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Thursday, July 28, 2016

TGIFF Is Here This Week - What a Hoot, Marissa!

Hi! Welcome to this week's "Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday" link-up! Have you finished something lately 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


This is a super fun finish for our family. "What a Hoot, Marissa!" is the last in a series of three quilts made for our daughters as each of them graduated from high school!


This was my first original quilt design, and when I made the first one in 2010, it provided the basis for my blog's name as that was when I started recording my quilting endeavors here. The first two had one more row so they'd be a good length for the extra-long twin beds of college freshman dorms. This one fits Marissa's needs better in a regular length, and it's done to a 70 x 90 inch size. I *loved* the backing fabric I found for it!



Marissa chose her school colors for the checkerboards, and the owls were appliqued with satin stitching. I get the best result with this approach when I pin a layer of unprinted newsprint behind it to stabilize the fabric and keep puckers and ripples away. (I got a free "endroll" from a county newspaper a few years ago, which had yards and yards and yards of remnant.) It tears away so easily, it's no big deal at all to remove! I also clip away back layers to take away extra bulk and stiffness in the finished quilt.



Every so often, I get really picky about how I construct a quilt. On these, I adore the Celtic ribbon corners and didn't want the easier way of putting them together using HSTs as end-caps that would cut up the flow of the ribbons. So the fabric was cut in a way that uses a lot of Y seams and puzzle-piecing to put them together in a way that preserves the continuity of the ribbons. They look terrific in the finished product!



Another fun thing about these quilts is the button eyes that really liven the owls up. Yes, it takes a while to sew them all on. Not my favorite part, but definitely worth the effort.



The first two "What a Hoot" quilts were quilted by a guild co-member when we lived in Florida. This time around, I'm completely comfortable doing my own quilting, so this was completely finished by me. 

The inner field is quilted exactly the same as her sisters' had been done. But I didn't have the computerized system to easily measure out the Celtic style geometric design quilted in the wide border of the earlier versions, so I marked a spine all the way around and free-hand quilted feathers for that space.

Wow, am I happy with how those turned out!


Almost as happy as this remarkable young woman was to graduate.  :D  Love this huge grin of accomplishment!



Right now this fabulous quilt is hanging in our great room, where Marissa can bask in recognition all summer, and anyone who comes into the house can help us continue to celebrate. Soon she'll be starting her university studies, so I suppose we'll change it out. But for now, it makes me smile every day!



Oh yeah! And guess where half of the binding was stitched down? - In Hawaii! Specifically on a balcony on Waikiki, Oahu, and another balcony on Ka'anapali, Maui during sun breaks. Definitely worth lugging that heavy puppy in my carry-on from Colorado and back. . .   ;D



~*~*~*~*~


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

23 comments:

  1. What a fabulous finish Lynette, your Celtic Ribbon corners are amazing and your feather quilting is just gorgeous!

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  2. Such a lovely quilt, such cute owls and like Fiona I love the ribbon corners. Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation, and congratulations to her Mum on a successful finish.
    Smiles
    Kate

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  3. What a great finish! Love those hoot owls! Congrats to your daughter.

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  4. Oh, Lynn, it's incredible! You did a fantastic job from beginning to end! I've been practicing feathers for quite some time, but have yet to be brave enough to put them on a quilt. I love the Celtic knot corners and that you took the time to keep them whole. What a mom! What a pretty little graduate! Share my best wishes for a fun and successful university experience! XO

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  5. Fabulous finish! Cute owls and I really like the border too. Congratulations to your daughter!

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  6. Such a cute quilt, I love the owls!

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  7. Love this! Such a fun quilt - those buttons for the eyes are the perfect little detail. Congrats to the graduate too! :-)

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  8. Lynette! It's so beautiful! Congrads to your daughter and for the finish!

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  9. So much detail and the Celtic ribbon corners are fabulous :D

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  10. Great quilt! My daughter just graduated too, but she has made it clear she does not want a quilt for college. :0( Where is your daughter going to college? Thanks for the newsprint appliqué advice--I will try it.

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  11. What a sweet quilt! I'm sure it will be well loved.

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  12. Great finish. Your quilting on it is beautiful! Thanks for hosting.

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  13. What a fabulous quilt - your daughter is very lucky! The owls are adorable and I love the hearts on their tummies. Well done!
    Susan

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  14. Congratulations to your daughter! You made such a fabulous quilt. Beautiful quilting and the corners are wonderful. Thank you hosting today!

    -Soma

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  15. What a great quilt- those borders are perfect in both design and execution!

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  16. Quite the accomplishments -- the quilt and the daughter!! I don't think I will ever master enough machine quilting do feathers as lovely as yours. Sally

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  17. Cutest graduation quilt EVER! I love love love the owls and your quilting!

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  18. Those corners are awesome! Well worth the added work.

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  19. Your owl quilt is really unique and I can easily imagine it on a dorm bed. Man did you knock it out of the park on the feathers you freehanded! That's my favourite thing to quilt. I really studied your corners, both before and after I read how you did them...wow. Thanks for hosting TGIFF.

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  20. It is really beautiful and so personal. The quilting is amazing.

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  21. Whoo-wee! What a great finish, Lyn! You do such beautiful work, and I especially love that these owls have appeared in three daughters' quilts. Makes them each part of a special family tradition. And your quilting is magnificent! You do an excellent job of domestic machine quilting. So all your kidlets are flying the coop now, right? You'll be adjusting to another new phase of life. I hope this finds you feeling well yourself, and enjoying summer.

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  22. What a fabulous and beautiful quilt! Such a wonderful tradition for your daughters.
    Susie

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  23. What a gorgeous quilt. It's just perfect. And what a special graduation gift!

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