Tuesday 31 March 2015

"Your Place or Mine?" top is finished

I'm delighted to say that I have finally finished the top of "Your Place or Mine?'.

These are the best photos I could do by myself - it's too big to hang on the clothes line!



and another photo taken with a different camera - it's very hard to capture the colours accurately.



I took this before I sewed the borders on, but it really shows how vibrant the felt is in this quilt. I love how the Kaffe fabrics complement the felt too.



Here's how it will look on our bed eventually:




I did have some hesitation about the borders, but after discussing it with the very helpful ladies at my local quilting shop, I've decided to stick with what was provided in the BOM. We did agree that the binding should probably be a deep blue colour to finish off the edges nicely. 

That last border looks different in different lights, but it is growing on me and I'm sure it's going to be fine. I think I just got a bit of a surprise when I first put it on!



So why did it take me five months to finish the last installment of this quilt? There are a few reasons:

a. I was worried that the pieces weren't going to fit together, and it wasn't going to be square due to my sewing and all the diagonal seams. I didn't want to face that problem so I ignored it!  Turned out I didn't need to be worried after all.

b. New and exciting things like la passacaglia came along. Fact - it's always more exciting to start something new rather than finish an existing project.

c. A part of me didn't want this to be over - I've been working on it for 18 months and I've now become known as the lady who's making that colourful quilt with all the felt. I get asked about it at local quilting shops, my stitching group and guild meetings. I'll need a new identity now that it's finished.

I'm going to get this quilted professionally. I usually hand quilt my quilts myself, but I think this quilt will look great with stippling on all the flat surfaces. It also wouldn't sit properly in my hand quilting hoop with all that lumpy felt.






I've had many questions about this quilt, so here's everything you might need to know:

1. The design is by Wendy Williams (not me - I'm Wendy Welsh). Wendy Williams lives in Sydney and works with Kathy Doughty at Material Obsession. Some of Wendy's designs are available through their website.

2. Wendy also has her own company called Flying Fish Kits and they also sell patterns and kits online.

3. Wendy has a book called Wild Blooms and Colourful Creatures and there are similar patterns in that book. It's available at Amazon and other book sellers.

4. "Your Place or Mine?" was a Block of the Month from Material Obsession that started in August 2013 and ran again in 2014. You can watch out for their Block of the Months in July 2015.

5. The BOM included all the fabrics, the felt, the templates and some Perle 8 threads. They are generous with their felt so I have quite a bit left over.

I have loved making this quilt. As a number of people have said, it reflects my personality and style, even though I didn't design it. Maybe it's something to do with people called "Wendy"?

I'll be sure to post more photos when I get it back from the long arm quilter.


Finished size 86" x 86"






24 comments:

Linda H said...

Wendy, it is STUNNING! Absolutely beautiful, and I'm sure it even more beautiful "in person" . As you said, hard to capture the colours correctly with a camera. . Congrats, it is a wonderful quilt, you should be very proud of yourself.

Linda H said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

This is so beautiful, Wendy! Congratulations for getting the top pieced and I really look forward to the reveal of it finished and on your bed. :)

Serena @ Sewgiving said...

I can't wait to see how the quilter deals with all the felt ... are they just going to go around it to make it pop even more? oooh exciting!

JudyC said...

Wendy, this quilt is so colourful and beautiful, look all the details you have to sew on, amazing! Congratulations!
Thank you for your visiting and the nice comment!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Yes, it certainly is wonderful!So much to look at! I like the final softer border, it doesn't detract from the main part of the quilt. Linda

Maryse said...

Wow!! It Looks fantastic!
So many details to look at, a treat for the eyes, I can't wait to see how it's going to be quilted.
Your quilt is a lot bigger than I thought ... It's huge and it looks fabulous on your bed.
I love the border, it softens up your quilt and I agree with the blue binding. Well done! Beautiful work!!

Helen@Till We Quilt Again said...

YOUR PLACE! I always find yellow to be a little tricky to get Right. Well my friend it is perfect! And the border I would have thought twice about also but it works so.....well! What a heirloom!

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Oh my goodness...it is utterly beautiful! All that work...stunning! Impossibly stunning!

Elaine said...

Congratulations on a stunning finish! I have loved watching this quilt grow, so much fun and so colourful!

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

I'm in awe of both the beauty of this quilt and your dedication to such fine and detailed work!

Joanna @ Riddle and {Whimsy} said...

So pretty! I can see why you were hesitant with the border; it does look quite different to what would be expected from the rest of the top! I agree with your binding decision though, I think that will really help!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

What a beautiful quilt. it has so much going on in it with all the different animals and objects. It will be such a pleasure for you to see on your bed every day!!

Joannie said...

How absolutely STUNNING! What a work of art! Thanks so much for sharing it, and I'll be so interested to see how it gets quilted. I agree - I'd have it "done" - you must be exhausted! What a priceless treasure - congratulations!

Julie said...

This is just stunning, you should feel very proud of what you have achieved. I think we are all guilty of preferring to start new projects rather than finish old ones.

Carol Q said...

what a mind bogglingly beautiful quilt Wendy. certainly something to aspire to. you should be so proud of all the work and doesn't it look stunning on your bed? I've given in and ordered Wendy Williams book. her style is not something I've seen before.

Oops-Lah said...

Congratulations! A real labour of love which will no doubt become a family heirloom.

HeathersSewingRoom said...

I can see why you were drawn to this quilt, it just seems to 'fit' especially as I looked at it on your bed! What a fabulous quilt to have in your collection, I have really enjoyed watching it come together.

knettycraft said...

Hello Wendy, this is so beautiful! I love especially. ... all of it!!!! I like felt/fabric/embroidery-combination! And all the colours. ... the colours are wonderful. I absolutely admire your patience... that you constantly worked on it over such long time and finished it now.

Unknown said...

Wendy this is fabulous love the folk art look and the modern colours, great work hope you bring it to club
Tina D

Granny Maud's Girl said...

Definitely something to do with people called Wendy.
Will it really go on your bed as pictured? I would have to hang it on a wall as our pets often hop on the bed - all that work ruined!
I am sure that la passacaglia will help you recover from missing this one.

Sew Much For Free Time said...

Oh my STARS!!! This took my breath away! I just found you through Crazy Mom Quilts, and I am quite sure this is my first visit to your blog. My heart literally skipped a beat when I scrolled down to your beautiful Your Place or Mie? top. It's just beautiful! I have been passing odd hours making felt bookmarks with little circles stacked up and stitched, much like your flowers. I am addicted to them and they make me quite happy. And to see them on QUILT??? SWOON!!! Oh, my, I just can't wait to see this quilted and bound, but it's certainly lovely as it is! Glad to have found you!!

Unknown said...

Wonderful work. Your quilt is STUNNING!❤ it❤❤❤❤!

NickiJ said...

What a stunner. A serious lot of hard work looks very evident. I love the paisley touches on the outer border :)