Saturday, January 31, 2015

RSC2014 Finish

Last year I linked up with Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014!  It was a very new experience for me. I had been working on using up some old stash and had some brights that I needed to use. I wanted to make a pickle dish quilt and decided if I used the black and whites I had and added a neutral gray I could use up my bright scraps.  Then I saw a wonky star that another quilter had made and decided I could stretch those scraps to make one more block a month.


So  twelve months later I had twelve wonky star blocks and a quilt was born. I had so much fun linking and sharing my progress and the enjoying the  progress of the other quilters. We only had to follow Angela's lead on which color to use each month. All of the other decisions were ours to make.  It was so much fun to see all the creative blocks each Saturday.  I decided that my wonky star would go to my only granddaughter Aria. She loves everything princess and will soon be four.  But first, I needed to get it quilted.    I took a craftsy class on straight line quilting and decided this would be  a perfect opportunity to practice what I had learned. Why not start with something simple. Straight lines across the quilt at a 45 degree angle. Sounds simple doesn't it.  Well, after starting I wondered what I had gotten myself into.   It is so much different than hand quilting.  In my book, it was so much harder. I know my arms got a workout.  I also know why the instructor kept saying take it slow. Getting and keeping those lines straight is a real job.  My lines are not perfect, but I reminded myself this was my first attempt at a larger project.  So last night I finished the binding and threw it in the wash.   I love the way it turned out the texture is wonderful and the cotton batting softened up and has a great drape.  I also made a pillow case to match out of the few scraps I had left.  So today I am linking up with So Scrappy to share my finished wonky star.  Thanks Angela for hosting RSC2014 I really enjoyed the challenge! Now to get that Pickle Dish quilted!


Even though it is pretty dreary here early this morning, I still like the way this quilt sparkles!






The picture up above shows the back of the quilt!  I solved the problem of not having enough width by adding a band of squares. It as also an opportunity to use up the rest of the scraps.
matching pillowcase

56 comments:

  1. It's turned out wonderful. I really like wonky star quilts.

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  2. Lovely finish! Congrats on sticking with the machine quilting - I think it looks great!

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    1. I sure was feeling much better towards the end, than I did when I started. I call that progress! Thanks

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  3. It's beautiful Carla. Your wonky stars have turned out wonderfully, and you are right: the quilt sparkles. Lucky granddaughter!

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  4. Carla, that came out so fabulous! You did a wonderful job on it. It is so bright and cheery.

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    1. Thanks I feel a whole lot better about machine quilting now. Now to get to some of those other tops in the closet

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  5. I LOVE you twinkly sparkly quilt! And I love that dense quilting. AND a matching pillowcase. Thank you so much for sharing such a brilliant finish. You are quite right how it sparkles in a grey landscape.

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  6. Congrats on another finish. I'll bet Aria is going to love it. I know I do.

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    1. Yeah all my hard work is finally paying off! Now to get Baltimore Garden sewn into a top.

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  7. What a lovely finish--great use of scraps of colors with those twinkling stars! Hugs, Julierose

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  8. Perfect way to finish that quilt!!! It does sparkle - even on a dreary day!! Good job!

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    1. Yeah it sure did brighten up the picture. Hopefully it will brighten my granddaughter's eyes when she gets it!

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  9. Your Wonky Star turned out beautifully! The quilting looks great. Congrats on the finish.

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    1. Thanks! I really surprised myself with this one. More than pleased with the results!

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  10. Wow, what a beautiful quilt; well done!
    Great idea for the back, it looks good.
    xx

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    1. Thanks, Finally some of my projects are coming together. It has been way to long. Now to get my applique quilt into a top.

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  11. Wow Carla! I find machine quilting VERY challenging as well and agree with making a straight line.. maybe we should listen to the advice we give new hand quilters and remember practice is necessary and you did such a great job on this quilting... I think you are being hard on yourself... and you got some great shots... I hope it is sooo loved in it's new home :) Kathi

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    1. You are so right more practice will make it easier. I did start feeling more comfortable as I went. Also washing and shrinking really help to cover up some of those little boo boo's.

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  12. Beautiful! I hope mine come out as good as your did. That is apt of quilting and it looks amazing.

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    1. I was surprised at how soft it got after washing. I used a Pellon cotton batting and before washing it seemed kind of stiff. So glad it softened up!

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  13. Aria is going to love her princess star quilt. Beautiful!

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    1. Thanks, I even surprised myself. That cotton batting was perfect for this application.

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  15. Simply wonderful!!! (love the photo of the quilt in the tree)

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  16. Great job on this! The colors are wonderful - straight line quilting is the hardest to do . I tried it ....... Once

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    1. Yeah, I just didn't have the patience to go slow enough. But washing and shrinking cover a multitude of errors.

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  17. Beautiful! Your granddaughter is one lucky little girl to have such a talented grandma.

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  18. It's gorgeous ... and your quilting looks pretty good from here. If the Quilt Police say something, just tell them that it's wonky quilting to go with the wonky stars. ;-) I have to say that while I'd like to learn to tackle machine quilting (straight line only) ... if only to be prepared for the possibility that as I age, my hands may not tolerate hand quilting like they do now. Do you remember the name of the class or the teacher? I did a quick search on the Craftsy site but all I can see are free motion quilting classes.

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    1. Thanks Kathy! I know what you mean about our hands Once quilted I was a bit worried cause it seemed a bit stiff. But I threw it in the wash and was just amazed how soft it got. Also the scunching up and shrinkage from the cotton batting really hides all those imperfections. The class was: Creative Quilting with a Walking Foot with Jacquie Gering!

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  19. What a beautiful, colorful quilt! I love those Wonky Stars. I know that personally I would not be able to make them as my mathematician's brain insists on symmetry and order, but I really, really love this quilt.

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    1. The bright colors were out of my comfort zone, but I do love string quilts so wonky is right up my alley. I do admire those that can piece with perfection, I just don't have the tenacity for it.

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  20. I know I've already admired the blocks, but I really love the way your finished quilt looks!

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    1. I was really surprised how well this quilt turned out. So glad to have taken the craftsy class to give me the confidence to try machine quilting again. Thanks for stopping by

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  21. Not sure what happened to a comment I tried to post but here I go again! What a beautiful quilt; I am sure will be loved and used. The look of a washed quilt is so appealing. You really did a great job and the back is an extra little surprise with the stripe made of scraps.

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    1. Thanks I tired machine quilting years ago and became very frustrated, so glad I gave it another go. My hands just can't hand quilt them all. Thanks for stopping by

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  22. Wow, one finish after another here! This is just so bright and pretty !

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  23. What amazing texture your quilting has created!! I really love that part, I think, the best. Thank you for linking up with my blog!

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    1. Yeah, it takes a while but I starting to really feel better about the machine quilting. I just find hand quilting easier. I will keep it at like anything it's about practice.

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  24. I'm kind of new to RSC (even though I tried to participate last year). I love that you used the color of the month for background squares. I may have to follow your lead someday... :- )

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    1. It is a fun way to get a quilt made. Last year was my first year and I made two lap size quilts. I am not very good at piecing but I only had to make four blocks a month and that was doable for me. Maybe I will be back next year, still have more ufo's to finish first.

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  25. WOW! I LOVE this quilt. Congratulations on a finish!

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