Well Worth It!

Oh boy!  There isn't anything like the feeling of finishing a quilt!  It's one thing to make a quilt from start to finish...that is rewarding in itself.  But making a HUGE custom quilt and having it come out as planned, well it's a relief to say the least! 

I stress from start to finish.  Did I pick the right colors.  Will my customer love them. Should this piece go here?  Will my customer love that.  How should I quilt it.  Will my customer love it.  Time for a wash.  Will it please not bleed....you know the feeling.  One more hurdle to go.  One more bit of time for stressing out.  Although I have sent pictures throughout the entire process, will my customer love it in person???

It isn't any secret that I love to make abstract, improv quilts.  And it is totally subjective. People like what they like.  When I first started making and selling my work I wondered if there were others who would like what I do.  Insecure quilter!  

So, this was the first post I did on this massive quilt:  Officially It's BIG.  The start of the process.  A big undertaking!

And here she is!  A massive bundle of joy, stress and accomplishment!  Thankfully my customer gave me the thumbs up to 'just do what I do'.  It helped my mindset a little bit!  

Let's talk stats!  This is a for a queen size bed.  The final measurements ended up being 90" x 96".  White background was requested because the bedroom is dark, which is why I was freaking out about bleeding in the end!  I barely had enough room to pin the top to the back, but after moving a piece of furniture or two, it worked.  

Because of the size and the fact that my machine couldn't handle anything much bigger, I decided to quilt it using organic vertical straight lines.  Varying widths.  Simple.  Effective.  

Did I mention how heavy this quilt is?  And how big it is?  It wasn't easy.  I will admit I had some sore arms and shoulders!  I intentionally made it much bigger than the finished size (but of course).  I knew that I would need some 'play' when it was time to square it up. Smart cookie!  Actually, I learned that lesson from a previous quilt!

This size of quilt is also hard to photograph!  I enlisted my son and daughter for help.  A couple step stools, a couple tall people and a camera.  I also have a hard time getting good shots of white fabric.  It more often than not ends up blue-ish.

This quilt is the biggest I have ever made.  There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into this one.  But in the end...so worth it.  Its gratifying.  

What is the biggest quilt you have made?  What was the biggest challenge you had during the quilt making process?

Linking with:

LET'S BEE SOCIAL

WIP WEDNESDAY

FABRIC FRENZY FRIDAY

CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP!

Diamond Quilt Finished!

Briar Rose.  Paper Piecing.  Diamonds.  Goal Achieved.  I am so happy with this quilt! Making goals and achieving them is so rewarding!  Paper piecing has been on that 'list' for some time now.  This was the perfect pattern to hone my paper piecing skills.  I certainly highly recommend it for those who want to learn or those who want a fun block to make!

I first blogged about this Diamond quilt here:  Diamond In The Rough. You can get a good idea on the process.  This post:  Hitting A Goal has links for the pattern!

Putting the blocks together wasn't so bad.  Paper piecing is great for perfection...or nearly perfect in my case!  Regardless...I'm happy with it!

60" x 85"

I ended up making 96 blocks.  Each one 5" x 10".  Bordered with white and a spring green and finished with a white binding.  

Quilting it was challenging!  I had this idea...which failed big time!  Have you ever started quilting a quilt, but it didn't seem right?  And instead of stopping right then and there...you go a little more thinking maybe it will work?  Yep, that's exactly what I did!  Instead of only having to rip out a few lines, I had twice as many to rip out!  Lesson learned!  When you think it looks bad, it is!

I ended up doing a pretty simple diagonal diamond pattern in the end.  It fits.  It works.  Its done!

Briar Rose + Quilt = flowers!

The back is white and yellow.  I pieces some angles to mimic the diamonds.  Why the heck not?

Do you paper piece?  Do you have a favorite block or project?  I would love to do more one day.  For now I can just be happy I followed through on a goal!

Linking to:

LET'S BEE SOCIAL

The Winner Is....

Wasn't that a fun few days of pure giveaway bliss?!  Sew Mama Sew knows how to put on a party!

Thank you every one for stopping by, leaving a comment or two!  I certainly appreciate that you took the time to check out my giveaway!

The winner was picked using the 'Random Number Generator' and looky here...this is it!!

I will be notifying #25 by email!  

LittleHouseontheDairyMay 12, 2014 at 11:35 AM

Love the purples in #6. I could make my daughter a twirly skirt that she would adore!

Congrats!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry #2

And for my second Blogger's Quilt Festival, I'm entering this beauty in the Original Design Category.

This was so much fun to make!  I used hand dyed fabrics (again).  I blogged about this one here:

Make It Or Break It

For each block I used 4 different shades.  Let's see:  blue, pink, purple, yellow, orange and green!

I used a beautiful gray to highlight the hand dyed fabric.  Then machine quilted 1/2" V's in four different section...that in my opinion, made it!  It measures 32" x 43".  

After it was washed it was pure heaven!  I'm a huge 'crinkle' fan!