Monday 6 May 2013

Retro Flowers {A quilty finish}

I'm so excited to be writing this post! I spent the last three evenings hand stitching the binding down (yes, I'm that slow) and managed to get a few photos taken today. So you get to see her in all her glory :o) A warning too - this is a veeeery long post!

This is probably going to sound incredibly smug, but I am so, so happy with how this quilt finished up. I've learnt a huge amount while making it too, which is always a huge bonus. I started this quilt back in April last year as part of the Retro Flowers QAL, so it's spent a lot of time languishing in a plastic tub while I worked on other projects, only being pulled out occasionally for a bit of piecing or trimming. But then a few weeks ago I pulled it out determined to finish it, and I'm so glad I did! I love it! It probably helps that Good Folks is the prettiest fabric line ever ;o)

Full quilt - Retro Flowers

It was my first foray into curved piecing and my first time trying some pretty epic custom quilting on a project - free-form feathers around the borders and triple stitched lines around all the flowers and feathers (inspired by the amazingly talented Lisa, one of my quilty heros). One big thing I found when piecing it was my seams matched much, much better when I didn't pin - I have no idea why, but there you go!


Full quilt on point - Retro Flowers



This quilt is entirely pieced and quilted with Aurifil 50wt in colour 2021 (my go-to thread). When I was quilting it there was a LOT of travel stitching over where I'd already stitched - in some cases four or five times - and the thread didn't break once. I used a lot of thread on this one - it's a 60" square quilt and I think I went through about 12 bobbins. And the quilting took around 25 hours. It was worth every minute.


Quilting Closeup - Retro Flowers

When I stitched the feathers around the border I left a gap on two of the sides - I think these spots are probably my favorite of the whole quilt.


corner shot - Retro Flowers

The back is also mostly Good Folks. The main piece (Small Gathering) is such a large scale print, it works really well as a quilt back. I actually like the back as much as the front, even if I didn't centre it very well ;o)


back full shot - Retro Flowers

The quilting has shown up beautifully on the back. I have to say I'm a bit in love with the hand stitched binding too - I think I might be a convert.


back close up - Retro Flowers


Thanks for all your lovely words of encouragement along the way with this one (and for putting up with my many posts while making it). I appreciate every single comment I get.

Quilt Stats:

Design - Retro Flowers pattern by the Sometimes Crafter
Fabric - Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner, and Kona PFD
Quilting - by myself on my domestic Bernina
Thread - Aurifil 50wt 2021

This quilt is on my FAL quarter two list, my second finish this quarter!



she can quilt

It's also my May goal for ALYOF. 



xx Jess

Linking up to Let's Get AcquaintedFabric Tuesday at Quilt StoryTGIFF and Free Motion Friday :o)




63 comments:

Jessica said...

Oh my GOD Jess, it's gorgeous. For some reason I've never been a huge feather fan but I LOVE yours! Those breaks are so pretty :) Put your feet up tonight and relax with that lovely quilt!!

Michele T said...

I love, love, love it!! Every little detail is gorgeous! I want to make one now... thanks for sharing and inspiring!

needle and nest said...

Oh wow! It turned out AMAZING! I love the back, too - very pretty!

Unknown said...

Jess, awesome! It looks great. :)

Vicki said...

You did that exquisite quilting on a domestic machine? How is that possible? I am having so much difficulty learning to do straight lines! It is beyond words.

sarah elizabeth :: {no} hats said...

Whooooaaaa mama!! This is truly, unbelievably inspiring. Makes me want to try something other than a 4mm straight stitch on an unfinished quilt sometime soon ;)

Sally said...

Your quilt is gorgeous! I guess I'd better get to practicing my quilting. I want to be able to do this gorgeous quilting for my quilts on my Bernina, too!

Ella said...

It's truly glorious! I hope to some day be good enough to go through half as many bobbins! (Sadly still straightlining it...)

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Amazing Jess! I can see why you are so pleased with the outcome.

Carla said...

This is so fabulous! , I love everything about it.

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

This is gorgeous...I love everything about it!

Marlene said...

Absolutely gorgeous. You deserve to be very proud of your work Jess.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

You should love it's wonderful!

skippie said...

I think it's gorgeous too. Love what you have done with this quilt. You certainly can be proud of yourself.

Jeannette Bruce said...

You are sooo talented Jess! A natural born quilter! Really stunning work!

Jennifer said...

absolutely stunning jess, well worth all the hours quilting! amazing!!

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

It is so beautiful! The quilting is just stunning!

Susan said...

A triumph Jess! You have every right to be proud of this beauty! I love everything about this quilt-stunning!

Susan said...

A triumph Jess! You have every right to be proud of this beauty! I love everything about this quilt-stunning!

Charlotte said...

wow wow WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is amazing!!!!!!!

Nat at Made in Home said...

It is SO amazing! Well done you!

Catherine said...

It is absolutely stunning Jess, you have done an amazing job. And I love the quilting

Sandra said...

I love it, it's a wonderful quilt!!!

Nicky said...

Your quilting takes this beauty to a whole new level Jess! There aren't words to express how gorgeous this is!

DeborahGun said...

such a beautiful quilt :)

moira said...

Bananas! This is your bad entry I hope #winning

moira said...

Bananas! This is your bad entry I hope #winning

Dawn said...

It is truly beautiful! You did a great job. I don't think that 3 evenings is at all long to attach binding. When you take tiny stitches it is very the consuming, but in my world there is nothing that finishes a quilt as well as hand stitched binding.

Annabella said...

It's just absolutely and amazingly stunning Jess - I love it!!! The flowers are just beautiful and then you have the quilting, the stunning backing - everything is just perfect :)

Katy Cameron said...

It looks absolutely amazing, well worth all the time and effort put in :o)

pandchintz said...

Fantastic Jess!! You have every right to be proud - your quilt is gorgeous! Just love it. The quilting is amazing.

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

You did it!! Its beautiful, you have every right to be smug and enjoy it. Thanks so much for sharing your journey with it. I feel lucky to have discovered your blog while you were working on it. (PS.... Pins are often the devil for me too )

Amy Friend said...

Go on and be smug, it's fantastic! That quilting is just amazing. Wonderful job!

Kelly said...

You deserve every last drop of smugness over this beauty!

Jessica said...

Congratulations, this is a gorgeous quilt, particularly the quilting which is just so stunning, you should be so proud!

Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD said...

Dropped by from P&J, fabulous quilt, no wonder you're so pleased with it :)

Heather D. said...

GORGEOUS. I love how the triple stitch quilting fills in the gaps left by the feathers. It's a stunner, for sure!

Sewjournal said...

Your quilting really sets this quilt pattern off. It is just beautiful. Well done!

Beth said...

I love everything about this quilt!

Kris said...

That is just so beautiful! I love it and love the quilting and the spaces not quilted and the feathers and the lines...!
Can I ask? did you stop and start your thread every time on the outsides of the feathers to make it look continuous? It really is amazing.

Patti said...

Wowza! What a glorious finish Jess! You have every right to feel proud about this one. I love the Aurifil #2021 as well, and use it alot for piecing. Your quilting is absolutely breathtaking!

Danielle said...

Amazing!! So inspiring!

Lia*s Handmades said...

It looks fabulous! :)

Sara @ Sew Sweetness said...

You make some of the most note-worthy quilts. The other one I remember of yours is the Groovy quilt that you did in the greens and black. Fabulous job!!

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation said...

The quilting on this really makes the quilt pop! Wow! What a beauty!

Kymberly said...

Beautiful quilt. I love how your curved seams turned out.

claudia said...

This is an absolutely beautiful quilt, front and back! Great job!!!

Jan said...

I love this quilt. Are you on Pinterest? I couldn't pin it. I'd like to do so for inspiration. Do you have a pattern for this that I could purchase?

It's so so wonderful!

Celine said...

Wow your quilt is amazing. Well done. I love the fabric you have picked and the feathers. Visiting from LAM.

Krista Schneider said...

it's absolutely incredible, your quilting is so fabulous, go you! i love the gaps in the feather border, too, a nice spot for your eye to rest!

Catherine said...

If you were feeling smug you would be totally entitled. It's gorgeous!

M-R Charbonneau said...

Jess, this is freaking amazing! Congratulations on such a stunning quilt. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF!

Renee said...

It is GORgeous! You did a fantastic job in every area.

MalinisQuilts said...

Your quilting looks beautiful! I especially love how you combined the feathers with the straight line quilting!

Curly Anna Quilts said...

Oh Yay! It's so pretty...Congrats on a terrific quilt!

CitricSugar said...

So lovely to see it finished - you did such a beautiful job!

sophie said...

Your quilt is LOVELY. The quilting design is the perfect complement to the design. Great work!

Melissa said...

It is stunning! Congratulations!

Barb Neiwert said...

What a happy quilt! Glad you got it finished.

CapitolaQuilter said...

You have reason to be very proud of this quilt and your talent. Amazing. Enjoy the finish.

wobblybobbin said...

This is the perfect pattern to showcase these beautiful prints, the quilting is amazing! And I love that you chose to bind it in white! It opens the quilt up and adds a little "crispness". :)

Jenniffier said...

Looks amazing. The quilting is great and the white really makes all your prints pop. Fantastic job. You should be super proud of yourself.

Cindy said...

Awesome quilt! Love the colors and the quilting. :)