Hooray! It's pieced, it's quilted, it's bound! But it's not washed and dried yet! Usually that is the first thing I do when I complete a quilt. But I wanted to take some pictures before it crinkles, as I have never made such a large piece with hand quilting, and with linen....I just don't quite know how different it will look! But I will let you know.
Final dimensions (before shrinkage) are 107" by 90". I have also resized these blocks, you might remember if you've been following me, to about 3/4 the size of the pattern. So the original pattern has blocks that finish 24" and mine ended up at about 16.75" (please don't ask me to explain how that math works! I have no memory how I arrived at the numbers I did, but it worked out.)
Piecing this one began in March 2013 and the top was finished in October. I began hand quilting in January of 2014 and completed it at the end of June! It works out to roughly about a block a week plus the borders and sashing in another 2 - 3 weeks.
I love, love, love this backing I used which is a Denyse Schmidt print, from her line Greenfield Hill. Unfortunately, as is usually the way things go, I did not have enough for a king size quilt and so I stuck in a panel down the middle of a Shelburne Falls floral print which I also love. So yay!
What a joy to look at each of those stitches and feel a bit more connected to them, as each one constitutes a moment in my day, a precise movement of my own hands, a bit of my own concentration to make it just right, and so really... a piece of me!
(The size of the quilt is ample enough for our king size bed, but I've pictured it on a queen size bed as it was easier to take pictures in this room.)
And finally all the details to sum it up:
Pattern: Swoon by Camille Roskelley for Thimble Blossoms (resized to my own dimensions)
Print Fabrics for Blocks: Various Denyse Schmidt lines, including Katy Jump Rope, Hope Valley, Shelburne Falls, and Flea Market Fancy.
Background Fabric for Blocks: Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Flax
Binding: Chicopee Simple Plaid in Black by Denyse Schmidt
Backing: Greenfield Hill Preservation Peony in Blueberry and Multi Floral from Shelburne Falls by Denyse Schmidt
Piecing Thread: Aurifil 50 wt. in 2325
Quilting Thread: Aurifil 12 wt. in various colours, DMC perle cotton
Batting: Warm & Natural
Dimensions: 107" by 90"
