Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Swell Quilt Finish!


It really was no exaggeration, by any means, when I said that taking photos of quilts in Germany in the fall and winter months is like waiting for the sun, moon, and stars to all come into perfect alignment before the lighting is just right. Of course everyone at some point has suffered a touch of the blues when the warm, beautiful, and care free seasons begin to fade into the colder and greyer ones, but Northern German weather is a beast all of it's own! While there are no claims of perfect celestial alignment, there was enough (and I mean just barely enough) daylight to snap a few finish photos of my long-time-in-the-making Swell quilt!


Since this quilt had grown so enormously huge, I had grown so weary in pushing through, and that technically this is only my second quilt, I decided to keep the quilting quite simple (not to mention my comfort level, or should I say lack thereof, when it comes to free motion qulting) I essentially followed the natural lines of the blocks, and quilted diagonally through the white blocks, and again through the center of the colorful pluses.


There was quite a good bit of back and forth with my husband when it came to how I would finish the back of the quilt. Since he couldn't really grasp the concept of a pieced backing, he prefered the option of a single fabric solid backing. But since I didn't want a big seam line running down the middle of the back, which he argued didn't matter because it's the back, right?, I wanted to make good use of my leftover scraps and not eat up so much of my beloved Basic Grey grunge fabric... it's much more interesting than a solid, don't you think?


Looking back, I learned a lot after having finished this quilt... after the fact there are several things that I might have opted to do differently, but despite all those little this's and that's, I'm really happy to have finished this one. So, in case you've not been along for the whole ride since I started this quilt, here are the specifics:

Quilt pattern: "Swell" from Camille Roskelley's Simply Retro book.
Started: February 2014
Fabrics: Kona Cotton white and selected fabrics from Amy Butler fabric collections: Alchemy, Cameo, Soul Blossoms, and Love.
Finished quilt size: 83 x 91 in. (210 x 230 cm)
Backing: Basic Grey grunge - aqua, Amy Butler Memoir - pacific, Kona Cotton white, various Amy Butler scraps
Thread: Aurifil cotton 50 wt white

Binding: Kona Cotton, Copen


Linking up this week as always to WIP Wednesday and Let's Bee Social.

18 comments :

  1. You made a gorgeous beauty of a quilt. Love the fabrics. No, it cannot be your second - it is too neat. Even your backing is adorable.
    My only complaint - not enough pictures!!!
    http://sewpreetiquilts.blogspot.com/

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  2. This is a really beautiful quilt. You did a great job on the quilting. I agree with you that the back is more interesting your way, than a single fabric.

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  3. Oh MY! This is one great big beautiful finish to be proud of! The diagonal quilting is perfect for this. And I love the pieced backing, What a gorgeous quilt!

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  4. Congratulations on a lovely finish. That's a big quilt to be pushing through a machine...you did a wonderful job! :) And the back is the icing on the cake ! :)

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  5. It's beautiful! And I love what you did with the back...it's a fully reversible quilt!

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  6. What a beauty! Your pictures are amazing even if the sunlight didn't fully cooperate! It sometimes does feel like there is only a slim, slim window to get the right light! There will always be little things you want to change after a finish...next time, right?! The back is just gorgeous...love it!

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  7. The guilts are perfection! i wish you did'nt live all the way up north as we will be in Munich all summer long.

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  8. I just love the whole quilt and especially the backing. It's to much fun and color. Just lovely. Hope you will now enjoy it every day.

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  9. I hope you are celebrating such a beautiful finish. The backing and the quilting lines are perfect choices for the quilt top. Is it to be given away or can you snuggle under it through the cold German winter?

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  10. Congratulations!!! It came out so beautifully, and you FINISHED it!!! The back is perfect. I agree its way better than a whole cloth back. Yippee yippee yippee!... Now what to make next? LOL

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  11. Wow, that backing is perfect for this gem of a quilt! Congrats on a lovely finish!

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  12. That back is lovely! And the front is not too shabby either! Is it really your second quilt? Lovely!

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  13. Just beautiful! I love Amy Butler and this quilt shows off those lovely fabrics so well!

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  14. I love it!! Beautifully done! Congrats of such a big finish :-)

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  15. Allison this is really beautiful - it was worth the wait for a break in the weather. And the back ..... just beautiful aswell!

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  16. This is a beautiful quilt Allison and a huge undertaking as a second quilt. Your choice of quilting is timeless, beautiful and practical. I like single fabric backings but also love your pieced backing - a perfect way to incorporate those left overs. Your first photo is a beautiful autumn scene - the light through the trees looks amazing.

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  17. Such a beautiful quilt, congratulations on finishing it. Nothing wrong with straight line quilting, that is all I do too.

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