Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Vision verses Ability

Do you ever feel like this?


This little chipmunk seems to have 
bitten off more than he can chew.
Oh, how I know the feeling!

The pieced top for the mystery quilt, Discovery,
  designed by Petra Prins in 2016 for Quiltmania magazine
has been finished for almost a year.


The delay?
ME!

  I've wanted to quilt it myself,
but the task seemed daunting.
My vision far exceeded my ability.

So for 9 months I've moved it
from list to list,
dragged my heels, and
totally procrastinated.

A couple of weeks ago I finally I 
ordered a collection of Aurifil #28 thread
in the pefect colors so my stitches 
would blend in, yet add
texture with the thicker thread.

So then last week

I pulled up my big girl panties and 
said," What have I got to loose!  Just do it."

It took more time and 
thought than I had originally planned,
although I knew it would.
Each section brought new challenges.


Figuring out what to do,

practicing, practicing...,
and attempting to make the designs look cohesive.


I left the center section until last.
I was unsure if I would be able to  fill in the background
with a swirl design that looked appropriate
for this beautiful design.

Not perfect, but acceptable for me.

I was excited to finally
 add my special label.
 When I was in the Netherlands
last spring, Petra signed it for me.
Now both of our names are included.

(notice how I changed the date!)



This quilt was a long term
project with many discoveries.  
I discovered Dutch chintz designs and how lovely they're to work with,
EPP piecing is accurate and fun to do,
and my machine quilting skills may be far from perfect,


but you never know what you can do until you give it a try.

Until Next Time-
Kyle

32 comments:

  1. If there are any less than perfect stitches, which I seriously doubt, you will be the only person to ever spot them. The rest of us will be just gazing in awe at this masterpiece! This is simply glorious!

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  2. Hooray ! And congratulations for this beautiful finish !
    Do you have a Long-Arm or a domestic machine please ? Because your quilting is amazing !

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    1. No long arm, just my simple Bernina and me.

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  3. You always have such great photos to illustrate how you feel. Your quilting is great on your quilt. I'm hoping to get some quilts finished that I have been putting off for a while. This quilt inspired me to get them done. Hugs

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  4. Another amazing quilt and super special given the fabrics and that Petra was able to sign your label. Congratulations on this gorgeous finish.

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  5. I think you did 'pretty darn good' and it is finished. Now, sit back and enjoy your lovely quilt!

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  6. Fantastic! I give you A+ for even attempting to machine quilt this beauty and another A+ for a job well done. It is gorgeous. I'd like to say you have inspired me to try doing more than a simple straight stitch with my machine quilting, but well, we'll see!

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  7. Oh, it's absolutely lovely. You did an awesome job. The label signed by Petra Prins is the cherry on top. I laughed so hard at the picture of the big girl panties. I am needing a pair of those right now. Fantastic quilt, Kyle.

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  8. Congratulations on completing this AMAZING quilt !!!!!!!!

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  9. Oh Kyle, your little chipmnunk is so me - always biting off more than I can chew (still haven't figured out that there are only 24 hours in a day!). Your quilt is just gorgeous and kudos to you for machine quilting it. You did a beautiful job. I have yet to pluck up the courage to anything other than straight line quilting on smaller projects.

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  10. Very impressive that #1 you finished the top and #2 you finished the whole thing by yourself! YIKES!! Mine would've been off to the longarmer in a heartbeat but I'd probably never made it to that point. Awesomeness. And little chippy chipmunk is adorable. I used to love watching my hamster stuff his cheeks when I was a kid. Too funny!

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  11. Well done, a daunting task quilting something so big and with so much applique. It looks wonderful, perfect for a spring time bed quilt, enjoy.

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  12. Kudos to you, Kyle!! I know how hard it is to gather the courage to quilt something special like this. You did a wonderful job! This quilt is such a treasure!

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  13. As Quilting Babcia said, "The rest of us will be just gazing in awe at this masterpiece!" OH YES! This is one beautiful quilt, for sure!

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  14. Whoo-hoo! You've got a standing ovation from me here... with coffee cup raised too! :-) That is some splendid quilting!

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  15. Your quilt is beautiful. Lovely to see it finished and looking great in the sunshine.

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  16. Kyle solo puedo decir ¡¡¡Felicidades!!
    Magnifico edredĆ³n
    Me encantan esas enormes bragas.......

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  17. Congratulations on finishing your beautiful quilt! Love that you "tackled" your own machine quilting to get it done. You've now inspired me to try and get beyond cross-hatch quilting on my machine :) The label is the finishing touch with both names and signatures. Lovely!

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  18. What a beautiful quilt. I like the story that goes along with the making and quilting of it. And a chuckle at the changed date on the label!

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  19. I think your machine quilting looks beautiful. I love the swirls :0) Your quilt looks wonderful! Enjoy your lovely quilt!

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  20. Oh I've loved this quilt from the moment you started it! Big congrats on your amazing finish too. You're very brave to jump in and machine quilt it yourself, but what a great job. I'm sure it means even more to you that it's 100% made and sewn by you! Fabulous finish!!

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  21. Beautiful Kyle! Very special to have Petra's signature.
    Congratulations!!!

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  22. Wow - I'm giving you a standing ovation! I looks lovely.
    You did the quilt proud with your attention to the quilting details.
    Congratulations!
    xo

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  23. Some days I feel like those big girl panties would actually fit! Ha ha!

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  24. So beautiful! Pattern and fabric from Holland, a good combination. And your quiltwork is very oke!
    Greetings from the Netherlands,
    Betsy

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  25. Absolutely beautiful - what a treasure! Kudos for persevering and not giving up on your plan to quilt it yourself.

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  26. Kyle - what an absolutely joyful accomplishment! The color palette is filled with so much pazazz and your applique and piecing do it proud. Congrats on the machine quilting - everything is wonderful! Your quilt says Spring is here - bring it on!!

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    1. i heartily agree! this quilt is stunning! you will always be proud of it! i'm not a quilter but cannot imagine how many hours it took to accomplish this work of art. well done kyle.

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  27. Wow... your Mystery Quilt turned out Gorgeous Kyle!
    Congratulations on a stunning finish.
    Such a special quilt with wonderful memories attached to it.

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  28. Gorgeous! A beauty and well done with the quilting too. I still dread machine quilting. Am a real Dutch quilter that way, most of us here prefer to handquilt our quilts, but increasingly more of us turn to our home machines for the quilting, just some of us send it off to others to (longarm) quilt. I have a lovely Bernina, I really should give the machine quilting a try, your quiltwork on this quilt is beautiful. Love the label, well done to get Petra to sign it, great idea, that makes it into a lovely memory of your trip as well. Congratulations on a lovely finish.

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