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"
Absolutely Gorgeous!!! Still struggling with mine, left it aside because it is so enormous to machine quilt!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Maybe you should hand quilt your Swoon! ;)
DeleteSimply beautiful. I like everything about it and am impressed by your hand-quilting skills – and by your perseverance and speed in hand quilting such a large quilt so quickly. (I am still practising.)
ReplyDeleteI particularly like how you resized the blocks. The scale and colours are just right.
So clever!
I Love it!!! Is this the one you're making for your parents?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heide. No, I made a Farmer's Wife Sampler for my Mom and Dad...which I still need to quilt... ;)
DeleteSooooo beautiful Carla! I need to get busy on mine.
ReplyDeleteBravo Carla!!!!! It's so spectacular and I just love that you hand quilted it. I love when I finish a hand piece and am able to recall what events were happening at the time.
ReplyDeleteStunning finish, Carla! Using those DS lines with linen is absolutely perfect. Love this gorgeous beauty and applaud your desire to hand quilt it. Worth every stitch!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful! I can't believe that was all hand quilted, amazing!
ReplyDeleteFantastic!! :D What a finish to celebrate - so much love and time into it. And it turned out so nicely. Love your backing.
ReplyDeleteIt is gorgeous! A beautiful quilt! I love the pattern anyway, clever of you to make the blocks smaller (I really would not know how to do that). Very special colors (the yellow and lime!) and your quilting is great. An awful lot of work, handquilting, but so worth it. Congratulations on a wonderful finish!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is so beautiful and the hand quilting and time you put into it makes it even more beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCarol
It's so very pretty Carla. You should be very proud as I'm sure you are ; )
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this quilt, and I am SO, SO happy to see you hand-quilt it. I only handquilt, and it's fairly uncommon to see these days! You've done a beautiful job with everything on this quilt, and no doubt you will treasure it for years and years. I think the Swoon pattern in also great - I've made one large block as a centerpiece to a quilt, but I think I shall have to do an entire quilt with it. THANK YOU so much for sharing your heart-warming work.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth!
DeleteSimply breathtaking! I think this is one of the loveliest versions of Swoon I've ever seen. The hand quilting really gives it a lot of character and makes it doubly beautiful. As a hand quilter, I'm impressed with how quickly you were able to get it done. Your callous must be better than mine. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kiri! I have to admit...my hands are not too pretty in places due to the callouses. But it was worth it and I really appreciate your comments :).
DeleteIt's a delight to see the finish and know all the little moments over the last year and a half you stitched into the finish. Great shot of the quilt in landscape.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Frederick!
DeleteOh, I love it! It must be so satisfying to have it finished. Is it on your own bed?
ReplyDeleteLove the hand quilted look. It was worth every stitch! Stumbled upon your blog and love it :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeousness! I love the colorway you picked, even though I wouldn't have chosen those colors. They look fabulous with the linen background. And the hand quilting is fabulous, you did a wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteThose colours look great, particularly on the linen and I love your hand quilting. I might have to keep that in mind for when I eventually get around to my swoon quilt. Visiting from Hip To Be A Square.
ReplyDeleteCarla it turned out beautifully...what satisfaction a great project gives. Hope you'll share a picture after you've washed and dried it.
ReplyDeleteSuch a stunner and your hand quilting takes it over the top! One of my all time favorite Swoons :)
ReplyDeleteAmanda
What a wonderful quilt! I've made a Swoon quilt top. It's waiting to be quilted along with about 6 other tops. Hand quilting a quilt this size! Wow! I'm in awe! It's a beautiful work of art.
ReplyDelete