Monday 16 June 2014

A finish: More is More

The More is More quilt for Alison's Soy Amada/o project is finished.  If you are not familiar with this project these quilts are going off to a children's home in Mexico City.


I loved the in-your-face pinkness of it so much that I had planned to throw everything at this quilt including applique and perle hand quilting in the white border but it turned out that less is more after all.  I tried out both and they just looked fussy rather than full on, so I unpicked!



Instead, for the pieced sections I did very simple quilting to echo the lines of the rows using a pink/orange/red/yellow variegated thread from Aurifil (No 4657) which went happily with all the fabrics - it's so pretty I would use a heavier weight next time to show it off more.


I used the same Aurifil in my sewing machine to free-motion satin stitch the words Soy amada (Spanish for "I am loved") in the corner of the quilt.  I don't have a fancy sewing machine but I can do this using a medium zig zag stitch on the tightest setting, just don't be too critical:-)


In the white border sections I used the star stitch on my machine to tie the quilt with white thread at regular (2 inch or so) intervals.  At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious I use the auto thread lock function to finish off one stitch at a time, pulling the quilt through the machine to the next section as you can see in this not very attractive photograph which shows the stitching from the back.


Once all the joining threads are snipped you end up with these little star shaped ties, and once you have got the hang of it you can actually be snipping the joining threads of one row of stitches while stitching the next.  I have already used this method of quilting for a whole quilt and as decoration in the border of another.  It is very forgiving of poor basting skills...


The stripey binding that I was going to use didn't work as the effect was totally lost, but I am so happy with this fantastically bright chartreuse kona which contrasts with the pink and satisfied my need for something with drama.


I love this quilt and have to confess to a sneaky regret that it's leaving!  It was fun to have a chance to play with colours so out of my normal comfort zone - I hope it makes someone happy and keeps them warm.

Quilt details:

Fabric - every single piece of pink in my stash, bar one.
Binding - kona in chartreuse
Batting - warm and natural
Thread - Aurifil 50 variegated No 4657, white Gutermann Sew All


Fresh Poppy Design

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful quilt!!! How lucky someone is going to be when they receive this!! Great job :-)

    ~ Jess ~
    Everything Is Coming Up Rosie

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  2. Me LIKE! (I'm having a Sesame Street kind of day.)

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  3. I love the pinkness and the chartreuse binding. Thanks for sharing the star tieing technique. I am also impressed with your free motion words.

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  4. Oooh I am in love with your gorgeous quilt. So happy that you have been converted and stepped over to the other side....the "land of pink"!! What an amazing photo with your gorgeous quilt against that lovely grey stone wall....truly inspired! The green binding is perfect.Your quilt will add much love to a child's days....it will wrap them up with a warm hug filled with much love!!

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  5. Whoever recieves this quilt is going to feel so loved. I think it looks amazing. The writing and the green binding were the perfect finishing touches.

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  6. Oh this is so beautiful Catherine, you did a fantastic job, I just love it. It will make a young girl somewhere very happy. It's perfect.

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  7. love this sooo much. a little girl with indeed feel loved this quilt.
    you say your machine is basic, not as basic as mine!....star stitch? I wish

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  8. It looks fantastic, and will bring much needed comfort to someone! I'm envious of the star stitch setting on your machine, I have to do mine by hand.

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  9. Wow Catherine is turned out amazing. I love the embroidery detail that you added and a sweet little message that will be very much appreciated.

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  10. wow it is finished! so beautiful! it will surely be a cherished quilt. bless you for making something to send away. such a treasure!

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  11. Its so lovely... I love all the photos and the pink!

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