Don't you just love it when you carefully and gently pull all the finished blocks from your quilt wall to assemble them into your long awaited quilt top, and realize once it's together, that it appears that it is now half the size? (please note the obvious sarcasm)... the wonder and the mystery of "the great Shrink"
If you've been around here since I've been quilting, then you know that I'm a quilt size debator... usually battling the back and forth if I should make it bigger. (I suppose I figure that if you're going to do it at all, you might as well do it big) Even for this quilt, I seriously contemplated adding more blocks, because I had calculated that it would be a mere lap quilt after "the great Shrink".
So once the top was together, I quickly ran upstairs to take advantage of the bright, sunny day, and the fact that the kids were out of the house. I excitedly threw the quilt over my son's twin size bed and had my first surprise... it was too big and too long for the bed! (hardly a lap quilt!) Then I even more excitedly ran to my bedroom and threw it over my queen size bed... and much to my astonishment, found that it was almost big enough to fit my bed! (not quite, but again… not a lap quilt!)
Well, don’t you just love it when you over estimate, and are later pleasantly surprised with more than what you had originally calculated?
Quilt pattern: Churnstile from Stitchery Dickory Dock, Curn Dash block from the January Sugar Block Club
Started: February 2016
Fabrics: Alison Glass, Carolyn Friedlander, Cotton & Steel, Lizzy House, and various additional prints from my stash. Low volume with color background fabrics
Finished quilt top size: ca. 66 x 82 in. (168 x 208 cm)
What are your “the great Shrink” experiences?
Linking up this week with Let's Bee Social and Sew Cute Tuesday.
What a pleasant size surprise! I am so happy your shrink was not as significant as you anticipated. I love the mix of low volume fabrics you used in the background. This is going to look so pretty on your bed!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I haven't had issues with shrink, but I have had issues with things that should be square being very trapezoidal. :(
ReplyDeleteFantastic quilt, and yes that would be a happy surprise. It is amazing how much those seams take up!
ReplyDeleteLovely fresh colours. So pretty.
ReplyDeleteAren't you glad you stopped making blocks when you did? You might have ended up having to use it as a rug ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt looks fabulous. I love your fabric choices (no surprise there...) I must look into these low volume with color prints.
Happy making ~ Tracy
I love this quilt so much I want to make it. Those big blocks are wonderful and the fabrics you picked are so bright and cheery.
ReplyDeleteOh it looks fab and all the better for being larger so the design is able to develop and be more obvious - Chris :D
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful surprise to have - for me it always goes the way of the great Shrink! It looks so good Allison - you must be so happy with how this turned.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful quilt. I don't have problem with shrink, I have problem with "extra". I'm not good at reading a pattern and recognizing just how big the final quilt is going to be.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful quilt !!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous quilt!
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Congratulations to the finish.
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me how much the total size shrinks when you sew (especially) small blocks together. No intuition for that within me - so a calculator to the help it is :)
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