Monday, September 9, 2013

One more w.i.p off the pile!

This is quilt finish #3 in the last month, and I'm not sure that I've ever been this productive.  Well, I probably have been but somehow finishes feel much more productive than any of the mid-project work, at least to me it does.  :)  Without further ado, the quilt...


The quilting is not very evident on the above photo, but here's one that shows it about the best (it also shows my almost-dead summer grass, so don't look too closely at that part!):


I used my free motion foot to quilt dense lines going back and forth in just the neutral areas.  I had a lot of misgivings as I was quilting it, not feeling at all sure about how it would turn out and whether or not I'd like the non-quilted areas (all of the print fabric sections are left un-quilted) but now that it's done and washed, I've breathed a sigh of relief.  It actually turned out fairly well!


The quilt shrunk quite a bit, which is okay because I wasn't really going for a specific finished size, but the amount of shrinkage kind of surprised me.  It started out as a 48" square top.  Once I finished quilting and trimming it was about 47" square, and now washed and dried it is 44" square!  I'm not sure if it's because of the dense quilting, or the bamboo batting, or a combination of the two - I just found it interesting since normally I lose an inch or two at the most.

A close-up of the texture-y quilting.....


And the back.....


I have one, yes only one W.I.P. left on my pile and it is these jumbo granny squares I made ages ago, and I am just not feeling like doing anything with them.  Does anyone know if there's a charity or flickr group or anything of the sort that collects orphan blocks?  Let me know!


Thanks for stopping by!


Better Off Thread

31 comments:

Carla said...

Hey Heather. It's beautiful! Good for you and all the finished UFO's

Cathy said...

I really like it!

Debbie said...

The quilt looks great! But I am so surprised at the shrinkage too...wow.

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

This turned out so beautifully Heather! I am completely in love with your quilting - doing FMQ straight lines has given it such amazing texture.

Susan said...

Wow! You are "whipping" through them! I love the finished look too! I think bamboo tends to shrink a little more but it's turned out beautifully!

Izzy said...

Beautiful! Love the texture the quilting created. This is a great finish!

nicole said...

Looks fantastic Heather, such amazing texture!
I'm glad you kept going with it.

Whit said...

That is a beautiful quilt! And I love the texture you created!!

Kristan said...

I just knew it was going to turn out great, Heather! Everything you do does. :) I'm so impressed with your now non-existent WIP pile. I've got 3 quilts in mine and determined to get them DONE.

Janet @ Simply Pieced said...

The quilt looks amazing the the quilting turned out great...no worries there!

Katie B said...

Great finish! I'm impressed by your (lack of) WIP list!

Kate said...

Oh wow, the quilting really did make a huge difference! It looks great and very defined now - the unquilted top did look a little mish-mash-y. And no WIPs? Can I send you some? ;)

Poppyprint said...

I think this is such a great quilt! I'm super impressed by your FMQ lines...sewing straightish lines with a darning foot is so hard and yours look amazing. The shrinkage is a bit mysterious, for sure! How about a table runner with your granny squares? Just sew them end to end and you've got a great b'day gift for a friend if you don't want to keep it for yourself. They are beautiful blocks.

RobotMomSews said...

So pretty!! That is crazy how much it shrank..weird! I love your granny squares tho! They are lovely!

Kelly O. said...

this turned out beautifully!

I take orphan blocks from my fellow guild members and make quilts to auction off at our school's fall festival or to give the ALS society (my father died of ALS 5 years ago)... if you've no where else to give them I'd happily take them as a donation for either charity (you can pick) :)

Erin @ Why Not Sew? Quilts said...

oh, I love the quilting!!! wow, that's a lot of shrinkage, maybe it was the batting.

Kleep said...

That turned out great with the quilting!! Good work.

Alli said...

Your quilt looks great! I like how the quilting and everything turned out. That is a crazy amount of shrinking, though -- I hope you do another experiment with the bamboo batting to see if that was it. :)

mle said...

Nice finish! I personally love it! It's a really great gender neutral quilt.

Anonymous said...

Great finish, love the vibrant colors1

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation said...

wow!! this quilt is gorgeous! I love the mix of neutrals, rather than one consistent solid. and the quilting looks so cool!

:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

What Comes Next? said...

beautiful! love the dense quilting on it

Erica said...

I think the quilting turned out great! And it really adds a lot to the quilt design. I have always been afraid to try FMQing lines, but maybe I will try it someday :)

Patti said...

The quilting really takes an already fabulous quilt over the top! Way to go, Heather! I'm a bit shocked at the amount of shrinkage though!

Anonymous said...

The quilting on this gorgeous quilt is amazing. It really adds an extra element to the finished piece.

Krista Schneider said...

HEATHER! you did such a FAB job with the quilting, way to go! It looks soooooooo good. Weird on the shrinkage note, tho. Yay for wips crossed off the list!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful quilt!!!!

Michelle@factotum-of-arts.com said...

Great finish - I love the color combinations. Congrats!!

Kathy@KayakQuilting said...

Gorgeous quilt! I am so impressed with the mighty HST!! Wonderful fabric composition! And your quilting is terrific!

bevkimmel said...

Lovely quilt.
and your orphan blocks are nice too; they would make a great table runner if you don't give them away.

Sarah said...

I think the quilting looks really good. I really like the design you quilted in, and it also makes the neutrals recede and the colours standout. You only have one WIP.? That's not normal for a quilter ;-)