Friday, May 13, 2011

It's been done, but it's been raining



I am linking up a quilt I finally finished at the Bloggers' Quilt festival at Amy's Creative side. After reading this post, please take an hour a moment to go over and look at all the amazing quilts and read their stories.
This is a 16th birthday quilt I made for my niece Allee. It is large, 98 x 90 inches (queen size). Allee is a vibrant, creative young lady who designs her own clothes, which she then sews and wears to Italy no less! Bravo Allee. This quilt was designed with her in mind- I did not use a pattern- and I "auditioned" the completed blocks when I put the final top together. I typically sew extra blocks and I always place blocks that did not make in onto the top onto the back, so really, nothing goes unused. I personally take a more-the-merrier philosophy for fabric usage when designing quilt tops and this quilt is no different. There are over 60 different fabrics on the top alone. All fabric came from my stash with the exception of the main backing fabric and the outer border fabric. The quilt is stitched simply using a variegated cotton thread, following the general outlines of the "squares",  keeping 1/4 of an inch from the seam lines. The outer sashing is stitched in concentric 1 inch rectangles.




I have one more, yet to be 16,  niece, but I have a few years before I have to design and complete her quilt. I have made 3, queen sized quilts so far- 2 will go with their owners to college this fall. It seems like it takes forever to make a quilt, but then again, it seems like only yesterday when they were on their way to  kindergarden, new lunch box in hand. 

29 comments:

  1. Lucky Lucky Girl!!!!!! What a wonderful auntie you are. This is just beautiful. Brava!

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  2. the colors, the layout, the fabrics-perfection!

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  3. Quilt making does entail a bit of delayed gratification. But it's worth it. Just look at this riot of color your niece will enjoy for many years to come.

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  4. Wow!! My first time on your blog - I love this quilt.

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  5. Just love the fabric you picked for the back! Beautiful :)

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  6. Your niece is very lucky! Great Job!

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  7. You already saw me drooling over this quilt!! its super fantastic

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  8. I WANT THIS QUILT!!! Girl it is awesome..just awesome..

    Oh another note..On my snack rug... what did you use for the center, batting?

    I LOVE IT.. I am starting on Christmas Gifts.
    Chris Wheeler

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  9. Stunning combinations of colour and texture. Beautiful.

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  10. Oh my, that quilt is really lovely! Well done you for making a big, cohesive, lovely quilt! I just tried variegated thread for the first time last week and was surprised at how nifty it looks.
    So anyway, you're awesome :) wish you'd been my aunt when I was off to college, lol!

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  11. Your quilt is really beautiful! I love the colours and the pattern. Also the back fabric is wonderful!

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  12. This colorful quilt looks perfect for a creative girl. The border fabric is perfect. I'm sure she will treasure it.

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  13. 60+ fabrics! Wow. It is really beautiful.

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  14. Such a daring quilt for your niece's 16th birthday. It was probably her favorite present.

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  15. May I become your niece??? What a wonderful gift - she's a lucky girl. I love how all those colours play together.

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  16. Okay, I love it. But I really love the back. I think people forget the back sometimes, but I love yours.

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  17. This is so vibrantly beautiful! I just love it. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

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  18. Lovely colours. You have a great philosophy about fabric usage. Love the quilt!

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  19. Beautiful quilt! You have a very lucky niece, I'm sure she will cherish it for the rest of her life!

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  20. This is beautiful - fit for a fashionable young woman. I adore the backing fabric too.

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  21. So beautiful. The backing makes me smile. It's so cheery!

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  22. Love the simplicity of the freeform squares, very lovely. What a generous gift. And the back is wonderful too.
    Come see my entries: #210 repro cheddar orange stars-miniature and #214 antique applique garden delight

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  23. Simply beautiful and I love the backing!

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  24. It is lovely! I love that you thought of your niece and what she would like; it is so neat that she sews her own clothes and wears them to Italy! I know that she will love it and cherish it forever!

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  25. This is absolutely stunning. Wish I could see it in person. See if you can get Allee to loan it back for a local quilt show, because this deserves to be seen!

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  26. this is a stunning quilt...the colours are fabulous...i am in awe...

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