Friday, May 21, 2010

Quilt Festival!

Once again Amy is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I'd like to revisit one of my earlier quilts for this Spring's Festival because it made me so happy and I learned so much while making it.  This was my third finish and the one I'm most sentimental about thus far.

As part of the Flicker group Old Red Barn Co Quiltalong, we've been led through 6 rounds of quilts; each one has had a different leader and it's been a terrific experience (I skipped one round so have only made 5 of them myself).  In fact, our anniversary just passed - 6 classes in one year, that's a pretty good record for folks with busy lives outside the 'Net!  I don't have to tell you about the support, technical assistance and new friendships that have come from the group - suffice it to say that it has strongly reinforced my belief that quilters are a uniquely remarkable group of people.

For our second project we made Zig Zag quilts utilizing HSTs (half-square triangles).  I had a recipient in mind, a friend of many years who lives far away, and during construction I often smiled to myself thinking of him and his wife snuggling with their made-with-love quilt.

I quilted in the ditches but it looked incomplete to me, so I went down the scrolly "solids" and quilted several fat arrow shapes up and down; I don't know why I chose arrows - maybe because the quilt felt so frivolous.  I cussed a bit running around all those corners with my walking foot!  When it was finally completed and I put it through the washer and dryer, disaster struck:  there was a popped seam! Time to get a 1/4-inch foot and no mistake. I tried to repair the seam but it looked awful. Time to try a little applique then! I used Anna Maria Horner's Super Circles tutorial to iron down my seam allowance, then appliqued a triangle and a square - hmm, not bad!  I made another to balance it.  I knew I worked well under pressure - long years of work have proven that - but I was genuinely sweating it with that applique, especially those persnickety points!  I also learned that as with all new skills, you need the right tools to do the job well.  I've since acquired both a 1/4 inch foot and a darning foot; I've used the one ever since, and the other is just starting to get a workout.  It's so satisfying having the right tool for the job, don't you agree?




Finally I was satisfied:  I had a piece that was lots of fun, smart, a little silly, and very comfy - like my friend.  I like the back almost as much as the front!

 
He likes it!  
I'm fully aware that this is very much a "newbie" effort, that my arrows are wonky and that it looks more A-for-Effort than made-with-skill.  But the nice thing about old friends is that they overlook such technicalities and view these things as gifts of love - which of course they are.

18 comments:

  1. I think it is terrific! Tons of thought and love went into the making of this quilt. The quilting is fabulous. And that last photo says it all, he loves it!

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  2. Oh, Sally, what an amazing story, and what an amazing quilt!
    The last picture says it all!!! I really liked the arrows! :)

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  3. Great quilt! I made the zigzag with the ORB group to but mine was just the tried and true. Yours rocks!!

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  4. Great design and creative way to overcome a problem.

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  5. That's so fun that you were creative and used the arrows to fix the boo boo!

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  6. I do believe that you are now an experienced quilter with all of that. Good for you, I probably would have trashed it after crying for 2 days.

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  7. this is so pretty and fun...i love the quilting

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  8. Great finish. Every quilt is a learning experience isn't it.

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  9. I think your quilt is great! The zig zag quilts are addictive. I have made three of them now and can't seem to get enough zig zags......ready for #4!

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  10. Don't ya just love seeing your quilts used?

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  11. Great quilt! I've been enjoying reading your blog!

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  12. I love it! I so need to make a zig zag quilt... Your quilting is great too; I love the details.

    Jennifer :)

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  13. In my book, if a quilt is perfect....then it's not a quilt. I love the zig-zag! Awesome quilt. Sew On!

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  14. This is beautiful. I love the arrows.

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  15. What a wonderfully graphic quilt. I especially liked the arrows,and enjoyed seeing the back too.

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  16. i like your quilt--front and back. clever, clever ideas for the appliques. thanks for sharing

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  17. what a great quilt(s) and kudos on fixing the problem. Zigzags are quite popular this festival.
    Come see my antique quilt entries
    http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com
    http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com

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