Sunday, September 8, 2013

Swirling Medallion - Ta Da!

Swirling Medallion - done

Let me introduce you to my Swirling Medallion Quilt. She is about 42" square. She was made following the Swirling Medallion Quilt pattern in Quilting Modern, which is a book by Jacquie Gehring and Katie Pederson.

Swirling Medallion (maybe she needs a better name, I shall have to think on that) is made from Briar Rose fabrics by Heather Ross and Kona Snow, with a scrappy binding of more Briar Rose.

Swirling Medallion - quilting detail

I am so pleased with this little quilt. I was having so much fun making her that I added two extra rounds to the pattern - it seems that I have some trouble sticking exactly to the rules.

Swirling Medallion - quilting detail

I quilted her with a swirling diamond line, swirling out from the centre, using an cream coloured Aurafil 50wt thread. So the quilting line is not quite parallel to the lines of colour as it is just one long continuous swirl. It is also not quite straight and each round is about 1/2" give or take from the one before it. Again, my usual modern industrial approach to quilting.

Swirling Medallion - quilting detail

You can tell by all these pictures that I love how this quilt crinkled and softened up after washing. I also really enjoy how the improv triangles come together. In the book, Jacquie and Katie refer to this improv method of piecing HST like units as stitch and flip. It is fun and fast and gives a sparkly sort of result, I plan to do a lot more stitch and flip triangles in the future.

Swirling Medallion Quilt

You can see the difference in the quilt after washing from the picture above which is before the wash. Lovely but flat. (You can also see the fold across the middle, which annoys me but disappears after the quilt has been unfolded for a while.)

Swirling Medallion - back

For the back I used a Kona yellow - I am not sure which one - and some more Briar Rose. I machine stitched the binding using the method my friend Marianne from The Quilting Edge patiently explained to me over a couple of lunches - she also has a tutorial here. I am pleased to report that I am getting good at this, and got all four corners stitched down nicely on the first try.

Swirling Medallion - back detail

I had the great pleasure of taking a course from Jacquie Gehring at QuiltCon. She is just as wonderful in person as I had imagined from reading her blog for years. Quilting Modern is well worth having, it is full of both well explained techniques and inspiring projects.

Swirling Medallion - done

One last photo. I seemed no matter what I did, this quilt photographs so you can see the quilting lines nicely on two kitty corner sides and not on the others - some lighting mystery or other.


It turns out that it is Craft Book Month at Craft Buds. We can link one project made from a craft book -- and conveniently this project was made from a craft book. Maybe I will see you there with your project too.

I am going to link up to Sew Cute Tuesday at Better Off Thread and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story this week too (buttons on the right side), see you there.

It has been a less than productive weekend, as my elderly cat is doing very poorly, despite a unexpected visit to the vet. Tonight is the turning point I think, hope for the best, as she is a very good friend to us all, especially my son. edited Monday morning: Our dear cat passed away in her sleep last night. She had a fine and very long 17 years of  comfortable cat life, and we are glad she shared it with us.


Best,

Leanne

ps, I signed up for as an Amazon affiliate and the Amazon links are part of that program now.

34 comments:

Carla said...

Brilliant! I love everything about this!

Debbie said...

Totally love this one too! I've done a little stitch and flip and would like to do more - I agree about the very nice result! Beautiful use of color and congrats on the binding success. btw. . . thinking of you & kitty tonight - hope things improve...

jeifner said...

I'm quite obsessed with this pattern. I like seeing your version which seems a bit more precise than others. I like the different feel.

Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts said...

It turned out beautifully Leanne. I think this is the nicest Briar Rose quilt I've seen yet :o) Hope your cat improves, too.

Nicky said...

Ta da indeed it looks fantastic! Have Jackie's book and followed her class on Craftsy - she seems a great character! Would be fun doing her class I'm sure!

Sorry to hear about the cat Leanne - hope she pulls through!

Di said...

I like the personal twist that you have put on the pattern. It looks great.

So sorry that your cat is so ill, I hope that you post good news in your next post.

Di x

Judith said...

This is such a gorgeous and colourful little quilt and I love the quilting.
The whole things seems to sparkle.

Unknown said...

This is lovely, it looks like there's an alternate quilt pattern in the two of the four sections of jigsaw puzzle pieces because of the change in direction, it's an optical illusion! Or is that just me (from the back, bottom left and top right)? It looks like it was a lot of fun to make too.

Unknown said...

Also hope your cat is doing better today, I know how you feel!

pennydog said...

This is lovely, it looks like there's an alternate quilt pattern in the two of the four sections of jigsaw puzzle pieces because of the change in direction, it's an optical illusion! Or is that just me (from the back, bottom left and top right)? It looks like it was a lot of fun to make too.

pennydog said...

Also hope your cat is doing better today, I know how you feel!

Catherine said...

I love that crinkling. As another fond owner of an elderly cat I'm sending you and yours lots of good wishes for the best outcome.

Katy Cameron said...

It's gorgeous, love the crinkliness! My stop on the hop might just be from this book too...

Sorry to hear about the cat though, hope things turned out for the better

Gertie Pye said...

This is just lovely Leanne. Briar Rose is a great line and it works wonderfully with this pattern. The crinkly quilting is perfect!

Lisa in Port Hope said...

You definitely deserve a Ta Da for this! I love the combo of precision and free form triangles.

elle said...

The texture is wonderful on this lovely quilt!

Cindy said...

Oh wowza, Leanne! This is one absolute stunner. The fabric choices so suit this pattern and your whimsy improved the design in the book (in my opinion). Brilliant finish.

CapitolaQuilter said...

ooohhh, so pretty. Love the play and placement of all the Briar Rose fabrics. Lucky you getting a private lesson from Marianne. All the best to your kitty

Lisa C said...

I just adore the colors in this quilt. Great job!

Heidi Staples said...

This is just stunning, Leanne!

Catherine said...

Fabulous quilt Leanne. So sorry about your cat, they really are family members xx

Sarah @ FairyFace Designs said...

This is a beautiful quilt. I love those improv HSTs. So sorry about your cat xx

Judith, Belfast said...

Aw L, so sorry to hear about your pussy! Jxo

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear that your cat passed away. How wonderful you had 17 years of joy.

I love that quilt ...GORGEOUS!!! The fabrics are magnificent and the quilting is fabulous. I saw the optical llusion as well. Two of the quadrants on the backing look like a different quilt pattern. It is just one of those quilt that you just want to hug around you! Marie (mlismore@optusnet.com.au)

Betty said...

Leanne, I'm so sorry about your cat. We lost our oldest back in April and I still miss him terribly, but am so thankful he came into our lives for 13 years and gave so much.

I adore this quilt and that it's done in Briar Rose is extra special. I've been a Heather Ross fan for years now and it's always fun to see different applications. And I have my Jacquie Gehring book handy for the day I can make one!

Leigh Ann Mahaffie said...

I love the quilt, and I'm so sorry about your cat. My cat is nearly 17 and she is beginning to fail. It will be a dark day when she passes.

Nancy said...

I am so sorry to hear that your cat passed away but so glad that it was peacefully in her sleep. My cat is 15 and has poor health we were not sure she would make it thru last winter. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers especially your son.

I like the quilt love the fabric. I have wanted to buy the Briar Rose but I currently have enough fabric to last 400 years so hate to buy more.

Lindsay Conner said...

Leanne.... what a gorgeous quilt! Thanks for linking up to Craft Book Month! I am so sad to hear about your cat. Sounds like she was a faithful friend. :)

Rachel said...

Leanne, I love the quilt. I kept wondering if it was me that couldn't see the straight line quilting - funny how pictures do that.
Sorry about the kitty. Pets definitely become an important part of the family, I'm sure she'll be missed.

Sarah Lou said...

Sorry to hear about your cat, 17 years is a long time to have given her a happy family life though. Beautiful quilting x

Canadian Abroad said...

It's a beautiful quilt and I love it all crinkled.sorry about your cat though. It's hard to lose a loved pet.

Michele said...

The quilt is just gorgeous. Congrats to you. My sympathies about your cat. Mine was over 17 too when she left us.

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

so pretty. Thanks for sharing that binding link. I have trouble getting it all caught in on the back when machine binding. I'll try this next time.

Marci Girl said...

The quilting on this quilt is to DIE FOR wonderful Leanne! I've been using that binding technique that you mentioned before, and I love it too!