Sunday, February 15, 2015

Something Fishy


auditioning background blocks and sashing

Last August saw the beginning of a quilt for my husband's and my first grandchild, Lucy Maeve, due to arrive March 15.

Not much blogging has been done in the many weeks since this became my main project, as I wanted our daughter-in-law, Shannon, to be at least a little surprised.

This week--after months of sketching, calculating, debating, cutting, piecing, pattern drawing, fusing, appliqueing, embroidering, hair pulling (and occasional cursing), template-making and quilting--Lucy's quilt is finished at last!

Lucy's papa, our son Alex, and her mama, Shannon. (Update: Forgot to say, the blank block at the bottom
is waiting for Lucy's name and birthdate.)


Laid on an an extra-long twin bed.
(There is an identical bed--frame, headboard and footboard--in Lucy's
house. The two beds were built as bunk beds by her great-grandfather
for my husband and his sister when they were little.)

Only the borders were stitched in free motion, unfortunately. With two layers of batting and lots of applique, most of the quilt refused to budge without a dual-feed foot to show it who was boss--which made it pretty challenging when echo-quilting around circular shapes. Thread had to be cut repeatedly. More than 300 knots are buried in the quilt. Is that bad?? I ask because I've never made a bed quilt like this one. My others were straight-stitched with no breaks.





Below are some close-ups (click on a photo if you would like to enlarge it):

The bottom border is supposed to look like scallop shells
sticking out of the sand.
Lucy's mama loves jellyfish, so I couldn't
resist making one the main feature of the quilt.


Leah Day followers might recognize the Bubble Wand stitch on the blue border.
The green border is supposed to be heart-shaped seaweed.




































The turtle is the only creature breaking the surface.
Made a template for the waves
in the top border.

























It looks like a very joyful quilt to me, so I'm tempted to name it Jellyfish Joy or something equally corny. But then again, I'd rather wait until Lucy is old enough to name it herself or maybe even decide it doesn't need a name. Actually, I can't wait to hear her ideas and opinions on everything!

Here are some photos of the back:













(Back corner flipped over on top of the quilt)






The idea was to have a peaceful side and a busy side, depending on Lucy's mood.











On to another project. If you've seen this blog before, you might remember this vintage knitted sweater pattern in progress from a previous post.


Last week it was finished, along with the matching bonnet. Here's Shannon just after receiving them at her baby shower.

The fastenings, a little hard to see here, are loops and shank buttons.
That was a very fun day, and seeing all the wonderful gifts and supplies brought home the reality that a new member of the family is arriving in just 4 weeks!!!

Before signing off, I'm linking up with some of my favorite quilting blogs--Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Whoop Whoop Friday, Lizzie Lenard's Free Motion Mavericks, (since I did free-motion stitch the borders!) and A Quilting Reader's Garden WIPs Be Gone. Check all of them out as well as their reader linkups, whether you are looking for inspiration or simply want to spend some quality time on the internet. You'll get both, I promise.

Meanwhile, a bit of encouragement for everyone expecting lots of snow, like we are tonight...spring will be here in just 5 weeks!

Linda

13 comments:

  1. What an extraordinary and wonderful quilt! That starfish looked like it was going to jump out at me - it's so lifelike. And the use of rick rack is inspired. Lucy is going to love it! The sweater and hat are so sweet. I hope Lucy and parents live nearby so you can have lots of cuddle time. Blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Angie! The starfish began as a photo on printer fabric, but I painted and embroidered it to the point that it's almost hard to tell. Yes, fortunately they only live about 20 minutes away!

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  2. Hello Linda,

    The quilt is gorgeous, and bigger than I had imagined it. All the hard work to make an extra special quilt has really paid off - it is truly unique. The jellyfish trailing rick rack is hilarious. From now on I shall be giggling every time I see rick rack lurking in the haberdashery.

    Such a sweet little hat and jacket, too. It is all getting exciting - so nice to see the pictures of Alex and Shannon too.

    Oh no, my daughter has just come to see the pictures and she wants an identical quilt...

    Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

    Love, Muv

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Muv! There's a ridiculous amount of leftover rick rack in the drawer now, because I had first thought to use the large-size rick rack--which just dominated the quilt. So it was back to the store for medium- and small-size. Only the medium was used in the end. Thank goodness that stuff isn't terribly expensive.

      LOL Tell your daughter let's just hope all the knots stay buried!

      The hat and sweater were supposed to have matching booties, but I took one look at the instructions and said to heck with those. :)

      Love,
      Linda

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  3. That is the coolest kids quilt I have ever seen. I am sure that once she arrives, she will love it. So bright and colorful and very creative.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Teresa! I'm hoping she'll spend some tummy time on it and enjoy all the colors.

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  4. Took a bit to find you! Do you know you are a no-reply blogger? It has something to do with google+ not talking to blogger. Karen at Sew Many Ways has a great tutorial on her blog for how to fix this. You are probably missing out on a lot of replies where you leave comments (like my blog) and for giveaways. I love everything about this quilt. Love. You should be extremely proud of this. As for a first grandchild, it is just the BEST. EVER. I have one grandson, and everything they say about grandchildren being more than awesome is true.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You know, I fixed that problem once, and for a while it was ok. Wonder what happened! Thanks so much re the quilt. It was a lot of work, but I'd do it again, because as you say, being a grandma is going to be the best thing ever!!! I'm so glad you are having that experience, too!

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    2. Sandra, I think I fixed the 'no reply' problem. Let's hope it sticks this time! Thanks again.

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  5. Cousin, you are remarkable! Will you be my grandma? Lucy's quilt is so awesome. You are going to be a great grandmother. Love the sweater and hat too. Hope all goes well for mom & baby in a few weeks!!

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks Vickie! And I know your grandkids have got be be having a ball with you out there in TX. So glad you made that move and can be with them. I'll pass your well-wishes on to Shannon. Won't be long now! We'll keep everybody posted.

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  6. a very beautiful quilt I have ever seen

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