Saturday 27 October 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2012

I can't believe it's Quilt Festival again already! Thanks to Amy for organising this fabulous event again, I always find so many new and inspiring blogs :o)


Amy's Creative Side

It took me about two seconds to decide what to enter this time. I apologise to all my loyal followers who have seen this one WAY too often over the last couple of months, but I really do love it, and I'm very proud of what I achieved so you'll have to bear with seeing it one more time ;o)

I made this quilt very recently as part of the Totally Groovy QAL, using Emily Cier's excellent Groove pattern. I worked a bit back-to-front with my colour scheme for this quilt - I'd had the piece of fabric I used for the back in my stash for a long time and I thought the colours would suit Groove really well. So I matched the colours using my Kona Colour card, and then matched 50wt Aurifil threads to each of those for the quilting. 


From the very beginning, this quilt has been all about the quilting for me. I wanted to use solids (as Emily did in the original) and then add bucket loads of texture through the quilting - which is incredibly daunting as I found out. Nothing is hidden when you quilt on solids!



I chose a different quilting motif for each colour and went for it - some of the motifs I'd done before (echo shells, pebbles) but the others were new to me (and one I kind of ended up making up). There is a bit of a difference if you look at where I started the azure section compared to what it looked like later in the quilting - but I'm too impatient to practice, so I'm okay with it :o) 

It took around 5 weeks or so to quilt it (a few hours at a time) and I enjoyed every second (not something I can always say about quilting). I learnt so, so much while quilting this quilt - and it's given me loads of ideas for how to quilt some of my WIPs. 

On to the photos (lots of them!)

In our garden

These next ones are at our local botanical gardens. 



There are actually hardly any photos without a little helper ;o)








Finished quilt measures: 60" x 72"
Pieced and Quilted by myself on my home machine.
Best category: Home machine quilted quilt, quilt photographer, Throw Quilt

Thanks so much for stopping by my corner of blogland, I'd love it if you visit again :o)

Enjoy the rest of the Festival!

xx Jess

44 comments:

Heather D. said...

I could have guessed that this would be your festival quilt, and rightly so, it is fantabulous!!

Milly said...

I admire this quilt pattern when it first came out and this is the second version thats popped up in the Festival (so far). I am really being tempted to ad it to my do to list. Yours is gorgeous and your quilting is wonderful. I think its perfectly logical to work backwards from the backing fabric. :P

Mina said...

great color choices and beautiful wuilting

Newbie Jen said...

I'm so glad you entered this quilt. It seems the perfect choice as it is so absolutely stunning! You have my vote!

needle and nest said...

I love everything about this quilt. The backing is lovely and the quilting is amazing!

Carla said...

This is so fabulous and the backing!

Lori S said...

I love your choice of colours and backing fabric. Your quilting is excellent. This isn't normally my style of quilt, but is really draws me in. Thanks for sharing.

Susan said...

This is a stunner! I love both the quilt design and the incredible quilting you have done- a real labour of love, by the sounds of it!

Dawn said...

Why you would think any of us would get tired of seeing this stunning beauty is beyond me. If I were you I would fly it from the tallest flag pole I could find and then hire a sky writer to announce that it was my creation!! :) Job well done!

Kirsten said...

Love seeing this stunning quilt again - the colours and quilting are gorgeous!

Marlene said...

Love,Love ,Love. You have done a fantastic job of the quilting and I don't htink we would ever tire of seeing it.

Vicki said...

Very beautiful! I love this pattern, you've done a great job. I really like the colors you chose.

Leanne said...

I just love this quilt. I love the colours and the quilting and the pattern, it is just so fun and so inspiring.

Dianne Neale said...

I don't mind how many times you show me this quilt! A worthy entry to the competition, and good luck!

Amy's Crafty Shenanigans said...

Truly gorgeous - I love your quilt and all your quilting - amazing!!!

memmens said...

Love, love, love it - well done.

Benta AtSLIKstitches said...

Lovely to see this gain, it really is a stunning quilt! X

Barb said...

Wow! I was really drawn to your quilt from the thumbnail.
I just love it!! Your colors are great and the quilting is stunning.
Thanks for sharing it, I can see why it is your favorite

Gemma@prettybobbins said...

I've loved watching this quilt evolve on your blog, it's just beautiful! Well done!

Erin @ Once Upon a Donkey said...

Definitely don't mind seeing this beauty over and over and over. Is truly wonderful. Love it all!

Deborah said...

This is such a fabulous quilt!!

Pattilou said...

Great color blocking in a quilt!

Kelly said...

Woo hoo you entered my favourite quilt ever, I am not sure I mentioned before how much I LOVE this!!!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Wonderful quilt and so nice to hear you enjoyed the quilting part so much.

moira said...

aah, jess, I will never tire of marvelling at this beauty

Vicki in MN said...

It is beautiful, love the colors, and the quilting-awesome job! Love Emily's pattern design too!

Lorna said...

Awesome quilt. Beautiful use of colour... it really makes the design go "wow". How sore were your shoulders from doing all that beautiful quilting? Wonderful! Thank you!!!

CitricSugar said...

I wasn't able to do the Groove-along (I so wanted too).

This is absolutely gorgeous - your quilting is jaw-dropping.

Cindy said...

Wonderful quilt. I love the colors and the quilting is amazing.

Michele said...

Your quilting is amazing. I adore this quilt.

grapes and hearts said...

Oh I love your Groove Quilt and your Quilting is totally great! Well done!

Wendi said...

Stunning! Simply Stunning! :)

Robin said...

This quilt is a stunner for sure! From a distance it is so striking, and then to see all of the glorious texture up close? Fabulous! You make me want to do something like this too. Truly inspiring. :)

Simply Sandy said...

That backing fabric is groovy! What a striking quilt. And all that quilting, wow!

Sarah said...

Its a great pattern and you chose gorgeous colours for it - but that quilting! Its incredible!

Gretchen said...

So gorgeous! Thank you for sharing it!

Jolanda said...

Very interesting quilt. I love the colors.

Shay said...

Amazing quilting. You did a brilliant job . I really like that there are all sorts of different styles of quilting in there . It somehow seems to make each of the solids stand out so much more!

Im a huge fan of this quilt. Thanks for choosing this one for BQF.

tusen said...

I love the colour combination and the quilting. Lovely photos, too, especially with your little helper ;)

PBJ Quilt Sandwiches said...

This color combo is just stunning - I'm so glad you said what they were, I would love to make a quilt with those colors

Jennie said...

I love everything about this quilt - your colours, the quilting, and the backing. I may have to go an buy the pattern - I'm regretting not joining the QAL!

Newbie Jen said...

2nd in the Totally Groovy QAL, now a finalist in the Blogger's Quilt Festival! I can't think of a person or quilt more deserving! Congratulations!

Camilla said...

You have quilted this beautifully! I was really tempted to join this QAL but didn't make it in the end-yet- inspirational!

Sandra said...

wow-- what a striking graphic quilt and fabulous quilting. great back too.

Come see my Batik Tulips #46

and my antique zigzag-a-licious quilt #23