see it made as a scrappy quilt......amazing....give yourself a pat on the back...

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  23. It's so amazing! I've thought about doing a whole paper piecing quilt but looking at the back of that is disheartening. I'd pop in a movie or make my hubby read to me with a trash nearby and go at it.

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  24. Just saw this on Flikr and I think its beautiful. Good for you for sticking with it. And now I see why old fashioned quilts still have the paper inside them sometimes. Do you have any small children around that might find the paper ripping fun? I know my 5 yr old would love it.

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  25. Once you have some perspective (and have forgotten about the trials making it!) you will love it again. How could you not?!?!? It is just stunning - your fabric choices are inspiring and I LOVE the mismatched compass centres! Such a nice modern twist. I think I would have a go making one after seeing yours! In short? Bloody gorgeous!!

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  26. It is an incredibly overwhelming quilt from the labor standpoint. However, it is absolutely gorgeous. (I know I too would hate removing all those papers.)

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  27. WOW! That is one stunning quilt!

    I had a massive amount of paper to tear off a string quilt I made last spring, but fortunately for me my (then) 17-year-old son and two of his friends came home from an evening out while I was tearing off the paper -- and they HELPED ME! They actually OFFERED to help me! If you can recruit some non-quilters for whom the paper-tearing is simply a novelty that might make it all less painful :)

    However you progress to the next step, this is a really amazing piece of work...and you deserve to do an easy and quick project next.

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  28. Gosh- I think you need a break but, like childbirth, you will probably forget all about the pain when it is done. It's beautiful!

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  29. Oh wow wow wow!!! Yes, you've earned yourself some easy projects to follow up on this one!! It's stunning-- and the back looks equally impressive as the front! I don't know that I'd ever have the patience to tackle such an intricate project, this will be an instant heirloom in your family for sure!

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  30. p.s. I also love how when I read the title of your post I was prepared for either something awful or something truly amazing-- I'm glad it was the second!

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  31. incredible! after a few days of exhausting work, will love this quilt

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  32. What an absolute treasure! I love the photo of the back with all the paper. I can't imagine the work you put into this. It's mesmerizing!

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  33. It is so so gorgeous! Well worth the effort. I am sure you will love it in a little while. I found when removing the paper, if you spritz it with water, then iron, it pulls away like butter : ) You have a treasure there for sure.

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  34. Holy cow! Absolutely gorgeous! and much prettier than the one on the pattern!

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  35. Spectacular! The colors on the original are so bland--yours is gorgeous. I feel your pain, though. I did a complex paper-pieced quilt and removing the paper at the end was the straw that broke the xamwl's back. Never again!

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  36. Wow, that is stunning. I would never have the patience to tackle something like that

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  37. Oh my goodness wha t a beauty. I know wha t you mean when you say you are not sure whether you love or hate it, but iit is so stunning there is no way it can be in the bad books for long

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  38. Wow! You are even more mental than I could have possibly dreamt of! Miss me?

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  39. I can see why you'd have a love/hate relationship with this quilt, but oh my it's gorgeous! Maybe it's like childbirth and you'll eventually forget the pain of making the quilt and love it just for it's beauty! ;)

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  40. Impressive! The scrappiness is great and gives it kind of an antique look, though with modern fabric! Enjoy being done with the piecing and treat yourself to some nine-patches. :)

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  41. the fabric you chose to work with for this pattern is incredible! i love coming to this blog and checking out all your projects. the fact that you keep it 'real' with your struggles is actually very inspiring.

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  42. I'm blown away by this - I have to ask - what were you thinking about while doing this, or did you just have to concentrate on the work at hand (literally)?
    Take care, Byrd

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  43. this is stunning....i could not believe all the small parts. you are a gifted quilter

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  44. I had to laugh when I saw your blog title, because I had a feeling it was going to be that type of pattern. You see, I am in the process of completing a Judy Niemeyer quilt too, my second one. And I have uttered those same words over and over again. For some reason I chose to do a KING size quilt, the largest quilt I have done. So, I feel your pain. :) Your finished result is truly amazing. I love the scrappiness of it!!!!

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  45. I love it ...it's amazing!! Your patience certainly paid off. I think it's a supurb achievement.

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  46. congratulations on an amazing quilt! It is so beautiful - I keep looking at different parts of it! You should be very proud that you stuck with this project and ended up with a gorgeous quilt!

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  47. congratulations on an amazing quilt! It is so beautiful - I keep looking at different parts of it! You should be very proud that you stuck with this project and ended up with a gorgeous quilt!

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  48. Quite possibly the most stunning quilt I have ever seen

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  49. out of control crazy! wow! props to you for finishing!

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  50. I may be saying the same thing this summer. I bought a Judy Niemeyer pattern to give a try. Perhaps I was smart in looking for a smaller pattern (finish size 48" by 54")? I have to say, this is a jaw dropping, amazingly beautiful quilt and I am very impressed that you finished it!

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  51. wowee! that is one glorious quilt!!! i

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  52. Oh. My. Goodness. That is an amazing quilt. Wow, I cannot even imagine putting something like this together, I'd probably have to be peeled from the ceiling or placed in an asylum somewhere because I'd be bonkers. Well done and I bet in a year or so you are going to love it!!! :)

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  53. You've done it! You finished it!
    Well done to finish a masterpiece like this: all those tiny bits that HAVE to be in the right place.
    I would never think of starting this: i'd go mental within 10 minutes.
    Great to look at, but not to make yourself!
    Therefore I think you've created a masterpiece!
    Thank God it's over now!

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  54. I think it's lovely! It reminds me of an old lover--no matter how aggravating it became at times, I still wouldn't mind a warm snuggle! ;O)

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  55. It is beautiful!! What an accomplishment! Great job!!

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  56. Oh my word - I can't believe you got that done! I would have never attemtped it.

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  57. I am speechless. That is amazing. Love your choice of colors. Wow, you go girl!

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  58. That is probably my favorite scrappy quilt that I have ever seen!!! I have three Judy N. patterns sitting in my studio, mocking me every time I walk by. You done good! How about having a "paper-removing bee" invite a bunch of friends over and give them lots of chocolate and as much booze as it takes to get that paper off.

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  59. Talk about impressive! So much work and so well done. Cheers!

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  60. Wow! This is a beautiful quilt! I love it! You did a great job! I'm sorry about all that paper you have to remove, though. I just attempted my first paper-pieced block which was about 12" square, and I thought I was going to scream before I got all the paper off!

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  61. Holy cow! You should just carry it around with you as a badge of honor. Nice job having the vision to see how beautiful it would be in modern, colorful fabrics. This quilt is stunning!

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  62. Love your color and fabric choices on this one. Unique and inspirational. Good luck with the paper removal!

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  63. Maybe never again, but this is a stunning quilt. Love the colours you've used! Hope you find time one day to totally finish this. Might be a project to take to doctor's visits and waiting rooms, just to get all the papers off, or have a party, and put it on the table and ask everyone to help out.... Congrats on getting it this far!

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  64. To misquot Rudyard Kipling, " you're a better woman than me, Gunga Din!"

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  65. WOW! This quilt looks so much more vibrant and fun in your fabrics than it does in the pattern photo. And the picture of the backing paper looks terrifying!! Is that paper piecing? I've never tried that before. Scary! Gorgeous quilt. It's really an heirloom. Congratulations on finishing it up!

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  66. This is truly a RIOT of amazingness! Everything about it is excessive! After seeing it quilted (in the BQF!)the overabundance of goodness continues!!!!!! Congratulations on a superlative finish!!!!!!!!!

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