Saturday, November 21, 2009

Crazy Carnival

Oh boy! It feels really great to have this one finished and not a moment too soon as it is being gifted today. I struggled on many levels with this quilt and resorted to asking both you and the recipient for guidance to get me out of the ruts. I really hope it's what she wants now that it's together!


Things I am not so proud of about this quilt include the inordinate amount of time it took to decide on the pattern (had the whole thing laid out in the first of these patterns, but could not wrap my head around squaring up the edges), the time it took me to get the right amount of blocks (had some going in the opposite direction and after fixing those, ended up with some STILL going in the wrong direction...oh, and of course cut one too small when trimming).

What I am proud of is that my points line up somewhat well. It really is impressive when you're careful to keep everything the same size and to press the seams in the right direction. It ends up fitting together just like a puzzle. Also, there was somewhat of a crisis during quilting, but I persevered and after the washing and drying magic of a stippled quilt, the crisis is barely even visible. Phewf!
There were a few firsts with this quilt. It's my first pinwheel which I enjoyed. It's the first time I've quilted with bamboo batting which is so soft and gives a really nice drape to the finished quilt. Lastly, it was the first time I've used flannel for the back. I will definitely do another flannel back again, but I have had some trouble with colored flannel running before, so it may be wise to pre-wash if white isn't what you're using.

~Sara

19 comments:

RosaMaría said...

beautiful! i love that simple way you choosed!

nettie said...

just saw this quilt on flickr, and I absolutely LOVE it! the colors are so great, and I love the triangles.

C. Jaeger said...

I love your pinwheel quilt! I have all my black/white quilt squares ready to sew together. I carefully squared up all the blocks, so I hope it will go together well. I am sure I will get distracted when sewing my blocks together and do some the wrong way, but I will just have my seam ripper ready!
Your quilt is great, and I love the colors!

Donna said...

Looks great as usual - seems to me your stipple is getting a bit more tight. . . is this a style choice or am I wrong. Looks like a lot of quilting and I think the crinkle it give is so perfect.

I am VERY impressed with your matching up of seams ..doesn't the back look so cool when it's all fit together in that puzzly way?

Your fabrics are so bright and cheery, too. Overall. I love love love it!!

Little Bluebell (Adrianne) said...

Beautiful quilt! So scrappy and happy. The flannel looks so snuggly with all the quilting. I have a pinwheel quilt on my short list to try. I hope my points will turn out half as good as yours. :)

wishes, true and kind said...

This quilt is just wonderful! Very often, simple patterns + great fabrics = fabulous quilts! Love the dense quilting!

joan

Holly said...

So lovely Sara! I really love all the bright colours and am very impressed wiht your perfectly aligned points. May have to consult you for further advice...

Sara said...

Thank you all for the sweet comments. Made my day!

Kelly O. said...

lovely!

Dee said...

Such a happy quilt!

I love the colors and it looks perfect to me!

Vals Quilting said...

that is super sweet
Valerie
http://www.pastimesonline.ca/vals-quilting/

Fine Hand said...

Just discovered your blog...beautiful pictures and love the colors and patterns you chose for the quilt!

Dresden Quilter said...

It is a beautiful quilt. I am making a pinwheel quilt right now, and I have had some difficulty deciding what to do with it. I found a cute fabric border on the weekend so I am going to add that in.

Jessie Lathroum said...

Do you have any pointers for pressing the seams on pinwheels? I am having troble with my machine jamming through several layers of fabric. This is the first attempt at pinwheels for me too.

free indeed said...

it is lovely!

Amy Friend said...

You would never know that you struggled. I love it. I have been mulling over a pinwheel quilt for ages now. I have to try one!

Isa said...

Oh Sara, it turned out so gorgeous! Really love it.

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

i think it will be loved.. it looks soo pretty!

Anonymous said...

I started out with the pinwheel design recently and ended up in a completely different direction. I love yours, all the prints pop so nice!