Monday 29 September 2014

a completed quilt

I am delighted to blog that I have finished the wristwatch quilt which I did with Paula the Sassy Quilter and it is now on the back of Helen`s sofa.   It stayed as a flimsy for a while as I could not work out how to quilt it but then we decided to do butterflies and hand quilt it all.    My fingers suffered,  I had a thimble on my right hand but struggled to use one on the left hence the sore finger.  Helen   she is my younger daughter wanted a quilt in pinks and grey and she loves butterflies and cats so with having the patterned butterfly fabric we decided to repeat them in the grey rectangles.  These were traced and then stitched with perle cotton 16 and I also did some squiggles and smaller butterflies in grey perle on other spaces and just did diagional stitching in the patterned blocks.  I do not know how quilters do tiny stitches, I struggled with these but I am glad to say I am more than happy with the final result.   Unfortunately when it came to binding I could not find any of the fabrics I had used again so opted for pink with the white spots, I think it worked well.  Even made a label and used the trial butterfly for it. Machine skills not good enough to embroider the label so used a permanent pen.   The backing was a dark grey sheet, disappointed as it was thin and when I washed the quilt tiny bits of wadding came through so might have to add another layer one day  needless to say that will not be quilted. I used the eco friendly wadding and how nice it was to hand quilt   just as well as I have a 15 metre roll of it!  Sorry I have prattled   now for the photos.  The quilting on the main photo did not photo well so have done close ups but don`t look too closely!

The whole quilt  unfortunately the wind was blowing,  it usually does here!


The single butterfly was quilted on all the grey rectangles on the outside of the quilt 10 in total



These were used on alternate rows so 4 of these were stitched making 8 in all


these were sitched in the other alternate rows again 8 in total


This is the label that I hand stitched to the back.

 
I am now working  on the sampler quilt but this is being quilted with the bernina,   I must admit I prefer to hand quilt, it might take much longer but it is not a wrestling match I don`t think I could ever do a double bed quilt by machine.

38 comments:

Stitching Lady said...

Hello Margaret, you did an extraordinary work - and quilting all by hand. Bravo and congratulations. No it certainly would be a real battle on the machine -I normally choose straight lines and this is awful enough to quilt on a household machine.

Julimond said...

Hello Margaret
I also prefer handquilting. My machine is not big enough to quilt a large project. I tried on little blocks, but i love more handquilting.

Your Quilt is wonderful. And the butterflies are very nice. I think, Helen is happy with it.

Greetings from Germany
Iris

Podunk Pretties said...

So pretty, I'm envious of the handwork! I agree thimbles are quite awkward. There's a product called thimblepads that I love. They are little adhesive pieces of leather that stick to your finger and can be reused several times.

Lady Locust said...

I am amazed by how much you accomplish! Your butterflies are perfect. I like the shape you drew/chose.
Happy Monday.

Gaia said...

You have done a beautiful quilt. I love the butterfly design;even it does take a long time, hand quilting is so great.

Unknown said...

Your stitching looks great! Like the binding fabric too. It's a great finish.

Nana said...

Wow, this is indeed a lovely quilt and so nicely quilted. Good job you´ve done.

Nana

Bev said...

Oh, that is GORGEOUS! It looks so modern and fresh! I love how you did the label and love all the butterflies! You are so talented. I agree with you about machine quilting! That's why I have so many unfinished tops. I can't afford to send them out and I just dread wrestling them through the machine. What a lovely quilt! WTG!

Anita said...

Congratulations Margaret! Your quilt looks beautiful. you could try leather patch or some other alternative for thimbles,I too don't like it.I use a hoop while hand quilting and work stab stitches instead of picking more stitches in the needle at a time ,this trick helps me to keep the stitch length tiny and even throughout.

Mary Ellen said...

Lovely job! I don't wear a thimble. Can't get used to it and I'm allergic to nickel on top of that. I have a nice callous on my finger, though.

Annet said...

Congrats on finishing this gorgeous quilt. Your handquilting looks very pretty!

Radka said...

It is beautiful, Margaret :-)
Well done for hand quilting it, I know it takes longer, but I think it is worth it; in the end, it makes the quilt more special.
The butterflies is a nice detail.
xx

Séverine said...

wonderful!! Your quilt is beautiful and your daughter is very lucky!

deanna7trees said...

i, too, prefer the hand quilting. i think you did a super job. i prefer the bigger stitches to those tiny ones quilters struggle to achieve.

Pippas quilts said...

Well done the quilting is wonderful. I hand stitched in back stitch my first label for Jacobs quilt, might be an idea.

motidana said...

What a lovely quilt . You have really worked hard , hand quilting it . The butterflies look lovely, and I`m sure Helen must be very happy with the quilt .

Rebecca in AK said...

Congratulations on a finished quilt! It looks lovely! I am sure Helen must very happy! A hand quilted quilt made by her Mom, is something very special!

Jane said...

Great finish and I'm sure it will be treasured for the hours of love that have gone into making it for her

Dianne said...

It is a lovely pattern, Margaret and you have done a great job putting it together. I have quilted in perle cotton before and larger quilting stitches are definitely called for. Your butterflies are beautifully quilted. Congrats on the finish

Jillian said...

Love the quilting Margaret. I can imagine the pain in your fingers. You've done a great jib. Congratulations

Unknown said...

Hi Margaret I absolutely love this quilt!! Your hand quilted butterflies are just beautiful!! Have a great day ........... Marie x

Margo Brooks said...

What a fancy quilting job! It really shows how quilting can enhance a quilt. Beautiful!

Cattinka said...

Hi Margaret,
you did a good job. I am a person that does not like to handquilt, I prefer easy machine quilting.
KATRIN W.

Wendy said...

well done on finishing it! It looks great. I love the hand quilting, great idea to do butterflies

SewLittleToSay said...

A lovely finish and I am in awe of anyone who hand quilts a big quilt. I've yet to try anything other than walking foot machine quilting.

Monica said...

Your quilt is so pretty with all the hand quilted butterflies! It may be a modern design, but it still has a nice cozy feel to it. Congratulations! Great finish. :)

Diana @ Red Delicious Life said...

Love the butterflies! Such a beautiful finish for your daughter. She's a very lucky girl.

shirley said...

Congratulations Margaret, well done. Catherine is indeed lucky to receive such a beautiful quilt and I am sure she will treasure it.

QuiltSue said...

It looks great Margaret. I too love hand quilting, but it takes too long, hence my longarm machine. As for thimbles, I always use one on my right hand, but could never get used to one on the left.

Vicki Miller said...

Beautiful work Margaret. I am just about to start some hand quilting, but this is lovely

Judy@Quilt Paradigm said...

I can't sew with thimbles. . . hence very sore fingers and very little hand sewing :) Your quilt is beautiful and your hand stitching is gorgeous!

Unknown said...

Congratulations Margaret - your quilt is amazing!
The butterflies are so lovely...
Hugs
Deborah

Suztats said...

Your quilt looks great dancing on the clothesline! I like the addition of the butterflies--good idea.

Anonymous said...

Your daughter must be delighted with your quilt, your butterfly idea is lovely it gives a nice finished design to the quilt.

Jen said...

HI! Margaret ,Your quilt is beautifully done I love the butterflies and the colours You are so clever doing the hand quilting, something I haven't tried as yet.A lovely quilt for your Helen.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

A finish!!! It's lovely and I love the butterflies.

Angie in SoCal said...

What a great job handquilting, Margaret. I like your quilt! You might consider QAYG for doing a double bed quilt. That technique makes it doable.

Benta AtSLIKstitches said...

Oh well done! It's gorgeous