Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Halo Medallion Quilt

It is so difficult at times trying to 
keep my halo perfectly centered.
(sigh)

And the same has been true 
as I've worked on my Halo Medallion Quilt,
the BOM available from The Quilt Show.

But, I'm happy to say,
the top is complete
and everything does appear to be perfectly centered.


 92" x92"

 The quilt was designed by
the late Sue Garman.
And working over the course
of the last 12 months, I have come to a few
new realizations. 

1.  Paper Piecing is not my cup of tea.

The entire quilt was presented as a paper piecing project.
I learned early on
 that  I would use that technique only when absolutely necessary,
like with the center medallion and, of course,
the circular flying geese. 


Most of the other borders that were
 pinwheels or hst's I felt I could 
use other methods and be just as accurate.

Isn't it great that there are a variety of 
ways to achieve the same results?

2. Fussy Cutting is not for the Frugal Fabric Cutters

If you can't stand having your
favorite yardage ending up like this skip ahead to #3,


but for those of us who get a burst of excitement and pleasure
out of creating wonderful secondary patterns and designs with the fabric
this is just a natural consequence. 


3. Round and Round We Go

When a quilt is made with a center square and then entirely of borders,
we may not realize how many times you must sew around and around.....

This quilt consists of 19 individual borders beyond the feathered star center.


Do the math
4 sides X 19 borders = 76
That means sewing around the quilt 76 times 
and trying to keep it square!
As the quilt grows so does the amount of time
and the amount of yardage you're wrestling 

with each application.


4.  Floaties are a Life Saver
Okay, that's a good thing at the pool,
but it's also true in quilt making.

Knowing how to figure out the size
 of those floating border strips
between the pieced borders is essential.
Just because the pattern says to cut them a 
particular width and length, we all know
that isn't always right. 

As my quilt grew and grew, I found
I needed to adjust those floaties.


Learning to adapt a pattern keeps
everyone happy and merrily swimming along. 

Each new quilt and stitching project
can give you new insight into what you like
or not like to do.
It can add more tools for your tool belt
as we continue to create the quilts we love.

Both of myself and the quilt are super happy
to be finished.

In fact, I'm simply beaming.
 Until Next Time-
Kyle



31 comments:

  1. Wow, what a subtle beauty this is! Kudos to you for tackling this hugely complicated project!

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  2. wow, Wow, WOW!!! I love your quilt...amazing! Those flying geese circles just make it for me!!! I am with you on the paper piecing thing, too!

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  3. This beyond amazing to me. I absolutely adore medallion quilts, but I must admit I have never tackled one of this magnitude. I love everything Sue ever designed, but her piecing talents were far superior to mine. Clearly yours are as well. Kudos to you for a job extremely well done. Beam on!

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  4. WOW!!! I would've taken one look at that and said GORGEOUS but FORGET IT!! Too many tiny little pieces only create the potential for problems which you've obviously done a great job of tackling! It's a beauty that you can look on with pride for a long time.

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  5. Hear that? It's me clapping. Wowzers....this quilt is so amazingly beautiful. Great job. Hugs

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  6. Your medallion quilt is super! Combined with the soft color palette, you completed a really lovely quilt...Those circular units of flying geese are perfect and give everything such movement. While I love the accuracy of foundation paper piecing - removing all the paper is a chore. Seeing how you decide to quilt this will be greatly anticipated!!

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  7. Congratulations!!! wow it is just fabulous and you did an incredible job keeping it all straight. not easy. have a chart of how to calculate coping strips. I can scan and send it you for next time. IT is a lifesaver with medallion quilts.
    charming photos of the angel and the fairy - you are both in my book!!

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  8. p.s. wonderful palette - so soft and soothing

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  9. You are such a clever writer, Kyle. Always enjoy your posts and your creative use of vintage photos. The halo bit at the beginning had me laughing.
    Your quilt is gorgeous in it's understated palette. Beautiful work, and what a challenge to keep all those rounds squared!
    You know, I don't love foundation paper piecing either, but I sure do a lot of it to get the results I want in my minis. But, like you, I don't think I would have paper pieced everything in this quilt--only when absolutely necessary!
    I, too, have a chart for figuring coping strips. Wonder if it is the same one Barb has? I'll have to check with her. :)

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  10. Stunning quilt. Your great and accurate workmanship shines throughout this quilt. Bravo.

    Terry

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  11. Beautiful. I love the circular flying geese. I also like how the center star seems to have a circle of triangles in it. The neutral tones make this a quilt that could be used in any home. Was this sample quilt also in neutrals?

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  12. What a stunning quilt, well done on your extra big, square finish! Love all the different borders, but can imagine how much work went into it....and now for the quilting! I do love the holey fabric after fussy cutting! Sure it looks terrible, but still plenty of scraps can be cut from this piece, just not strips!

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  13. A stunning quilt! I love your colour palette, and all those borders would have been a challenge, but you certainly ended up with a beautiful quilt!

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  14. Absolutely gorgeous! You did an amazing job and love the fabrics you selected. I have the kit and have been saving the patterns but won't start on it until next year.

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  15. Kyle maravillosa colcha, me encantan los colores.
    ¡¡cuanto trabajo y rápido!!

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  16. It's gorgeous Kyle!! I loved all your points and wholeheartedly agree with you about paper piecing. What a soft and pretty palate for a quilt and the fussy cutting adds so much. As always I love your vintage photos. What are your plans for quilting it?

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  17. A big hand of 👏 Kyle! Your top is stunning! Love the fabrics you used! Just awsome!

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  18. Absolutely beautiful!....I don't think my patience would ever get me to the end of something that detailed. WOW!!!

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  19. Wow, it is gorgeous and so, sew impressive! I think my patience would be tested by having to fit all those borders!

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  20. You've done an incredible work Kyle ! And your paper-piecing blocks are beautiful.... tssss...don't say you're not able to do this method !!
    Gorgeous work with gorgeous colors and fabrics ! Congrats !

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  21. Wow! You manage to tackle some really complex patterns and this one is fantastic! It looks perfectly square--a testament to your sewing skills. Beautiful job, Kyle!

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  22. Oh!! Yours is *so* beautiful. I love your colorway and fussy cutting. Those arcs of geese are awesome. I do really love all things Sue Garman. I need to quilt up my medallion quilt that I made with the TQS BOM program a few years ago. And, Yes! I learned that value of adjusting floater borders (and how to do it) from Sue's directions. Definitely a strategy tool every quilter can use.

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  23. Your quilt is absolutely gorgeous! You finished a difficult and complex design in soothing neutrals - an extraordinary feat! Congratulations! I need to learn how to determine the width of floaties.

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  24. WOW wow wow!!!! Congratulations on finishing this amazing quilt - absolutely stunning, both how it looks and the craftsmanship required to make it, no wonder you are beaming after dealing with those stats. I'm just starting on a frame quilt with a few borders so thanks for the advice.

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  25. The end result is stunning. What a lovely quilt. I can really appreciate all the hard work that has gone into this finish.

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  26. Congratulations, Kyle! Not only did you stay on schedule, it is beautiful too! I love the neutral colour scheme. I am planning this one for 2018. I printed all the foundations, but I think you are right, it will be easier to use traditional piecing for a lot of it.

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  27. It's just wonderful! The fussy cutting was well worth the Swiss cheese fabric--lol!

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  28. Beautiful, beautiful finish! Kudos for sticking with the paper piecing!

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  29. Wow! Kyle this is amazing and so beautiful in those dreams and whites! Congratulations on a wonderful finish. Are you going to quilt it yourself, I'd be very intimidated to take it on.

    So what's next!

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