Monday, January 16, 2012

A quilt for my bed - Ta Da!

A quilt for my bed

It's all done - quilted, bound, washed and tested out. This quilt is king size and, after washing, is 93" x 94".

A quilt for my bed

The fabrics are called Poppy and Lantern Bloom by Laura Gunn, together with Essex 100% linen. I put a really soft high thread count king size sheet on the back, in the same not quite white colour of the linen.

A quilt for my bed

This quilt was a long time in the making. The first bit of the fabrics were part of one of my first on-line fabric purchases, almost two years ago and then I kept buying a few more until I had enough. Then I searched for a pattern that would show off the large scale prints. The pattern I picked is called the Wedding Quilt by the Purl Bee and I adjusted the block size to make the quilt king size. I pieced the top in June, encouraged to get the quilt for me to the top of the list by  the Naked Bed Challenge.

A quilt for my bed - quilting

I quilted it in organic straight lines with a walking foot and used a slightly variegated hand dyed ivory/golden 50 weight thread from Valdani Inc. I did not want it so heavily quilted that it would lose its softness and drape. The linen is a little heavier and stiffer than cotton. Quilting this on my Horizon was not dreadful, and I would do another king size quilt again. This size is likely my limit for quilting on a regular sewing machine.

A quilt for my bed - binding and quilting detail

The binding is one of the aqua prints. It is hand stitched on the back. That took a fairly long time to do, but was a nice relaxed ending.

A quilt for my bed - binding detail

Here is a detail of the binding and you can see the print that is the binding just to the left of the red poppies in the photo. I wanted this quilt to be large enough to actually cover both of us in this big bed and so there is a bit of overhang on all edges and it reaches over the pillows.

A quilt for me - done.

Here is the best hanging up picture that I managed. My helpers stood on chairs and stairs and we set up lights to make the dark hallway bright enough. It is really hard to hold a quilt this big and you can see this photo cuts off the top and the edges a bit.

Edited to add: I am linking this post up to Rhonda at Quilter in the Gaps FAL First Quarter Report. My post of my FAL goals is here.


I am posting this to Sew {Modern} Monday and will add it to Fabric Tuesday tomorrow. It is also my first finish in the Finish-a-long over at Quilter in the Gap, which is working for me so far!

Fresh Poppy Design
{Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations



Enjoy your week, we finally have snow and -26C temperatures. Winter has arrived.

Best,

Leanne

53 comments:

**nicke... said...

oh my gracious Leanne! it is gorgeous! excellent finish and a king size quilt to boot! my hat is off!

Heather D. said...

Leanne, it looks AMAZING! And brrrr, yes indeed winter has arrived for you. Well, it has for us too but we only have -3C and no snow, but it's about all I can handle!! :)

Linz said...

YEA!!! That is a beautiful quilt!! I love the design, the colors - everything!! Great job! Congratulations!

Lynz said...

It's SO beautiful, Leanne! Just waht you need to snuggle under - stay warm!

M-R Charbonneau said...

Oh, it's fabulous, Leanne! I pinned the Wedding Quilt by Purl Bee because I want to make one too. Great fabrics choices!

Marci Girl said...

Awesome Leanne, congrats on getting it done, and it sure does look fabulous on that bed!

Little Island Quilting said...

Really lovely. Don't like the sound of minus 26c though!

Rebecca said...

Excellent use of those big Laura Gunn prints! I still love the poppies.

Sheila said...

Congratulations on such a spectacular finish - it's a beauty.
I can't imagine -26. We are shivering at 5 today, what a bunch of softies we are.

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Bloody wow!!!!

Brilliant xxxx

beaquilter said...

this is lovely, love the quilt, can't believe you did it on your domestic! wow.
where in the world are you with -26c?

Deanna said...

Wow, what a big job - and such a nice result!

Sarah said...

Just gorgeous Leanne! Just in time to snuggle up under in those temperatures!

Catherine said...

wow Leanne, what a gorgeous quilt. Get under it and get warm!

Toni said...

So beautiful, Leanne! And so fun that you get to enjoy it all the time on your bed!

Jenny said...

Very well done!! Fun design and the fabrics you used are fantastic!

Sue Daurio said...

Wow that is stunning! Great job!

Leo said...

It looks fantastic, especially as winter finally came to you - it can warm you and brighten your day with the spring colours.

Mary Menzer said...

I especially like that your first (was it the first?) of 2012 was for you. We seem to lose ourselves to all the quilts that go out the door for all the special someones.

You are talented and have a great eye for color combos, you amaze me!
Mary

Melinda said...

Love it! Just gorgeous! I've only just started on a quilt for my bed so I'm jealous that yours is finished! Makes me want to get back to work on mine!

Svetlana said...

What a wonderful quilt! It looks fabulous, I love everything about it, the fabric, pattern, piecing, quilting, the size, you did an amazing job.

Judith, Belfast said...

Oh Leanne this is magnificent! My dad's quilt is a mini compared to this giant. You've done an amazing job on the quilting and I love all the colours. Enjoy your lovely new bedspread! Jxo

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

that turned out really pretty, and BIG!

Canadian Abroad said...

Yeah for the finish and such a fabulous quilt. I have never been brave enough to make something that big!

Susan said...

What a great quilt! And a great sense of achievement quilting it on your own! Snuggle under, we're having 40 degrees C today, down under - summer has arrived here!

Debbie said...

What a nice, big, beautiful quilt! A super great finish, Leanne!

Katy Cameron said...

Ooh, love it!

Manda said...

Wow its beautiful! :)

The Thompsons said...

Beautiful! I love all of the colors that you chose - and King Sized - go you!!

Katie said...

Great job! I have never made myself a bed quilt. The thought of doing a king size has always scared me off!

Claire Jain said...

Oh yeah! That's a winner. I love the binding too. Great job. Thanks for sharing with us :-D

Annabella said...

I can`t tell you how much I love this. Really! I just pinned it as well as Purl Bee`s and have mentally added it to the bucket list. Really really stunning!

Karen said...

Gorgeous! I wouldn't want to get out of bed, love it :)

Alisa said...

It's a beauty! Very nice work.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Leanne it's absolutely stunning!!! I wouldn't get out of bed either, just stare at it!! Really fantastic and totally massive but then you know that ;)

Nicky said...

Stunning!

Shocking Hocking said...

outstanding quilt - and so impressed you quilted it with a domestic machine

Rhonda the Rambler said...

It is amazing. I love the quilting....so perfect! I love it. Congrats on a FAL finish. Great job.

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Wow, Leanne, this is really stunning! I love the zig zag feel!!

Dee said...

Beautiful! I love the colors you've chosen and the pictures are great!

Krista Schneider said...

It's beautiful! Congrats on your ling awaited finish :D

Amy said...

Looks great! Congrats on your finish!

Shevvy said...

I love it. Fab.

And you can keep the snow.....don't send any this way!

Kelly @ Vintage Fabric Studio said...

It turned out beautiful! A great way to dress a bed, congrats!

Quiltstory said...

GORGEOUS! Congrats on a finish! Thanks for linking up too! :)

Sarah said...

Its really lovely! Glad you've got that to snuggle with if thats the temps you're getting... brrrr!

Michelle @ the quilted tortoise said...

Looks fantastic! How satisfying to get it finished and be able to enjoy it!

Susan said...

What a fabulous quilt...stunning! Not only is the design amazing and the quilting absolutely brilliant but it looks like you measured perfectly to make the right size for your bed. Love how it hangs on the corners. Wow - what a great finish. :)

tusen said...

It's great! I especially like the last orange and blue row, the way you arranged the fabrics make them flow into each other (if you know what I mean).

Dianne Neale said...

A beautiful quilt Leanne. It looks so cozy. I like the story that it has taken so long, but you have chosen each fabric specially for this quilt.
.

beth said...

I just found your blog via "NEEDLE little Inspiration" - Pleasant Home. I LOVE your quilts. I'm hoping you can help me with a question about straight line quilting (which I adore - but can't seem to do well....). I have a Horizon, also, so I should be able to manage a big quilt. How do you prevent drag when you sew? I seem to get puckers. Do you start in the center and work out or alternate directions? Any advice (or a post for specifics) would be awesome!!

Shanley said...

Very nice! I like the movement of the shapes and colors.

deltabird said...

I really like your quilt, the pattern & fabric that you chose. Really beautiful.