Saturday, December 31, 2022

Christmas Ornaments quilt finished !!

 

Finished and what a feeling of relief and accomplishment! It's big and heavy to me. I used to make lots of bed quilts both hand quilted and machine quilted but I'm older and parts of me are injured making this finish a wonderful feeling! I am calling it Christmas Ornaments for now but no label is made yet.

Milo: can I get on Mama??  (Mama: nope)
 I started this last Christmas by drafting my own octagon and finding fun special holiday fabrics to cut

piecing around them pineapple style with pretty holiday scraps, squaring them to 12.5" and arranging them on a design wall. When I saw how big it was, I decided to quilt it I'd have to design a way to quilt it in large sections, rejoining it after that. 

This meant I could use lots of fabrics on the backing of each section, and I used a variety of preprinted block fabric, and others large enough to cover this territory. For a person who uses an aged Bernina 1630 with a small harp to do all her work, this took a lot of planning

looks small here but it is 72" X 72" and my harp opening is 6"
some of the backing fabrics

Apologies for the weird looking angles, this is larger than my design wall that sits propped up on 4 baskets, making the quilt buckle out at the bottom and look distorted


this process means planning which unit will have extra backing to use as a flap to sew over the quilted seams, sandwiching each section, carefully quilting each section first then machine stitching. Next carefully fold the planned flap over that seam after pressing, and hand stitching it closed....

which took much longer than it ever has before! But it looks good, almost invisible as you could see from the larger shot of the backing
after a couple sections were sewn to the big 9 block center section, I was able to free motion stitch snowflakes. I cut my own out of freezer paper to use as templates....

see the different white/cream fabrics used?

Again, this was hard to photograph because of the size, but it hangs perfectly straight and even! 

I chose a fun red and white strip, also used in the blocks, and had just enough for a binding, a 3/8" uneven strip left after it was done and dusted! I put the binding on the outside borders after quilting them but before attaching them to the other part.... then hand stitched the flap over the border seams, and joined the bindings.

the floral is backing the border, and I pulled the floral fabric over to form the seam cover
So the photo doesn't do it justice but I just love this quilt. And am grateful I was able to finish it.

I wrote a list on Thursday's I Like post of art techniques I'd like to learn/do this year.... there is always something to learn or try.... for now I hope to cram some The Quilt Show videos in today before my membership runs out, then sort out the studio and plan some projects for the coming year. 

linking with:

patchwork Sunday       

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

 slow stitching Sundays        
https://myblog-lunchbreak.blogspot.com/ 

34 comments:

Sara said...

It's gorgeous! Great job!

Paula said...

What a great quilt! I've long wanted to make both a log cabin and a pineapple quilt, but the idea of cutting all of the strips of different fabrics holds me back. I like the idea of a large fussy-cut center and Christmas quilts are one of my favorite types of quilts. My bad shoulder and bi-lateral carpal tunnel make quilting large quilts almost impossible. Thank you for the idea and for the information on how you made this. Congratulations on the finish and Happy New Year!

Mari said...

It turned out beautiful! What a great finish. I love all your creative touches, and I'm happy that it's gracing your bed. Great end to the year, and start to the new year. Happy 2023!

PaintedThread said...

This is beautiful!

Brian's Home Blog said...

I gotta say, that's the prettiest quilt we ever did see! All of us at Brian’s Home wish you a most Happy New Year!

Helen said...

I really like this one!

sonja said...

she so pretty, dazzling actually! there is dazzling motion to the pineapple pattern. in some photos i imagine the ornament spinning like they do on a tree catching a slight breeze!
what a way to end a year! i see Milo sitting in his blue chair, perhaps eying up a new nest? happy new year!

Michele McLaughlin said...

I love your quilt!! Love the choices of fabrics and the border fabric is perfect! Really good way to finish the quilt! It's wonderful!

My name is Erika. said...

What a gorgeous quilt! I love how it is a Christmas/ holiday bed quilt that makes you really look at it to see the designs. Subtle always has its own beauty. And your wall quilt is just the opposite, which had its own place too. Happy 2023 to you. I hope you have a wonderful year. hugs-Erika

Sylvia@Treadlestitches said...

What a beautiful quilt, congratulations! I love the back, too! I also use the quilt as you go method frequently for bigger quilts. I never thought of putting on the binding before adding the outer border, what a good idea! Happy New Year!

Deb A said...

Your Christmas Ornaments are lovely! You found the perfect way to finish up your quilt by doing the quilt as you go method. LOVE the back! Wishing you a creative 2023.

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

Beautiful! Congrats on a wonderful finish. I'm sure you'll enjoy this quilt for many Christmases to come.

The Cozy Quilter said...

So pretty! Lots of wonderful scraps in this quilt!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Congratulations on your finish! So great that you figured out how to quilt it in a comfortable way for you. It's beautiful!

Joanne said...

Happy New Year LeeAnna, Drew and Milo,
What a great name for a gorgeous quilt !
It sure is a work of art ! Well done !
hugs, take care,
Joanne

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

What a gorgeous finish and kudos to you for getting it done on your domestic small harp machine! It takes a lot of "strength" to push, pull and cajole that fabric through that tiny space!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Congratulations on your AWESOME Christmas quilt finish, LeeAnna!! LOVE the quilt and the snowflake quilting, too!

Melisa- pinkernpunkinquilting said...

Happy New Year, LeeAnna. Your quilt is a beauty and what a fun way to use up those adorable Christmas fabrics.

Kat said...

What a wonderful quilt and thank you for explaining the process of quilt as you go and joining the sections. It’s sure to be a family treasure handed down through your family. 😊

Kathy S. said...

Beautiful work, LeeAnna. The FMQ snowflakes are very pretty! Happy new year.

Susie H said...

Love your Christmas Ornaments quilt. So happy that you managed a way to get it all the way finished. We quilters can be quite inventive to achieve our goals. It looks wonderful on the bed. Happy 2023!

MissPat said...

What determination you've shown. Creatively plotting your way to a wonderful finish. Happy New Year to you, Drew and Milo.
Pat

Kathleen said...

Christmas Ornament is drop dead gorgeous - on both sides! I am so impressed with all the work you did and how beautiful it is. I wonder if because there is small piecing and piecing on both sides it feels heavier than some. The fact that it is straight is a sign of real skill! Congratulations on this beauty!

CathieJ said...

This quilt is gorgeous! I love how you made it in parts so you would be able to quilt it easily.

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Wowza, LeeAnna!!!!

Tails Around the Ranch said...

It's truly exceptional! Bravo and congrats on the accomplishment. Well done. 👍🏻

Preeti said...

This is such a fun and festive quilt, LeeAnna. Wishing you continued creativity in the new year. Best wishes to Drew and you!

Norma Schlager said...

This is a winner! Absolutely gorgeous. Will you just put it on your bed for the holidays! I made three Christmas quilt many years ago and I bring them out every year. One goes over the couch in the family room, one over the fireplace and one draped over the upstairs railing. You can see it from the foyer if you look up. I’m sure yours will give you many years of pleasure.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

What a beautiful quilt! You should be proud, you worked so hard for this finish. Very clever of you to adapt your methods to your capabilities now. That back looks as good as the front, you would never suspect it was QAYG! Kudos to you on a great finish. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.

Linda said...

I love your quilt! Very pretty FMQ on it. "Heavy" quilt is good in cold weather, right? ;)

grammajudyb said...

I love the name Christmas Ornaments! It fits! So much work for you, but you showed us it can be done. Makes me want to stop complaining about being old and unable to wrestle a big quilt! It really is amazing!

Shell said...

Love your quilt! I am curious as to the sz of fussy cut centre block you started with? How did you decide what sz looked best?

Susan said...

Great looking Christmas finish Leeanna!

Leanne Parsons said...

What a gorgeous finish! And the fun fabrics on the back make it double sided :) Congratulations on getting it finished!