Thursday, February 11, 2010

lemonade, a long time in the making

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Finally, I am a Fresh Modern Quilter.

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A year or more since I figured out that there was such a thing as modern quilting, and a lot of planning, researching, thinking, and new-sewing-maching-buying (thanks, Mom & Dad!) later, I have finally finished my first quilt: Making Lemonade.  Aptly named for its colors, but also because the layout for the top evolved from a cutting mistake--forgotten now, because I just love it so much.

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I remember reading on one blog or another (maybe here?) about how wonderful the moment of pulling a first quilt out of the dryer would be, and it really, really was.  Certainly a highlight of my crafting career; maybe one of the top ten moments of my life.  Anyone who's a crafter probably doesn't think I'm crazy for saying so, and anyone who does should definitely take up quilting.  I really liked knitting when I first learned, and still do, but the combination of thinking, planning, rearranging, designing, actual making, and the handwork at the end makes quilting just the perfect craft.  I'm completely hooked.

The top is pieced from Ginger Blossoms by Sandi Henderson, with a liberal amount of Yellow Tiled Primrose from Heather Bailey's Bijoux line (which I didn't love until it was quilted and now I wish I could buy more) and Kona muslin.  The backing is random scraps with more of the muslin, and I stippled it novice-style and pieced the binding like crazy.  It measures about 49" by 36"--hopefully a good size for a baby quilt.

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No matter that I'm giving it away...I've already bought fabric for the next one, which I'll be keeping right here at home.

8 comments:

  1. Well it is a wonderful quilt. The colors are super. I really like it. Your ahead of me because I didn't know about Modern Quilting till a few months ago. I am old and slower these days. Nice job on the quilt. And yes, there is nothing like your first quilt coming out of the dryer, unless it is the second,etc. I am amazed each time.

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  2. Wow--congratulations. You should be SO proud of yourself--it's beautiful!

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  3. The quilt is beautiful! I'm in the process of binding my first quilt... I can't wait to pull it out of the dryer!

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  4. Hurray! Awesome finish - I love both sides!

    And I know what you mean about pulling that quilt from the dryer. It's a wonderful feeling. I've certainly moved from Knitting to quilting as my hobby of choice!

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  5. wow, i love this quilt! what a terrific idea, angling those bricks like that. and i agree wholeheartedly, there is nothing like pulling your first quilt out of the drier. congratulations!

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  6. So cool! What a great solution to your "mistake." :)

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  7. Thanks, Krista! Once I moved forward with the new layout, I kind of forgot about the mistake until I wrote the blog post--I got so involved in deciding on the best arrangement of the blocks. It looks simple, but it took me a long time to get everything just so.

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  8. i just commented on flickr, but just had to say again... georgeous quilt. i've seen gingerblossom in so many busy combination, this is so simple it is breathtaking. LOVE it.

    p.s. great work on the stippling..i've made only one quilt and that was quilted in straight lines, so working your first quilt in stipples really blows my mind. the result is georgeous.(uh, dint i just say that?) well, you deserve it.

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