Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Secret Quilt Reveal

When I was thinking about what we should give k-ster's mother and her boyfriend for Christmas, my annual what-will-we-give-them dilemma popped up.  I kept thinking and then one night, it came to me.

They just bought new living room furniture, so they need a lap quilt for the couch!  Brilliant!  I started thinking about the colors and the pattern I would use and I couldn't sleep, I was so excited.

I had seen this pattern on pinterest and I had it stuck on repeat in my brain, like the song that just can't stop playing in my mind.  I simply had to make a quilt like this and this would be the perfect time to try it out!

I knew I wasn't going to make it in random colors like this because the new furniture is more neutral.  The couch and matching chair are beige and there are accent pillows with blues, browns and greens.  And they got a new recliner that's a light blue.

So, I went and got the fabric that I thought would totally work.  I fell in love with the colors instantly.  And proceeded to go to my sewing room and make log cabin squares.

Except that I completely forgot that log cabin squares have the light and dark right in the same square, like this.

So, I made an unspeakable number of colored squares and separate beige squares and when I went back to pinterest to figure out how I was going to arrange the squares to make the pattern, I was really puzzled.  I could not figure out how this was going to work.  Colored squares, beige squares.  What???

And then it hit me.  DUH.  They are supposed to be on the same square and balance each other. 

GRRRR.

Back to the drawing board.

I had already bought twice as much fabric as I thought I would need because I wanted to make another quilt like this and put it on my esty page.

So, I ripped out some pieces, left some intact for a future project and started again.

When I finally made enough squares that I thought I would need, I laid it out on the bed in the pattern like the multicolored quilt.

And was sorely disappointed.  I forgot to take a picture, I was so distraught.  It looked silly.

I think the problem is that the multicolored one on pinterest was very haphazard in its color selection and arrangement, except for the white.  In mine, I have a very specific color arrangement going on.  The beige didn't do enough to offset the colors and it looked weird.

I think the brown was too strong and it stood out too much.

GRRRR.

Back to the drawing board.

Thankfully, the log cabin (when done correctly!) is insanely versatile and you can rearrange it 'til the cows come home and eventually find a pleasing pattern.

So, I came up with this.  I know it has a name.  My mother will probably tell you.  Church windows, maybe?  Kaleidoscope? 

But, when I put all of the squares together, it was too small.  Even for the back of a couch.

GRRRR.

Back to the drawing board.

I had to double the number of squares to make the pattern work.

It ended up almost as big as a twin size quilt, which is a little big for the back of the couch.

And it's really thick because I had grand plans to quilt as I go.  I just can't learn my own lesson from my frustrations with this method, and I continue trying to make it work.  I was SURE it would work this time.

See how thick it is????  I don't know what I was thinking, but it made the quilting a little difficult, to say the least.

I'm not proud of the quilted part of it, but I do love the colors and how it all came together.  I especially love the paisley on the back.

 I think it's really neat that the paisley ties everything together.  I used it in the squares too.  I edged it in the light blue which is the center of each square.

At one point, I almost just gave up and tore it all out, with no intention of telling them I was ever going to make it.  Then I saw it like this, when I was sewing on the binding and totally fell in love with the colors. 

I decided the beauty of the colors would make up for the damage the apparently blind person did while quilting.
As as usual, all I can say is a big EFF YOU to the quilt as you go method.  And I will swear again that I won't ever try it again.

And as I type this I am already conjuring up something I will quilt as I go.  I simply cannot control myself.  I am determined that I will do it successfully once in this lifetime.

And when I do, that will be the one quilt I actually keep for myself!

Linking here:
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2014/01/06/made-by-you-monday-185/ 
http://www.flamingotoes.com/2014/01/think-pink-sunday-146/
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2014/01/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-link.html
http://www.myturnforus.com/
http://www.cherishedhandmadetreasures.com/
http://mommifried.com/ladies-blog-share-link-party-cry-frozen-river/
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2014/02/sew-darn-crafty-linky-partyfebruary_16.html 

5 comments:

  1. Wow, that came out soooo good. I have always wanted a gorgeous homemade quilt like that.

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  2. Gorgeous! You did a great job. It's lovely.

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  3. The colors really did turn out great. I can't see the bad quilting in the pics so maybe if it's not right in someone's face it's not noticeable.

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  4. Beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party.
    Have a great week.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

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  5. Love the finished product. To my non-artistic.eye, yours looks nothing like the zigzag of the pinterest one, so I guess i have a lot to learn about quilting.

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