A Wonderful Finish! (Finally)

It's time to spread the news 

and

Shout it out!

My antique reproduction applique album quilt,
affectionately knows as
Noah and Matilda,
is finally done!

84" x 96"

This quilt was started in January, 2015.

Dawn Cook Ronningen offered and
still has available this

Noah and Matilda BOM pattern
on her website Collector with a Needle.

She designed the pattern from

the antique applique sampler (1851) which is

part of her collection.

 She calls it 

Noah and Matilda because of the 

 two names found on the quilt.

My blocks were appliqued 

throughout 2015.

I used a limited number of fabrics 

to keep the look simple and classic.

Then I hit a road block

in 2016.

Grapes!

The border has 18 bunches of grapes.

I just couldn't face making

all the tiny circles needed for all

that fruit!

But once I got going,

 I discovered those circles
weren't as bad as I had thought
In fact they were pretty quick and easy
once they were prepped.

 Next I struggled with the corners  because

I couldn't get the four corners to match.
I ended up with two and two.

 We'll just say it adds some character.

It wasn't until I got the top

entirely put together that I realized

there had been a right and wrong side

to the French General fabric I
 had chosen for the background.

There was no going back.

More character?

Before sewing the quilt together,

I premarked the feathered wreath pattern

I wanted to quilt in the alternating blank squares.

I was taking a risk.

that the designs which were marked lightly

with a mechanical pencil
with a hard lead would not disappear

while the quilt was basted and when other

parts were quilted.

Fortunately, the designs were still visible

when it came time to quilt them.
( I know the photo doesn't show the lines,
but they were there faint enough for me to see)

I started handquilting in January, 2017 and 

worked diligently on it almost every evening.

That turns out to be about 150 days x 2 hours = 300 hours.
(probably more)

I used  3 spools  of Guterman handquilting thread

with a Dream Cotton Request batting.  

I knew it needed a red binding and I 

had only used one red throughout the quilt.

Because the pattern was printed diagonally

 the binding was cut on the straight of the grain

to maintain the diagonal pattern.

I chose a pretty wild backing in comparison

to the top.  It's a Minick and Simpson fabric
and the colors went perfectly.

  The busy pattern doesn't

allow the quilting stitches
to show much, but that's okay.

Thank you, Dawn,
 for this wonderful  antique pattern.

It was fun and challenging
and now it's done.

 Here's my quilt top with the orginial
Noah and Matilda quilt,
spring, 2016.

Today, I could finally

cross off another 17 in 17 project!!!!

Until Next Time-
Kyle

What's Up Now?

The strategy of Meredithe's

17 UFO's in 2017

has been a good one for me so far.

Progress, progress, progress.

So far

I worked on and finished two quilts that were 

"fast to finish" and the latest was 

one that had a "current deadline".

So what's up now?

Two quilts.

One is a "Long Term" project

and the other one is "something I love to work on". 

I've actually been hand quilting 

since the first of the year

 on

Noah and Matilda,

an antique reproduction applique 

pattern from 

Dawn at A Collector with a Needle.

 

Winter evenings are the perfect time

to get underneath the quilt and 

stitch.

I had my machine quilter baste 

it for me.  That is something

I would highly recommend especially for

big full size quilts.

It's been working perfectly. 

I've been quilting the feathered wreaths

before the light pencil markings disappear

and then around the appliques.

 It's starting to fill in.

My handquilting montra has

always been 

"just a hoop a day"

and to always finish the thread in my needle

before quitting for the day.

That's added up to a lot of stitches over time.

I'm far from done, but 

it's making progress!

***

The second quilt is the 

Dutch Medallion I started last year

which was the 2016 Mystery quilt  

found in Quiltmania and designed by

Petra Prins of the Netherlands.

I had gotten this far last summer

with still two more pieced borders to go.

It's not a mystery anymore, and that's 

fine with me.

The next border was added on 

and a vine appliqued in place.

I was eager to try the newest Aurifil  thread,

the ultra thin #80 weight cotton.

It's marvelous.

It's melts into the fibers and completely 

disappears.  I've tried fine silk threads before and

it was continually slipping out of the eye of the needle.

This doesn't do that, at least, with my

sewing style.

I'm super pleased.

Now there's a lot of EPP

to work on.

But it's so fun working with the 

beautiful patterns on the Dutch fabrics

that I covet and use every little bit.

Maybe someday I'll be able to get more!

I love making progress on this quilt. 

It's exactly what quilting should be.

Until Next Time- 

Kyle

Blog Friends and the Quilts They Inspired

Meeting blog friends 

in "real life" is a very cool experience. 

In fact, it's a thrill!

 

A few weeks ago I met

Doreen

of Aunt Reen's Place

at the home of Dawn

whose blog is 

Collector With A Needle.

Both of these women are

incredible quilters and collectors.

They are a wealth of information

on antique quilts, fabrics,

the history of quiltmaking

and eagerly share their knowledge

on their blogs.

I wish I had thought to take

a photo of the 3 of us, but

 instead you'll have to see 

(photo from Dawn) 

   Doreen helping me hold 

up my Noah and Matilda quilt.

The other quilters in the room are

 the friends Doreen traveled with

all the way from Virginia

for a Rocky Mountain high quilting trip.

Now try and imagine seeing

Doreen and Dawn

 

as they hold up my Noah and Matilda quilt

with the original Noah and Matilda quilt,
which Dawn owns,

that's dated February 22, 1851.

You can still order the pattern 

from Dawn's website.

My quilt was thrilled to see the original

and me too.

***

I also was able to share

(Photo from Doreen's blog)

my Triple Irish Chain quilt 

that I finished the night before.

The reason I brought it was

because  on Doreen's blog
 she had shared
the pattern instructions  called "The Big Leap".

You can still find the info here.

 These are great instructions

to make a classic pattern.

You can't beat a two color quilt and

a well loved pattern.

It's hard to see the quilting until

you get up close.

I really like what my machine quilter, Kathy
and I came up with to fill in the open space.

I also love what she did with the 2" squares.

The border design combines it all.

It really was wonderful to be able
to share two quilts that were
inspired by these two
fabulous quilters, Dawn and Doreen.

 If you're not a follower of these two 

extraordinary quilters, 

you need to link up immediately.

You won't be sorry. 

 Until Next Time-

Cutting Corners

If someone says they are going

to cut corners, 

it usually means that they

are trying to do something in the

easiest, quickest or least expensive way.

 

 These short cuts could result in poor quality, 

shoddy work,

or even something illegal. 

But for a quilter, cutting corners

can mean something entirely different.

Okay, I admit 

I have been cutting corners 

this past week.

I've been designing corners

for my Noah and Matilda applique quilt.

I tried to get all four corners to match,

but the closest I could get

was 2 and 2.

So I settled for that.

 one set of corners

second set

Luckily, they ended up opposite of each other,

so it has a balanced look.

The quilt top is done,

and I've even marked feathered wreaths in the 

open squares for future hand quilting.

I used a light table and
a mechanical pencil with a very hard lead.
Hard to see, I know,  but that's the point.
Only I should be able to see it.

The backing 

which is a Minick and Simpson Moda fabric,

is waiting for 

 for me to feel inspired to crawl along

the floor to baste it all together.

 Well, that's the plan.

No corners were cut in the making of this quilt.

It's all in tip top shape.

I guess that's why it took 2 1/2 years 

to get this far,

 but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

 Until Next Time-

Grapes, Inside and Out

Last Friday my grape hyacinths 

 looked like this.

By Sunday they looked like this:

 wearing little snow caps and

buried under another 6 inches of new springtime snow.

At least the grapes I've been working on

haven't been affected by the weather.

I'm on the final part of the borders for

 Noah and Matilda

who, if you remember, 

 have been stuck in a tote for over a year.

Slowly and steadily the borders have

been appliqued.

Next it was time for adding the grapes. 

Hundreds of small circles had been prepped.

I found it easiest to make a template for precise placement

rather than using the light table.

 Then using a glue stick

I marked the positions of the 12

individual circles.

The purple school glue shows up great

and dries clear.

It was super easy to correctly

place the prepped circles

and applique.

 

I had actually thought the grapes would be the hardest

part, but no! 

I was pleasantly surprised.

A few more bunches to go

and then it will be time to figure out the corners.

The end is in sight.

Hopefully,

just like the snow here in Colorado.

Until Next Time-