Thursday, October 4, 2012

A Hometown Reunion

Not gonna lie - I'm pretty tickled with how this little quilt turned out!  This was a bit of a "wing it" type of project, not how I usually roll at all.  I'm very much a follow-the-pattern girl.  But I had a little picture in my mind, I went with it, and guess what?  It worked!


Like I said earlier this week, I mostly made this little quilt to have something bigger to practice my free motion quilting on.  This particular FMQ design is called Crybaby Meander (I think I prefer to call it "teardrop echo", what do you think?) and it is one I'd tried before and found it to flow really smoothly and naturally.  I decided to quilt around the circles and not over them at all, which in the end does give a nice look and bit of puffy texture but it was challenging to say the least!


The tutorial I used for the circles is from Badskirt Amy, which I originally saw on Svetlana's blog.  It was fun, easy, worked really well, and I recommend it if you're ever in the mood to make circles!


These were my very last bits of Sweetwater Hometown (oh how I loved that fabric!) and almost my last bits of Sweetwater Reunion.  Two of my absolute all time faves.  :)


Hey, would you look at that ~ a pieced back!  Again, not how I usually roll but this time it was out of necessity as the little piece of backing fabric I bought wasn't quite big enough.  It worked out for the best though because I think the pennants on the back are a fun little touch.


Quilt stats:

Finished size:  32" x 40"
Fabric:  Sweetwater Hometown & Reunion, Kona Bone, unknown 
small floral backing, gray gingham binding
Quilted by:  me, using Aurifil 50wt cotton thread

Fresh Poppy Design

47 comments:

Debbie said...

Good for you, Heather! How fun is this! You are a pro now!

Pomegranate Quilts said...

This quilt is really rocking it! Great use of your precious Sweetwater fabrics, great original design, beautiful quilting, and perfect fabric for the binding. GREAT JOB!

Kirsten said...

Such a lovely quilt Heather - your FMQ is so beautiful.

Adrianne @ On the Windy Side said...

Your free motion quilting on this is lovely. Your posts on FMQ practice, and your comment that this pattern was actually one of the easier ones you have tried, have left me inspired to try this one for myself. I also love the idea of the circles to use up the last few pieces of a fabric collection you love.

Susan said...

A perfect little quilt! Your quilting is wonderful! Congratulations, you should be very proud of it!

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

Heather I'm so impressed with your FMQ - it's fantastic! Really brilliant quilt :o)

Annabella said...

I'm also super impressed by your amazing FMQ and this is a great quilt! I love the pieced back - I like a bit of interest on the back!

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

Wow, you've really gotten great at fmq. It looks stunning. I am usually a wing it kind of sewer. It is liberating to just go for it without all the planning.

Wendy said...

What a beautiful quilt! Your FMQ is gorgeous.

Kate said...

It looks awesome! Great job on the FMQ, and I'm not usually a fan of pieced backs, but I like the strip of pennants there. :)

Kristan said...

How wonderful, Heather! The FMQ looks great and I love the binding too.

Sara Hall said...

Wow! I love the look of this quilt! The FMQ looks amazzzzzing!

Kerstin said...

Gorgeous! This turned out so well!

Suzanne said...

Love it! You did an amazing job on the FMQ!

Katie B said...

Crybaby meander is cracking me up! This is such a sweet quilt, and you seriously rocked the quilting!

Heidi Staples said...

Heather, this is absolutely gorgeous!! I love the fabrics you used, and your quilting is amazing!

Unknown said...

Love it! You did an amazing job :O)

Krysta said...

I love it. And your quilting is AMAZING. I always considered myself a pattern follower, too, but I've been realizing that I have been veering off to do my own thing on a lot of my projects lately. I think it makes me even happier when my ideas work out! This really is a wonderful quilt :)

Nat at Made in Home said...

This is amazing! You are so right to be happy with it!

Alisa said...

Absolutely great quilting! Very nice work, Heather.

Kristy @ Quiet Play said...

Love this!! What a fantastic quilt and oh my goodness, your FMQ is just amazing!!

Chelsea said...

Amazing! The pattern is perfect with the circles. I can't get over how even your stitching is, too. And I love the binding.

Susana Neiger said...

Awesome! I love quilty circles, and I also enjoy that feeling of trying something new and having it work! Your quilting is beautiful - great design ... I might have to try that one sometime!

Live a Colorful Life said...

Heather, this is a beautiful quilt. GREAT quilting! Wow. I'm super impressed.

Unknown said...

It's lovely! Great quilting. :)

Rachel said...

Especially love the quilting on this quilt!

Pieced Brain Quilt Designs said...

Gorgeous! And great quilting!

Jenelle said...

Stunning! Thanks for the link to the tutorial too. :)

Angie said...

I think you did a FABULOUS job---LOVE this quilt :)

LimeRiot said...

The quilting is absolutely stunning!! Wow!

Toni said...

I love it, Heather! This is the quilting of yours that I was talking about the other day. Great pattern, and I like how you renamed it! I think it's fun that you did so many "not you" things in this quilt!

Kit Lang said...

Beautiful quilting!

Leanne said...

Heather, this is beautiful! I love your quilting and the circles are just perfect!

Melanie said...

This is adorable. Great job. The echo teardrop is my go-to fmq! Yours looks great!!

Holly said...

Your quilting is beautiful, Heather! I love how the quilt looks all rolled up with the cute binding showing. Great finish!

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts said...

I love your quilt!

Trix said...

Love this. I need WAY more practice to get to this level of free motion. Just can't seem to get my flow. :(

Kelsey said...

Beautiful job!! It showcases your quilting perfectly :)

Kelly said...

Oh wow - your quilting is stunning!

CJ said...

LOVE the name, Love the circles and love that quilting! WOW!

QuiltNut Creations said...

I love it so much. It is fabulous!!

Lynette said...

Very, very cool! Perfect way to use last bits of fabric and practice FMQ. Would you mind if I adapted the idea for a baby quilt for my sister? Yours is making me picture blocks tumbling in an area and then FMQ in some cool motif. . .

LisaAnn said...

Wonderful quilting! You did a nice job!

Janice @ Better off Thread said...

BEAUTIFUL quilting! I will need to try that pattern. I love that you left the circles alone and that bunting fabric on the back is one of my favorites! Thanks for linking up with TGIFF!

Melissa said...

How FUN!!!! I love the Crybaby Meander. :) I just finished my first FMQ on a bed quilt (vs a mini or mug rug), and love designs beyond the stipple. I also love that you didn't quilt over the circles! That's really cute! :)

Carla said...

Love this quilt! The quilting---oh my!

M-R Charbonneau said...

It's beautiful, Heather! Love that texture!