Saturday, March 8, 2014

Breaking News: Feather Bed Quilt FINISHED!!

After we got back from our trip, I had a lot of catching up to do - as you do after being away, even for a bit.  I didn't feel like I had the time or energy to start a new sewing project, so instead I concentrated my little bit of free time on my knitting and on finishing up my Feather Bed Quilt.

I didn't have a whole lot left to do on the quilt.  I spent about 2 hours on the remaining quilting over a couple of days, and finished that up early yesterday morning.  I was so excited to be nearly done that I scrapped my plans for the rest of the day and trimmed the edges, cut my binding, pinned and sewed it on, then hand-slip stitched it, for a total of about 4 more hours work.  I was so engrossed that I didn't even take any in-progress shots! (Except one of the binding that I posted on Instagram.)

I finished up at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and immediately popped my new quilt into the washer.  After piecing, my favorite part of quilting is that final wash and dry - I love seeing how the quilt wrinkles up around the lines of quilting.



Here's the final reveal.  Honestly, it looks pretty much like the in-progress shots I've been showing all along, except that now it has a binding.



My backing is one full piece of Anna Maria Horner voile:  Coordinates in Saffron.  It's deliciously soft and silky.  My finished top measured 53" by 70", so I bought a two-yard piece of this 54" wide fabric.  However, I got some shrinkage after the pre-wash and my backing ended up a bit narrower than I needed.  So I got creative and incorporated the printed selvedge into the design; my love for the selvedge has already been documented!


I think I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I made this quilt smaller than the "twin" size given in the pattern.  For my quilt, I made 22 feathers rather than the 38 given in the directions.  This yielded a quilt exactly the size I like.  Here it is on top of my king size bed, to give an idea of the size.



My feathers were made using all the prints from the Patina colorway of the Field Study quilting cotton line.  For the binding, I used another piece of the same leopard print as in the feathers.  I cut my binding strips 3" x width of fabric, and then attached it with a 3/8" seam allowance rather than the 1/4" usually used.  I did it that way partly because I wanted the leopard-ness to be a bit wider and more noticeable, but also because it just feels more secure to me.



I'm so pleased with this quilt.  I will say though, using the linen/cotton blend as the background of the feathers makes it quite a bit heavier than if I'd used quilting cotton - heavier than I like really, so I'm not sure I'd use it again, although it's a lovely fabric. 

And now I'm having fun imagining what my next quilt will be . . .  I actually have another one started, which will be pieced and quilted entirely by hand.  I save that one for when I feel like doing some hand work.  So I think I need another machine-pieced project to have around, and I already have a fat quarter bundle in my stash from which it will be made.  Pink and orange . . . mmmmm!

57 comments:

  1. Fabulous. Almost makes me want to quilt. Shh! Don't tell anyone I said that:)

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    1. Come on . . . Everybody's doing it! It'll make you feel good . . .

      Seriously though - I didn't have much interest in quilting until I came across this design a couple years ago. It opened up the whole world of modern quilting to me and now I'm kind of hooked!

      Thanks so much for the compliment!

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  2. Every aspect of your quilt is absolutely awesome! Must feel great to have created it!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, it does! This is the most involved quilt I've done so far, so I'm pretty proud of myself!

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  3. Such a spectacular piece. I am such a sucker for handmade quilts.

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  4. It looks fantastic! The feathers are so three-dimensional now, with that extra bit of texture from laundry-induced wrinkling. I love the backing fabric too. Admirable work!
    -- stashdragon

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    1. Thanks, Gretchen! I agree - the feathers did become more three-dimensional!

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  5. Gail! I love this!!! It's perfect! The feathers, the backing, the LEOPARD BINDING! Amazing!

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    1. Thanks, Ginger! Never too much leopard, amirite?

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  6. This is beautiful!! The colors work so well and I really like the back. It kind of makes me want to find some really lovely fabric like that and make a simple blanket with no actual piecing...

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! The print I used for the back is actually my very favorite from this series. It came on a few different substrates, and I bought a couple yards of it on rayon challis in deep coral to make a dress :-)

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  7. Wow! That is some quilt. Just beautiful. I love quilts but have nowhere near enough staying power and patience for the work. Make one for me too? ;)

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    1. Thanks, Jillian! I would, but . . . the cost of shipping it to you would be astronomical! This sucker is HEAVY!

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  8. It's stunning-the kind of quilt that makes me want to go sew one now! It's been years since I made my only large quilt, only a few kids ones since then. I really think it might be time to make another:)

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    1. Thank you! I'm kind of surprised that I'm so in love with making quilts now, to tell you the truth! But they're different from sewing garments, as you know. Sometimes it's a nice change of pace.

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  9. What an amazingly beautiful piece. You should be so proud of it!

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  10. First time I've seen a feathers quilt. The feathers look so intricate and the backing and the binding is gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, Erin! I think this is a pretty popular design by Anna Maria Horner. If you search "feather bed quilt" on flickr, you'll see even more spectacular finished quilts!

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  11. this turned out gorgeous! i love the feathers, and the modern look so, so beautiful!

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  12. This is beyond gorgeous - it's total art!

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    1. Thanks, Kristin! I agree - Anna Maria is such a talented designer!

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  13. It is beautiful, I love the fabrics you've used, especially the binding - inspired :)

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  14. Beautiful. One day I will make a quilt and hope it will be even half as lovely as this.

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  15. Awesome! It looks so great.

    You will not believe this, but I just remembered that I still had not washed my Golden Coin quilt. I lived in an apartment then and did not trust the funky apt washer and dryer. So, I just put my first-ever quilt in the wash and am now loving the luscious laundry-induced wrinkles. I wonder when I'll make another one too.

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    1. Wow! I don't know that I could have waited that long! I would have headed to a laundromat, I love that final wash and dry so much! Aren't the wrinkles the best? Probably the only time we ever feel that way!

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  16. Just awesome. Congratulations.

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  17. Your feather quilt looks amazing! And the feathers just pop from the white background! I am really tempted to try the quilt as well, especially after you told me its for free :) I am looking forward to your next make - can't wait to see your fat quarter bundle (I just love pink) and plans!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, not only is it free, but all the pieces are there in PDF download, so you can print them out and use them to cut out all your pieces! Plus the instructions are very clear. It's really a great pattern!

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  18. Oh gosh that is gorgeous! I love it so much, almost makes me want to start a quilt haha

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    1. Thanks, Bec! Don't knock it til you try it!

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  19. Stunning. You are inspiring me in yet another direction, Gail! If only I had time to learn how to quilt too!!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! Not really much learning to do - a lot of it is sewing short, straight lines! Much easier than making garments, actually. I'd love to see what you'd do with a quilt, given your background in painting. I bet it would be incredible!

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  20. Lovely, lovely, lovely! This turned out so well and I really like the hand stitching detail around each feather. It's hard to tell form the photos so I’m going to ask: did you do any machine quilting lines? If so, where they done around the feathers as well?

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    1. Nope - zero machine quilting! In retrospect, I should have used a heavier thread around the feathers - now that it's washed and wrinkled, you can't really tell that the color around the feathers is ochre. Then to either side of each feather, about 1.5" away, is a line of quilting in ivory. The contrast was evident before washing, but now you really have to look closely to see it.

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  21. If I ever find the motivation to make a quilt, it' going to be this one. I just LOVE this pattern! You did really lovely work on this, Gail. I love the fabrics you chose.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I can only take credit for the execution though - I love that Anna Maria organizes her prints into separate color palettes, because I have the hardest time choosing fabrics to go together! She makes it easy!

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  22. Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous!!

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  23. Wow! What a lot of work! This looks fantastic!

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  24. Gah, just wow! This is so amazing! I really need to get my quilt on!

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    1. Thanks, Jen! With a new house to fill up, a quilt would be a great project for you!

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  25. I loved watching the progress on this and it turned out beautifully! The leopard binding is perfect!

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  26. Don't mind me as I come over and snuggle under your blanket. Oh, is that weird? Sorry. I'll just admire from afar then. SO AWESOME. :-)

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    1. You go ahead - I'll snuggle with your little guy while you do :-) (Now, that's probably weirder! But babies are way snugglier than quilts!)

      Thank you!

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  27. Oh wow! I bet it feels so satisfying to check this bad boy off your list. It looks like it was worth all the time and work. I've added it to my quilting list. It's far too pretty not to make.

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    1. Thanks, Mela! It is a beautiful design. I've seen some pillows made from blocks of this quilt that I might have to copy, as I have some fabric left over :-)

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  28. This is the first quilt I've ever wanted to make. Can I ask what was the quilting line pattern to sew the top pattern/piecing to layers underneath it (batting and backing.) I hope I'm asking the question correctly. It seems like you followed the outline of every feather and maybe halfway between each line?

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    1. Yes, that's exactly what I did :-) Around each feather, and then half way between the feather and the edge of that feather's block on either side of the feather.

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