Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Solids Wall Quilt - Ta Da!

For the Love of Solids [a modern swap] - wall quilt - complete.

I have finished the wall quilt I am making for my secret partner in the Love of Solids [a modern swap]. It is 29.75" x 21.25". The fabric is an assortment of Kona solids, some are the organic solids, some are the regular. There are two different Essex linen or linen/cottons as well.

FTLOS - front detail

This quilt had several inspirations. I hope you might be reminded of the beach - logs, water, shells, sand, plant life, and also the movement at the beach. I am working on my beach inspiration photo mosaic and will post that for you tomorrow. There are other inspirations that I will share once the secret swap is over. This spiral pattern was made using the Parfait Cafe tutorial here.

FTLOS - front detail

The pixelated squares, or sun-shattered views, or whatever you might see, are made of squares that finish at 1". The boards on the deck are 5"wide to give you a bit of scale.

FTLOS - front detail

I quilted it heavily. It has not been washed, and still you get a lot of quilty puffing. You might have a glimpse of sunbaked, ocean tossed distressed wood, sand, shells, and water.

FTLOS - back

Here is the back, which is a piece of Essex Linen or maybe their linen/cotton blend, I cannot remember. I used thread from 3 different spools of hand-dyed thread from Valdani Inc. - backyard honeycomb, subtle elegance and silver foam. This thread is a dream to work with and is made from a beautiful highly mercerized long staple cotton.

FTLOS - back detail

The quilting is by machine, echoing the patterns, somewhat randomly and not perfectly, much like the distressing nature causes.

FTLOS - binding detail

The binding was interesting. I wanted the front to finish without any edges but I wanted the quilting to show on the back. I considered this tutorial by Lisa Call, combined with this tutorial by Kerry at Verykerryberry, to come up with this. The part you see on the back is about 3/4". If anyone wants a tutorial for what I did exactly, let me know. It hangs nicely with pins, I have to add some kind of hanger to the back, in case my partner is partial to using a dowel or a wire for hanging.

For the Love of Solids [a modern swap] - wall quilt - complete

I just love it - it is going to be very hard to send it away, but I have plans for another one or maybe several more, similar but different, for me. Thanks to my friend Marianne at The Quilting Edge, for encouraging me on this project, I think I have managed to really stretch and I am very happy with where it has taken me.

Soon I am heading back to the City, fall is in the air, time to get back.

I am adding a link to {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations as, finally, I have a modern finish to show off. There are lovely projects linked there, I hope you have time to visit them.

{Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations

Best,

Leanne

19 comments:

Judith said...

This has turned out absolutely stunning. What a wonderful quilt. I find it actually very autumnal and warm. Excellent quilting. I too love Marianne's quilt.

Little Island Quilting said...

Wow. I love the detailed explanation. Thank you.

Debbie said...

Wow, Leanne - that quilt is really something! Totally unusual and beautiful! I'm sure your partner will be thrilled!

Sandra Kaye said...

Just beautiful!!! Your partner is really lucky!!! Can I be your partner next!!?? :):) hugs-- Sandie

Marg said...

It's beautiful Leanne. I love that you have given an insight into your thoughts behind it. You have a very lucky partner.

MariQuilts said...

It turned out so beautiful Leanne...I love it.....I'm so glad you stretched, so worth it.

Judith, Belfast said...

Wow! Leanne this is truly stunning! I can see why you are reluctant to part with it. The colours are so earthy and soothing and your photos really show it off lovely. Well done.Jxo

Sarah said...

this really has turned into a work of art! Love it, whoever gets it will love it too I'm sure!

Linz said...

LEANNE!!! That is absolutely stunning!! Gorgeous!! Congratulatiosn on a wonderful quilt! :)

Shannon said...

When I first saw this in the swap group I was immediately reminded of beachiness and distressed wood and salty air...it has a very organic feel! I absolutely love the way it all came together! You have one very lucky partner! (And if it's not me, I'm making one just like this for my guest room!)

Shevvy said...

I love this, even though I wouldn't have ever thought to choose those colours. Its great. Whoever gets it is very lucky indeed. Well done.

Poppyprint said...

I just love this and am so inspired by it now that it is all finished. You've done such a beautiful job on it. I wish I was your partner!!!

WandaFish said...

I absolutely love this - beautiful work!! So nice to hear your thoughts behind it too.

Megan said...

This is GREAT! I loved it before, but that quilting is just perfect! :) Thanks for linking up to {Sew} Modern MOnday and have a great week!

Letterpress said...

This quilt is just beautiful. I really love it--the design, the non-binding, the quilting--everything! Congrats on finishing it. I just don't know how you can give it away!

Elizabeth E.
occasionalpiece.wordpress.com

Sarah said...

In all honesty this has to be one of the most amazing quilts I've seen all year. Wow wow wow.

Mary Keasler said...

This is a stunning piece of art. You should be quite proud of your work. Keep on stretching.

Natalie said...

Yay!! I am so glad that this came home to live with me along with the beautiful matching coasters. Can I just say that your piecing is amazing?! all those teeny tiny squares make ooh and ahh. Absolutely perfect! I wish I had read this post before asking you about thread, I see you've answered that here! I can't wait to try that out. I love using Valdani perle thread so I'm sure I will love the quilting weight! Thank you again for all the care that you took to make this special for me!

Sheila said...

I saw this as a WIP but missed this post until now - it definitely evokes beachy thoughts, I think it is beautiful and love that you feel like making more. I didn't realise before, that it was a little quilt so maybe you should make a group of them.......