Then I framed them up to make an 84" top. (I also moved one block to get that X in yellow through the center of the quilt!)
It sat for a while before James got around to quilting it. As usual, he did a lovely job for me. 😊
He used a simple overall design he calls 'water' through the body of the quilt, then these circles in the inner border and waves in the outer border. All freehand I might add!
It's too wet and windy to go outside for a proper photograph and I don't feel like wrestling with it to hang it in the studio for a portrait. Here it is draped over the long-arm, minutes after I finished sewing down the binding:
Since that picture was taken I've washed the quilt and now need to ink the label. My intention is to donate this to our local women's shelter. How they choose to use it is up to them. I've adapted the fast corner triangle technique Ami Simms advocated for hanging small art quilts to make labels for my bigger quilts.
For a quilt this size I cut a 5" square of my label fabric and fold it in half diagonally once. The raw edges of the label are then lined up with the raw edges in one corner of the quilt (before I apply the binding). I sew it in place with a narrower seam allowance than I will use for the binding. After the binding is applied by machine and then sewn down - which I do by hand as a personal preference - I celebrate by blind stitching the single folded edge of the label patch. The quilt is laundered before I inscribe the label with my Pigma Micron pens. As long as I don't try to rush the process, stretch and hold each section of the label with my left hand while I'm writing on it with my right, I don't have too much trouble writing on the fabric. You just have to go slowly and let the ink settle into the fibers. In addition to who made the quilt, where or why and when, I'm usually able to include simple laundering instructions on these labels. You know, something like "machine wash/dry, gentle cycles, low heat." And away we go!
Beautiful finish! Blue and yellow are my mom's favorite colors.
ReplyDeleteLovely blues with the yellow cross, and border and binding so lovely. And the quilting sets the blues off so well.
ReplyDeleteI should start doing that for labels on my quilts. I just realized I didn't label the baby quilt! Grrr. This is a great quilt. I'm glad you moved that block, because in the first photo, that caught my eye right away. It's a lovely quilt, and the shelter will be happy to have it, I know. Now I'm going to catch up with other stuff you have going on. =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful job, and how happy someone will be with it. Lovely colours, and that yellow cross is a wonderful side effect of the blocks :-)
ReplyDeleteA really lovely finished quilt - someone will be overjoyed to receive it.
ReplyDeleteBlue is such a comforting color, just right for the person who receives it. Thanks for the label tute. I will definitely use that.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful Sue! The two fabrics you have used for the borders set the squares off so well. A beautiful and generous gift.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty. What joy it will bring to someone. Great idea for the label!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful! Your son did a wonderful job, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the walkthrough on making the label - that was really helpful! (I always intend to label my quilts, but usually forget...)
Such a beautiful quilt, Sue. It will be a treasured possession. Thanks too for the label information. I like how it is discretely tucked into the corner.
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