Friday, April 20, 2012

Finished: Marine Den Quilt


Taa-daa! Secret project revealed. Totally worth the wait, right? I thought so. This little gem gets gifted away tomorrow. I finished this bad boy last night and spent all day today hand-embroidering the label. Phew. I may need some time off from hand sewing. 


The prints on the front are from the Backyard Baby line by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller. I paired them with coordinating Kona and Moda solids. I especially like the white Samaras print. They remind me of the pine tree seeds you find in pine cones.


I created a random meandering squares quilting pattern with my walking foot by rotating the quilt . . . a lot. I don't recommend this. Rather, just be prepared with every color of Aurifil thread so you can free-motion quilt at a moment's notice. Being limited to your walking foot when you need to do all-over quilting is bad.


The back is the Cocoons print in the Tin color from the Curious Nature line by David Butler (Amy Butler's husband) for Free Spirit. These prints make a really great masculine quilt. The strip across the back of the quilt and the binding are made from Kona Aqua. I love the color.


You can see on the back of the quilt Where I stitched around the polygons rather than continue the all-over quilting through them. I did use coordinating top and bobbin threads when quilting. I limited the amount of orange quilting I needed to do, because I knew it would show up the most on the back. This doesn't bother me, though. When I had to stop and start the quilting, I reduced the stitch length and did a little back stitching. The slight concentration of thread in those areas is visible on the back of the quilt. That doesn't bother me either.


Applying the binding went smoothly. Just like with my last finish, I mostly followed Sharon Shamber's approach, except I cut my strips 2 5/8" wide to begin with and used a 5/16" seam when sewing the binding to the front of the quilt. I stitched in the ditch on the front to secure the binding to the back of the quilt. No skipped spots this time. It's almost like I'm getting better at this ;-)

I named it the Marine Den quilt, because it reminds me of things under the sea. If an octopus had a living room, he might keep this quilt thrown over the back of the sofa. (If he has a sofa, too.)

Quilty Stats:
Pre-wash dimensions: 38" x 58.5"
Post-wash dimensions: 37.75" x 57"
Batting: Poly-Fil Cotton Classic Batting. (100% unbleached organic cotton with a 1/4" loft)

I'm linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts, Canoe Ridge Creations, and Sew Happy Geek!


{Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations  SewHappyGeek

22 comments:

  1. Looks awesome!! I think the quilting was a great choice :o) I will have to try that binding technique sometime!

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  2. Claire, this is totally AWESOME! I love everything about it.

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    1. Thanks so much! I was really happy to see it go to its new owner on Saturday :-)

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  3. Nice finish. It looks very modern.

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  4. Absolutely gorgeous! I love the quilting :)

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  5. Hey, I awarded you the Liebster Award :) here are the details http://cassiescrafties.blogspot.com/2012/04/liebster-award.html

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    1. Hahaha! Thanks so much :-) I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

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  7. This design is gorgeous and I love the fabric you chose. Well done! I'm sure the recipient loves it.

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  8. What a fantastic quilt - great pattern, great colors, awesome quilting! I just finished a quilt yesterday using that Kona Aqua as well.

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  9. I just love the design of your quilt. It's unique and interesting.

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  10. This is fantastic -- I love the use of bright colors and negative space.

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  11. This is cool. Love the colours and shapes.

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    1. Thanks so much! This is definitely one of those that was incubating in my brain for some time, and I had to pick up some new skills to make it come together. It was great to get it off of paper and made into a quilt!

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  12. Love this quilt!!! I love the design, color choices, quilting, binding, etc. Very bright and cheery.
    p.s. I love your dress in the hanging-of-the-quilt shot too. ;)

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  13. What a gem you made. The quilting looks so labor intensive but turned out great. The backing fabric is such a perfect compliment.

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  14. Love your color choice and the backing! Great finsih!

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  15. Oh my gosh what?? This is AMAZING. Love, love, love, love. I love the modern-ness to it. Yes I know that's not a word but I'm rolling with it. :) Seriously this is aMAZing, the colors work beautifully together and I loove the gem layout. Beautifully done!

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  16. This is beautiful! You have a great eye for color!!

    Jenn
    www.quiltedthimblecottage.com

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