Friday, March 3, 2017

I Made a Quilt!

I'm not really a quilter. I have made quite a few table toppers which were pieced and quilted, and I made myself a quilted jacket a few years back.

I used to go to monthly presentations at my sewing machine store, where I collected ideas I might try out some day. One of them was this:
I decided it was time to tackle projects I had never finished. This was the biggest one. 

Three or more years ago I bought some fabric I thought might 
work. The fabric requires a pattern with a large repeat, 20 or so inches is best. I chose a landscape print, a bit like a Monet garden scene, with sky, trees, a bridge, flowering plants and daisies in the grass. Of course I forgot to take a photo of the original fabric. 

The trick is to match up six layers of fabric, getting the design precisely stacked on top of each layer. My fabric was a bit out of square so that took some doing - tugging and stretching and steaming, until I had it "good enough". This was not going to be perfection. Hopefully it would be fun. 

The six layers are then cut - with a new, very sharp rotary cutter - into strips and then into triangles. Each stack of triangles should be exactly alike. 
 Then each stack of triangles is arranged into a hexagon. Yes, it is like a kaleidoscope. 
 Now it was time to sew the triangles into half hexagons and pin the halves together. 

 Once all of the hexagon halves are assembled, you can design your quilt. 
 Study it for several days, moving things around until it pleases you. 
 Then unpin the hexagons and pin them instead into strips and sew the half hexes together in rows without their other halves. 
 Finally, sew all of the strips together, matching the hex halves together. Then sew on your borders. The quilt top is finished. 

 Now you have to make the quilt. Add the filler and the backing, pin it all together, and machine quilt it using a walking foot. I can't do free motion quilting so I just stitch in the ditch - sew over the original vertical seams -  through all three layers. Then make the binding and sew it on. I usually do hand stitching to affix the binding, but not on this size of a project. I machine stitched it. Works for me. 
And there you have it! Finished size is 41" X 51". I think I'll call it "In the Garden with Monet". 
And I have picked out a spot on a wall in the guest bedroom to hang it. I also do a lot of my sewing work in there, so it will be a reminder of what I can do, even though I don't think I will want to again. I'll be sticking with smaller projects.

I do love looking at it. 

23 comments:

  1. Beautiful. Winter to spring transition.

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  2. That is quite an accomplishment, you should be proud.

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  3. I am super impressed with your patience. I would have sailed that project out an upstairs window within the first hour.
    That said, it is truly beautiful and destined to be an heirloom piece.

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  4. Very pretty. You have a wonderful eye for color and design.

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  5. What a beautiful quilt and I loved reading the steps it takes to assemble it! The name is perfect, too, although I probably would have called it 'Monet's Garden' since it's shorter and I always embroider the names of my quilts on the back.

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  6. Linda! It's beautiful! I would never have figured out how to piece that together. Glad you hung it where you can see it often. You should be very proud! Linda's comment above made me laugh out loud.

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  7. I am very impressed. Very. Not only did you manage to do all that cutting, and measuring, and sewing, and arranging, you also actually did all the steps required to make the quilt. Honestly, I admire folks like you whom do quilting. It is such a huge undertaking. I love yours. It is so pretty. Congratulations on getting it done and having it turn out so beautifully. I once thought I would quilt. I didn't get past measuring out and cutting a few squares. It all seemed to mathematical for me. I have made some baby quilts that are tied, and even two full size tied quilts, but never would I attempt this type of quilt. Well Done!

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  8. That is absolutely gorgeous! You should be very proud of those results and none of the tugging and steaming shows. Beautiful.

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  9. Your beautiful wall quilt is much more complicated than any of my quilts. I think it deserves a spot in your living room or dining room.

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  10. Pat yourself on the back. This has taken a lot of detail and hard work and it is lovely. Then add the creative beauty of how you placed the patterns and colors and you have done an outstanding job!!

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  11. Linda, your quilt is beautiful! Geometric pattern and my favorite green color! I am not a craftsperson, but I visited many quilt shows and taught myself to appreciate the beauty of quilts and the patience of their makers.
    Great job!

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  12. It's lovely! Good for you for sticking to it. I have so many of those "some day I'll get around to it" projects.

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  13. It is just beautiful!! You should make a larger one for Irene :)

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  14. That is quite an amazing quilt. You lost me at "sew the half hexes together in rows without their other halves". Good thing you understood it all.

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  15. It's beautiful! Congratulations on having made a fabulous Monet quilt, Linda. I am very impressed. :-)

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  16. That is definitely worth a spot on the wall. Well done and be proud.

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  17. I'm like you I made one quilt, but it was a quilt top my grandmother put together in the 1940s and gave me before she passed away. Years ago I decided to put it together and hand quilt it. I'll never do that again...lol! Making little tiny stitches like my pioneer ancestors wasn't possible and even doing larger stitches took time BUT eventually it was finished and given to my mom who knew the story of each quilt square and what dress or apron it was from. Mom enjoyed it until her death in 2007 then I got it back to put in my cedar chest to give away one day. Your quilt is lovely, great colors and design especially the blue outline design-great job!

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  18. It's stunning! A technique I've never attempted! But seeing how beautiful yours turned out, I just might have to give it a try! Well done! XO

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  19. Gorgeous! Now you have a blooming garden to enjoy even in the depths of winter and it needs no weeding.

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  20. Good gosh, Linda! I just showed your quilt to my sister-in-law and we were both oohing and aahing about that quilt. AWESOME!

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