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Thursday, September 10, 2015

TGIFF Hosting - Kelly's "Be Attitudes" is finished!!

Hi! Welcome to this week's "Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday" link-up! Have you finished something this week that you'd like to share? Link up at the bottom of this post, and be sure to visit a few links to help your quilting peers celebrate their finishes.  :D


I'm super happy to report a long-term UFO finish - my cousin Kelly's Be Attitudes quilt:


This is a Nancy Halvorsen pattern, and I'm guessing Kelly made the top in 2007, maybe 2008. It's one of the last quilts she worked on before she died. I've been madly quilting it up for a wedding gift to send to her nephew, since I know she would have made them a quilt.
2015 FAL at On the Windy Side
This is one of my Q3 Finish Along pieces (My goal post link)







I love this quilt. It's a terrific example of the traditional side of things, with the calico-like fabrics and almost-primitive applique work. Kelly had the best hand-worked blanket stitches. They're so even, and she had a wonderful sense of scale with them. I stitched-in-the-ditch on all the black stitches, put some bits of detail-quilting on each block, then free-motion quilted the rest of the center with a leafy-ribbon sort of motif. 

This was the first time I pinned a binding on to attach it -
part of the effort to tame the waves spoken of later.
Borders got some strictly-organic free-motion work of leafy "feathers," ribbon swirls, and hearts. I had to stay away from anything linear because of squaring issues in the top's construction. I do all my quilting on my table-top domestic machine - a Viking Sapphire, to be precise. It's a dream for perfect tensioning. I used Aurifil 50 wt for most everything, except for some So Fine on the tan outer border.


I really should have taken off the last two borders, measured and trimmed them, and put them back on. They were wavy (because Kelly took to the "short-cut" method of just laying a strip of border fabric down as you sew and then cut it off at the end of your quilt), but not as much as the borders on her "Strolling the Block" had been. I thought I could work out most of the wave since I'd read about people doing that. I'd say that was about 1/2 successful. You can see, though, that some waves remain. Hopefully I can block more of that out after washing it tonight. But they'll show up again whenever the quilt is washed unless someone blocks it each time.




[Later Edit: Check it out! Blocking worked perfectly. At least for a little while that outer border is beautifully flat.]



Here are some block close-ups, just for fun. "Be Attitudes" is frequently done as a Block-of-the-Month. There are fun embroidery and button touches here and there.















This quilt finished up at 60 x 72 inches. I used a doubled Hobbs Tuscany silk batting that I'd prewashed very carefully. The puff factor is about the same as a single layer of Hobbs washable wool. It's got a softer drape, though. I really like it, although the expense of this batting will limit how often I can use it. I know just which quilt top will get it next, though!  



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Now it's your turn to toot your horn and let us help you celebrate a finish! Link up right here.  :) 


14 comments:

  1. What a lovely finish. I have always wanted to make that quilt, but have never started. :)

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  2. Fabulous Finish. I have always loved that pattern...so much work! What a wonderful tribute to your sister.

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  3. You sister did a great job and would be very proud of your beautifu quilting. I love the detail quilting in the applique. Congrats with this special finish.

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  4. That is a beautiful quilt! Such a great collaboration behind it too...I'm sure Kelly would love to be able to see it finished, and that her nephew and his new wife will enjoy it. Thanks for hosting this week!

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  5. Wow, the hand blanket stitches on this are amazing. Your quilting is so lovely and compliments the design so well. Congratulations on the beautiful finish!

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  6. This is an awesome quilt. Congratulations.

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  7. I think you did a fine job on the borders! Most "non-quilt" people won't really noticee the waves when the quilt is wrapped around them. That's what I tell myself, at least. ;) Besides, she did such a beautiful job on the rest of the quilt - and you, too!

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  8. Beautiful finish. It is great to see TGIFF here!

    What a treasure for your nephew!

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  9. That came out really nice even with the waves. Do they know you're finishing it for them? It's such a great remembrance of Kelly.

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  10. I love the quilt, and your quilting is beautiful. I keep coming over to your blog to read the part in your last post where you said that your quilting was a cyclical process evolved from the need for variety while producing regular finishes. That pretty well sums up how I quilt, too, and is the perfect answer for all of those people that ask why I have so many things started. I linked up to TGIFF this week for the first time.

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  11. One of my wish list quilts! A wonderful remembrance quilt. Just lovely, Lyn with gorgeous quilting.

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  12. The quilt is so lovely and heartwarming. Thank you for sharing! (I tried to comment via my wordpress but it didn't work).

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  13. do you really think that the silk loft is similar to that of wool?...I may have to get some and try it. Very cute quilt, and that ruffle is not noticeable if it is used routinely!

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  14. That is a lovely finish! I'm visiting as part of the 2015 Finish Along official cheerleading squad.

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