Sunday, August 17, 2014

It’s Finished!


I’m SO excited … the chevron quilt is finally finished!  Woo hoo!  I finished up the quilting Friday evening … I spent the majority of Saturday making and sewing on the binding.  I’d forgotten how looooong it takes to sew down the binding to the back.photo 2But it’s done!  I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get it washed and dried before gifting it to DD … I was surprised to see that it (barely) fit in our washer, but I had a difficult time drying it in our dryer … it kept balling up so only parts were drying.  I finally got it dry enough.photo (1)Unfortunately, the lighting wasn’t conducive for color accuracy … it’s raining so there’s not a lot of natural light coming in the windows.  I normally have DH hold my quilts over the deck railing, but the rain is making that impossible.  I’m hoping for a brief break from the rain so I can get a shot outside (even if it’s not sunny).  Overall, I’m very pleased with how the quilt turned out … even if it’s not fabrics or pattern that I would have chosen and in spite of all the difficulties I had with this quilt.  I can’t wait to see it on DD’s bed with these pillows I had my sister make. 

Friday, on our “road trip”, I found fabrics that have met with T#1’s approval for his spiral log cabin quilt.photo 1Once again the colors aren’t accurate … the red and blue are both more muted and the off-white isn’t as white.  Annoyed   We then headed over to St. Louis to visit a shop that advertises that they have among the largest inventory of extra wide backing fabrics in the nation.  Not hardly!  What a disappointment.  Since we were already in St. Louis, we took a detour to a third quilt shop where I signed up for a class … I’ve mentioned several times that selecting fabrics is very difficult for me.  Part of my “problem” is that I prefer muted colors, especially the classics – blues, reds, neutrals.  But I just don’t have an eye for choosing colors and patterns.  I admire quilts made from colors that I would never think of using, so I’d like to be able to expand my color horizon.  Winking smile  The class I’m taking won’t be using the color wheel or any technical tools … it’s designed to expand the eye to color and what we like and why.  While there, I bought some thread for T#1’s quilt … a blue and a variegated blue.  I’ve always been anxious to try variegated thread and thought that it might work well for this quilt.  I used YLI hand quilting thread on the chevron quilt, but YLI doesn’t have any variegated hand quilting threads nor do they have a blue that (at least online … I can’t find a local source for their thread) looks like it would work well for his quilt.  Sad smile  So I’m going to give Aurifil hand quilting thread a try.  Fingers crossed  It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that I had failed to even think about looking at storage for the sewing room closet.  By then I was gung ho on trying to finish up the chevron, so I put that off for another day. 

There will be no slow stitching today as I am anxious to get started on cutting strips for the spiral log cabin.  In case you all have forgotten, here’s my inspiration:I don’t plan to use borders on mine … my strips will be 1.5” wide, and I want to maximize the spiral effect.

Hope you all have a spectacular Sunday!
Kathy

19 comments:

  1. What a lovely finish! She will really enjoy it. Now...onwards with logs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! You finished the chevron quilt quickly. Sometimes large quilts just do not fit or tumble nicely in a dryer. Great job on the quilt. A very simple and modern look which is what DD most likely desired. Now you can look forward to other projects with the satisfaction of the chevron finished.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi there, Great job!!! I wonder if those clips are better than the hair clips I use for binding. Are they specifically for quilting? I went to the show; it was bigger than the last time I came but still really small compared to shows in Ca. I love Aurofill-it is what I use for my machine piecing. Haven't thought of it for hand quilting though-I just use Gutterman quilting thread. I must say that I am so drawn to Civil War prints; glad I didn't find something to buy with those today. I still have my next quilt, when I finish the one I'm working on. It is another "autumn" quilt but I love the fabrics so it will be just fine.
    Have a great afternoon.
    Hugs, Noreen

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations on a FABULOUS FINISH!! The chevron quilt turned out beautifully! I can't believe how fast you got it quilted. It would had taken me years to hand quilt a quilt that size. It is going to look so nice on DD's bed with those wonderful pillows. It sounds like a very interesting class!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm so glad you finished it and it is absolutely gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congrats on the finish! Awesome job!
    Can't wait to see your spiral log cabin take shape!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the quilt! it's soo pretty. I know she will love it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kathy, I love your finish and the pillows will be awesome too.. can't wait to hear how dd loves it all!! Love the beginnings of t#1 quilt... those are my fave colors for a log cabin... have you made one before... I can't wait to see your process! Kathi

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations! It is beautiful! And the pillows will look wonderful with it. Your DD will love it! So glad the shopping trip was successful! I’m like a kid with a new toy when I start a new quilt … and it sounds like you are too! ~Jeanne

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats on your finish--just lovely!
    Wow, that spiral log cabin is going to be a beauty. Lots of little pieces to put together in your future. : )

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great finish! I love your new project too! So glad you are not putting on a border, I think way to many quilts get borders. Looking forward to your progress!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so impressed with how that quilt came out!!! It is GORGEOUS!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congratulations on your chevron finish. Gorgeous...love the way you quilted it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. When I saw your quilt on Facebook I was on my i-phone and I was itching to get to my lap top so I could see your quilt better. Goodness everything is soo much bigger and better on a lap top! It is just gorgeous Kathy! I love the way it came out and I know your daughter will too. I am also liking the idea of a red. white and blue spiral log cabin. It will be soo pretty. Glad you can finally put this quilt among your finished projects. Anxious to see the new one taking shape.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The chevron quilt is beautiful and it will look fabulous on the bed with the pillows! Looking forward to watching your progress on the spiral log cabin.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, my goodness, Kathy...I LOVE it! Chevron patterns are all the rage these days...well done!

    ReplyDelete
  17. It so SOOOOO BEAUTIFULLLLLLLL!!!

    You should be proud of all the hard work you put into that!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congratulations on finishing DD's quilt! It's beautiful, and I'm sure she will enjoy it very much.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Well done, she'll love it; so do I!!

    Now, onto your cabin building!

    ReplyDelete

I am SO glad you stopped by! No proving that you're a robot here ... I want to hear what you have to say! ;-)