Whig Rose finished!

Ok, this is the final post about this quilt but I did want to show it finished. Not sure why there is a white spot in the middle of it but let me assure you it must just be the lighting cause in person it looks great. I feel bad bragging but I am just so proud to have this one finished. Oh and before anyone comments that the corners aren't perfectly matched, that is actually the look I intended. I wanted this quilt to have the look of the original and I love that the corners aren't perfect! It delights me that when you first look at it you might think it is an antique.

Binding with a flange

Well, I have never tried this before and it is way harder than I expected but it seems to be worth the effort for this quilt. I debated the pros and cons of adding a flange versus piping and decided to go with a flange. Despite being VERY careful with my cutting and sewing my flange is not quite perfectly even so piping might have been a better option. I had always planned to bind this one in green but now am kinda wishing that I had reversed the colors but then the flange imperfections would be more noticeable! Back to stitching.

I'm doing the Happy Dance

Yep, I'm excited because last night I finished the quilting on my Whig Rose. I have been quilting a little almost everyday and I can hardly believe that after several years it is finally done. I love it but a full picture won't be posted til I get a binding on it. This morning I have been researching bindings with flange or piping and I need to do a little experimenting before making a final decision.

Oh and I also finished another William Morris block. Though it isn't my favorite it will do. I actually find it much more difficult to select fabric on these 2 color blocks so I am happy that there aren't many of those even though the stitching goes much faster!

Blogging and hand quilting

Well it seems that blogging and hand quilting don't seem to go together very well. Since I am working hard on this quilting there doesn't seem to be much new and interesting to post about. But I have made good progress so here is a picture of a finished corner. I am about 1/3 of the way around the outside edge and I am starting to feel the excitement of a near finish. So much so that despite raw fingers and lots of other stuff I should be doing, I am working on this almost non stop. I am starting to think about binding. Maybe a tiny red flange next to a green binding - hmm what do you think?

Another look at my Whig Rose

Well the holidays have come to an end and once again I am still not finished with my Whig Rose quilt. But I have made great progress. So much so that I am not going to put it away and instead am going to try to push this one to the finish line. Thanks for all the encouragement the last time I posted About this quilt. The fact that it has inspired so many of you to comment has given me the extra incentive needed to keep going. It is almost all quilted within the vine border so now all that is left is the area on the outside of the vine and I am hoping that goes quickly. Wouldn't this finish be a great start to 2013!

The final snowmen and more hand quilting

As I was stashing away some Christmas gifts today I realized that I had snowmen quilty things in yet another room.  This little pillow was made many years ago for my youngest son's bedroom. I believe the snowman pattern came from a Thimbleberries Christmas book.  Now he has a perfect winter home in our tiny guest room.

 And here is the quilt on the bed in the same room.  This is about the only bedroom that always has a quilt on the bed, which I change often.  Sorry you can't really see the quilt, I'll have to get a better picture. :)

 Snowman Country is quilted, embellished and bound and now hanging in the guest room awaiting the arrival of the youngest son.  I wonder if he will remember making those snowmen on the bed when he was in elementary school.  They were projects we made during Christmas craft day in 2nd and 3rd grade.  One year we made the pillows, the next the little beanie baby to match.  I cut and sewed all the fleece snowmen and had the kids stuff and sew the opening closed.  I also cut all the noses and black circles and scarves and they then just had to glue on the faces and buttons and tie on the scarf.  I did this for 3 classes, so about 60 kids.  Hard to believe now but I really miss those days!!!

I know I've shown this one before but I can't resist showing it once again.  I love hand quilting this during the holidays, not a Christmas quilt but it says Christmas to me.  I'm starting to move around the edges but still a long way to go.  Maybe a finish by next year!

Hand quilting takes forever...

 Though most of my quilt is done on my longarm, I just love to hand quilt.  I love how relaxing the process is and the beautiful way that it looks.  If I'm going to take the time to do it I really want it to be special.

This quilt pattern is from a very old McCall's quilting book that I bought when I was in college. (a long, long time ago :) )  I was newly engaged and had never quilted bought thought that since I sewed clothes that it would be easy.  This was before rotary cutters (OK it was the late 70's) and all the patterns advised making templates out of cardboard and well you probably get the picture.  So I started making a lemoyne star (I think that is what it is called) with these nasty fabrics in shades of brown, rust and tan and well it was hideous. I scrapped it and didn't attempt quilting again for another 6 or 7 years with much better success.  A couple of years ago I came across that quilting book and saw this pattern again.  Now this was the quilt I really wanted to make out of the book, not that brown and rust thing, I know I have the skills to do it!  The applique was pretty easy but oh the quilting, I have been working on this for over a year and it is taking forever.  Oh well, I still love this quilt and I will finish it someday!