Friday, October 7, 2016

The Lion - Ta Da!

The Lion

Here he is, The Lion. The pattern for this quilt is by Violet Craft and the quilt is about 60" square. The entire quilt was paper pieced. I quilted him with randomly spaced straightish freehand drawn lines using my longarm machine. The thread is ivory 100% cotton King Tut by Superior Threads.

The Lion

Given that this quilt was made for my youngest to take off to University and thus I wanted it to have some softness, I quilted the lines 1.5 " - 1/4" apart, just eyeballing it. I draw the lines freehand, I don't use channel locks. The irregular spacing and the wobbles give that industrial modern look that I love.

The Lion

The wash and dry after I was done gave the whole quilt a rugged look, perfect for a lion. By the way, there is a mistake in this quilt, but I did not bother to fix it. I kind of like the fact that he is not perfect.

The Lion - detail

The eyes in the pattern are very effective, here is a close look.

Working on this pattern was interesting. There are a lot of paper pieced pieces to make up a 60" square and I sure got tired of just following instructions on the fabric to use and stitching along the lines. The pattern is lovely, with graphics on each section so you easily know what fabric to use, but it takes a lot of time to make it.

I ended up working on the pattern over several months, and used it when I wanted to sew but was too tired for decisions. So it was a perfect project to have on the go. And in the end, I made this fantastic quilt. So now I am trying to decide which of Violet's patterns I will start next, because I miss the handy, low stress but fantastic pattern project for those too tried days.

The Lion - back

The back is simple. The one side is a Paris architectural print and the other is a Zen Chic black on black print. Both go well with the grey binding, intended to just blend into the front. As this is a dorm quilt, I machine stitched the binding on.

The Lion - before washing

Here is a photo of the quilt before I put it into the washing machine. Lovely but oh so flat and boring. Also, I fully expect that it will need several washes as it is living in a young man's university dorm room now.

IMG_6521

And the Lion did make it to the dorm and the bed. I have since seen photos and he is still there.


This quilt was also on my Q3 Finish A Long list, which is here, so I am going to share him in the Q3 link up before it closes - it is saying there are just over 9 hours to go now. If you have any other finishes, don't forget to link them up and if you are looking for some inspiration, the finishes that have been linked up are lovely.

Best,

Leanne

27 comments:

AmyScrapSpot said...

WOW!! Your lion is magnificient!
You say there is a flaw, I can't see it and I would pay anyone money who could. ;)
Paperpieced or not, you did an awesome job on it!

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

I love this crinkly lion!!! Congratulations on your finish, and thank you, on behalf of the 2016 global FAL hosts, for taking part!

Rita Lynn said...

That is fantastic. Beautiful job.

Teje Karjalainen said...

He is amazing, Leanne! Can't imagine how much paper pieces that needed. It's gorgeus and your quilting makes it really special! x Teje

Ioleen said...

WOW!!!! Amazing job, Leanne.

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I agree that quilting without the channel locks gives a great look to a quilt top, Leanne, and you do it beautifully. After a wash the quilt has so much more character and personality. :)

Debbie said...

oh yeah. This one turned out SO good!

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

You did such an amazing job with the shades of colours. Beautiful!! It looks great on the bed!

-Soma

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Oh my....awesome! I've enjoyed watching your journey to this finish. I've to make one of her large patterns, but I don't enjoy paper piecing enough to tackle one.

Jen said...

Great finish! I love this lion. So striking and it looks like it certainly stands out in that dorm room. I love your choice of quilting on it too.

Paige said...

I would think he's the envy of the dorm! Fantastic finish!

Amanda Johnston said...

This is stunning Leanne! The quilting is so lovely!

Kati said...

It looks fantastic!! I have her elephant pattern, but have yet to get serious about starting it. Her patterns are so striking.

Unknown said...

Love the Lion!!! I have seen this pattern posted by Violet. Loved it from the beginning. It is really neat to see it all made up as a quilt and not just a pattern. Love the backing and good choice in quilting!

Amarantha said...

Oh my word! He is so gorgeous! Your youngest is very lucky indeed :-D

OPQuilt said...

I am quite impressed with your son's quilt, made with love, by his mother. I loved your typifying it as a lovely project on tired days, and how bit by bit, it came into view. It's wonderful, Leanne, and I applaud your skill and perseverance!

shaka said...

What a gorgeous quilt you made your son! Lucky!

Sheila said...

Such a fabulous quilt Leanne, a great pattern too.

Marlyn said...

This is glorious - Great job! I wouldn't fret about the error, it took me three times of hunting before I spotted it. I wouldn't have taken it out either. I so prefer paper piecing for all these triangles.

Jereena said...

It's a stunning quilt and what a lucky son. I made (http://cooksewcreative.blogspot.com/2015/10/black-and-white-quilt.html#links quilt) for my son last year. He is a freshman now and asked me if he could use the quilt as a rug. I did not give just a one word response.

Becki @ the beach said...

It's gorgeous! I have a longarm question, are you glad you bought it? I'm contemplating one and wonder if I could get enough use out of it?
Caltexgal@aol.com

Becki @ the beach said...

It's gorgeous! I have a longarm question, are you glad you bought it? I'm contemplating one and wonder if I could get enough use out of it?
Caltexgal@aol.com

Melanie said...

It is a looooovely quilt! Gorgeous - even if that is the most used word in this comment section :) I admire the quilt and the pattern. To daunting so far to start on it but amazing to see the result.

GML said...

Beautiful quilt. So majestic. LOL. I will run out of patience if I were to endeavour this pattern.

Emily said...

Your lion is absolutely stunning!!!! Amazing!

Sandra Walker said...

I bought this pattern a while ago, to make for my grandson who is a Leo! Yours is spectacular, and yep, I prefer the crinkly look of it washed, but the best is seeing it on his dorm bed! That must make you as his mum feel pretty happy.

Cut&Alter said...

Wow I just love this!! The pattern, the colours and the quilting are just wonderful. It made me laugh that this became you go to project for 'low stress, too tired days' - it would certainly be high stress and full of energy days for me!!