Wednesday, March 25, 2009

bento box quilt top


I finished piecing my bento box quilt top.
(And I think it looks pretty darn good on my bed!)
This thing is a monster-measuring 105" x 90".

For those of you who asked for a tutorial, I cannot share that, as there is a pattern published.

For those of you who asked for advice on making a king sized quilt, I have none. This is only my second king quilt, and the first one that I am going to attempt to stipple. I'm a bit intimidated at the thought. Unlike Miss Heather, who just finished her third-or maybe fourth-king sized quilt. I'm so proud of my quilting apprentice. :)
---
the quilt in the foreground is this one.

97 comments:

susan said...

I love the reworking with the lighter brown tones! It looks wonderful! And I even thought that just blue and green might be the proper route -- this is much prettier.

rachel griffith said...

i think it looks awesome!!!
i'm SO glad that you decided to use the brown. i think it REALLY pops with your bed frame.

:D

Anonymous said...

Query - do you have a king-sized bed, or did you just want some extra coverage?

I have a queen, but, with mattresses so enormously thick these days, I am just not liking the look of the coverage a queen-sized quilt or duvet provides. So how did you settle on sizing?

Amanda Jean said...

jennicakes,

i do have a king sized bed. even when we had a queen bed, we used king quilts. i like the extra coverage, too.

i determined the sizing from my previous bed quilt (and added a few inches) to allow for shrinkage. i hope it's enough. i still may add one solid white border. i'm thinking that one over. :)

aj

Anonymous said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! It LOOKS GREAT on your bed!!!!

Jessica said...

Those colors look absolutely perfect together on your bed! I LOVE it!

Linda said...

Loving the bento box pattern!!! Yours looks fabulous. I just finished a lap size top in the bento box pattern, too. Fast, fun and looks a lot harder than it really is. :) That's my kind of quilt top! LOL Good luck with the stippling! I could never do one that size. I about went nuts doing an almost twin size one!

Kerri said...

it looks so lovely on your bed!! love how the browns in the quilt compliment the wood. so perfect!!

Qubie said...

I really like this quilt. It looks great. I think it need some orange in it. Just kidding. Love it the way it is.

Unknown said...

That looks pretty rad!
I have to tell you that your blog inspired me to try quilting. I always thought it was pretty lame and old fashioned. Seeing your quilts and using your tutorials, I have now found something that I dream about and spend every free moment doing! Thank you thank you!

Unknown said...

yay! I'm glad the brown stayed - it looks so nice on your bed. Have fun quilting that puppy :)

Abby and Stephanie said...

Terrific colors. I have not and will not machine quilt a king size quilt. I have no hair left. I have made one king...107" x 107".

Abby and Stephanie said...

I mean...I'd have no hair left. I should proofread before sending.

Marie' said...

The second brown you added really ties it all together.
Makes me want to make a quilt for our king, but i will wait until you finish quilting it.

Liz Jimenez said...

Oh, it's lovely! Good luck with the stippling, I would be completely intimidated. Oh, but the colors and the pattern are just wonderful!

Renee said...

I really like the look of this quilt and it's all my favourite colours!! :)
I need to get around to making a quilt for my own bed. Kids have them, brother has one, friends have them... lol

nettie said...

it's perfect, can't wait to see it quilted. and i agree that the brown looks really great in this.

Dresden Quilter said...

It looks so amazing!I really love the light brown and dark brown fabrics. It makes me want to start working on my king size quilt again.

pratima said...

It is awesome!! Looks sooo perfect in your room :)

Unknown said...

I was not crazy about the dark brown when you first posted it but now that it is done, I love it! Great job!

Unknown said...

Love the colour combo...Great Design..Good Luck with the Quilting...not my fortay.!!
cheers

Kate said...

Looks great! The brown really sets it off well. If you do the stippling in sections, itll be done before you know it!

MichelleB said...

It is wonderful! I love it. I can hardly wait to see it quilted. One of these days I'll get a king sized one done.

Mama Urchin said...

It looks great and I'm glad you kept the dark brown, especially with your bed.

I have tonsillitis so I haven't sent you that package yet. Hopefully this weekend!

Deb Robertson Writes said...

Please tell me you are not going to stipple that thing on your home machine! Oh my goodness that's too terrible to contemplate... my shoulders are aching just thinking about it. Love the quilt though, it's turned out great.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful...wonderful color choices!

Jackie's Stitches said...

I'm glad that you decided to keep the brown in. The quilt really needed it and it goes wonderfully with your headboard!

Wendy said...

Yes, I like the brown too... can't imagine quilting a king size quilt! I'm going to have a friend that has a long arm do my queen size selvedge quilt, just can't imagine doing it on my Bernina!

Liz said...

It looks great. You were right about it looking good on the brown bed!

Sarah said...

It looks great! I am glad you left the brown in...it really compliments your headboard!

Donna said...

Absolutely love it! So glad the brown stayed. You continue to inspire us all.

QuiltNut Creations said...

gorgeous! love the pop of brown

WoolenSails said...

It looks beautiful on the bed and your decor matches perfectly.

Debbie

Rachel said...

I love this pattern. I did it twin-size for my daughter's "big girl" bed and made it really scrappy - which meant that I got to use tons of different fabrics that I loved. Which is why the pattern is so great - there's soooo much you can do with it! I really like what you did with it, too - and YES am glad the brown stayed, it looks great!

Good luck with the quilting!

Meg said...

Woooooooow! That looks great. I'm really happy to see you kept the brown. The dark wood of the bed really makes it pop.

I can't believe how big it is.

Anonymous said...

My 'first' quilt using the sewing machine for stippling was a 100x100 inch quilt. Reflecting back - it went like a breeze. The only part which was hard for me was towards the edges when my arms hurt to the quilt moving under the needle.

ms.clark said...

This is a beautiful quilt. I love this pattern so much. Now, I feel the need to pull it out again and make another one. Thanks so much for the inspiration. Love your quilts!

Anonymous said...

The brown turned out WONDERFUL!

Alissa said...

It looks so so good! It is going to be amazing when it's all finished!! And I've only stippled one king and phew... it was a lotta work! But I did find it manageable. Plus, you're a PRO! You'll have no problems!

duckyhouse said...

i love how this turned out for you :) Good luck with the stippling

Anonymous said...

i love it! i'm glad you kept the brown!

Andi said...

It looks wonderful.
Thanks also for introducing me to Miss Heather's blog. I'll be sure to follow along with her quilting adventures too. Quite the apprentice you have there!!
Andi :-)

Wanda said...

You never know just how a post is going to affect people! I just realized that I never even had my finished quilt top on my bed!!! I just don't know what to do with that thing!! ha ha It sure looks beautiful! And yes...great on the bed as well!

The Calico Cat said...

It's pretty. The lighter "bridging" browns really helped it congeal.

house on hill road said...

it looks great, amanda jean! i love the blues, greens and browns. we have the same colors in our bedroom.

Sherry said...

Congrats on finishing your Bento Box quilt top. It looks great! Can't wait to see it quilted & to see if you have any tips on stippling a larger quilt. I'm still in a rut with lap sized quilts. I need to get over my intimidation of stippling larger ones on my machine. Thanks for sharing!

Mary said...

I love it! It's fabulous!

Anonymous said...

It looks beautiful AmandaJean - I love the way the blues and greens flow together and then POP here comes the brown! AMAZING!!!!

Meg said...

This turned out great, and I wish you all kinds of luck when quilting this thing--it's going to be an aerobic workout, for sure.

You're inspiring me to try something foolish--i.e.make a quilt for my king size bed. We don't love our current duvet cover and we haven't been able to find anything we like...

GloJoeSews said...

Wow, it's so beautiful! The brown is wonderful. I can't believe how much you get down and how beautiful it is. I'm currently doing a stacked coins quilt inspired by the one you made. Thanks for your tutorials!

Ashley said...

Absolutely beautiful! I really love the colors and I'm so glad you decided to keep the brown - it gives it great depth and sophistication. Stunning!

Karen said...

Stunning! Don't blame you for deciding not to stipple this one....it's SO big!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

It looks awesome on your bed - good luck with finishing it!

MelissaS said...

I love the Bento Box pattern. In fact, I've come up with an easier way than the pattern says. It involves 10" squares.

Love the quilt!

sulu-design said...

I love how it turned out! I know I said to skip the rich brown color, but with your headboard it looks awesome. And it looks like you added in some other, lighter tones of brown, too, right? I think they totally pull it together. Another beautiful piece!

Anina said...

It matches your room perfectly. You're on your second king size quilt and I'm still thinking about make my first. :o)

Thimbleanna said...

Haha -- I looked at your picture and thought your quilt was already quilted. It wasn't until you mentioned it that I realized it was a separate quilt. The Bento Box quilt turned out great!

Anonymous said...

Looks awesome! I have always wanted to do a king size, but it is a little daunting still. Might be a long time project because I would really like to hand quilt it.

I can't wait to hear about how the stippling goes, though! Thanks for taking us along on the journey.

ohnikki said...

It looks awesome! I am so glad you kept the brown! Love it!

nannergirl said...

Another beautiful quilt! I'm currently making a version of your flea market fancy...I just love your quilts!

Philigry said...

oh, i love it. it looks so great. can't wait to see it all done. the brown really pop's on your bed.

V and Co. said...

it.looks.amazing. ;)

avisiontoremember said...

I have been following your blog for a while. I just love all your creations. Someday I hope that I can make quilts the way you can! I just finished a small baby blanket thought you might like to see http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/2009/03/first-of-many-baby-blankets.html

Sarah said...

Oh, that turned out lovely! Thank you for sharing all of these quilts; I'm feeling inspired!

Anonymous said...

okay! Seriously sooo gorgeous! So glad you kept the chocolate brown colour in there! It's just the right pop to make this one go BANG!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Looks great. Just break the quilting into sections. Work one section, then re-fold/wrap the quilt and move on to the next section.

Anonymous said...

awesome work. it looks super good on your dark wood bed. I'm glad you kept the dark brown, it goes well with the wood. The quilt looks fresh and crisp, just like Spring. yay!

Jessica Christensen said...

You always do such a beautiful job, and this is no exception. I love the colors, and I'm really not a blue person. I like the extra coverage too, simply because on cold nights, you don't want to be without, getting your covers stolen by some guy. And I am just about done stippling my first king-sized quilt. I did a larger stipple than I do on smaller quilts, and it still has taken a while. It's a bit dicey in the middle, but it's actually coming out great anyway. Just hard on your shoulders, muscling that much fabric and batting around. Great work on this one. I really do love it.

Niesz Vintage Home said...

Its beautiful! Love the punches of dark brown.

Kimberly :)

Emily Cole said...

I love the brown too - it's gorgeous!

j... said...

i've been blog stalking you for awhile now :) and i've spent many-a-sleepless-night gazing @ your flickr gallery...

let me just tell you that the quilting class my mom made me take 10 years ago when i was 14 is rearing it's fabulous head--i'm itching to make something (although not entirely certain it will turn out looking anything like yours).

here is my issue: i have NO FABRIC. read: no stash. no backup. no favorites. none. none. none.

so...do you have any tips for starting a "stash". i'm moving, in school, & kind of living the crazy life of a medical student right now...so keeping a whole "stash" that beatifully flows together into creative quilts isn't really an option. do you pick up your fabrics gradually? or go shopping for fabric with a certain quilt + color combo in mind? how much do you recommend buying of each fabric?

thanks :)

Rebecca said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this quilt!! I am a new quilter (as in- just getting ready to start my first quilt- and it is going to be for my daughter's dolls). I have found many patterns online that I like but this is the first quilt that I want to copy EXACTLY. It is beautiful!

Calico Road said...

It is beautiful! Although, I do not envy you having to quilt a king size! I don't have the courage to do bigger than a lap quilt. Maybe one day....

Dandelion Quilts said...

Good decision....brown pops with your bedframe and looks fabulous.

Dani said...

Awesome. I love the color choices on both of those quilts. King size would scare me too. My first quilt was a queen size and everyone said I was crazy for starting with a project that big. The quilts I have made since have seemed so easy. Love your site. Your work inspires me.

KateKwiltz said...

It's beautiful! Very happy to see the new brown you added -- it balances the darker ones out really well!

Threeundertwo said...

Congratulations! I know how much work quilting a king is. I've done one and I have another waiting in the wings for me to start.

Deelee said...

The quilt top looks wonderful. I really love those framed leaves above your headboard. So clever.
Happy quilting!

I am Arizona; a person, not a place. said...

I love it! The colors are wonderful together and yes, it looks great on your bed!

Nanci said...

This turned out so nice. The dark brown looks so rich and ties into the dark wood of your bed perfect. Great job once again.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I really like the color combination you came up with! One un-bento-box-related question though: I'm making flea market fancy quilt based on your measurements, and am currently lacking ideas for quilting it. I'm very novice on stippling, so that is out of the question. What kind of quilting would make the squares pop out nicely, and would be relatively easy? Any help or ideas are very appreciated, thanks! -Sanna, Finland

Amanda Jean said...

sanna,

you could try to do a grid quilting pattern (straight lines on the diagonal) like i did in my snippets quilt. otherwise, you could do some stitching around the edges of the squares. and some straight line quilting in the sashing. that might be fun. i hope that helps, and let me know it you have any more questions.

aj

Amanda Jean said...

j...,

i would suggest that you just start buying fabric based on your individual projects. don't worry about building a stash to work from. (eventually, that will come with time.) as far as how i go about stash building, i have a fair amount of info about that subject on my FAQ page. (see my sidebar for the link.) i hope this helps. let me know if you have any other questions.

aj

Kristy said...

WOW! I love how it turned out! The colors, design, everything is just perfect! This might just be my favorite one yet! Beautiful!

Lonci said...

Perfect harmony. It is wonderful

tarabu said...

Thanks, Crazy Mom! For your free-motion tutorial. I'm tickled with my new skills and excessive oozings of confidence!

sweetbabies00 said...

I think I am just repeating everyone, but I really like that you added the brown. It gives the quilt more interest.
GREAT JOB

Dallas said...

The quilt turned out great - love the colors. I made a bento box baby quilt last year - it's a great pattern.

Jane said...

So beautiful Amanda and the brown is perfect. How big are each of the blocks? 6" 9"? Just curious.
Thanks!
Jane

Jenny L said...

Oh my gosh it's gorgeous! And it looks absolutely amazing with your wall color!

Jami said...

Very Nice Amanda, My cup of tea, I have always loved the simpler quilts, It all about the colour and the mood that those colours create. Bravo, very zen!!!
Jami

Rebekah said...

beautiful quilt! It looks great on your bed

lera said...

Very pretty. Now, is this going to be one of the seasonal quilts for your room?

Caroline said...

Wow! That looks great! I just finished the majority of a top for a king sized quilt. I knew they were big, but I never realized just HOW big! Quilting that one should be fun ;)

Sherri B said...

My name is Sherri Berry and I live in TN. Right now I am working on a quilt for my daughter. She loves bright colors so this quilt has bright purple, lime green, orange and a wild tye-dyed print. Itis my first twin sized quilt.

Quilting Corner said...

Hi, I'm Etty Robinson and I live in Betar Illit, Israel. I found your web page several weeks ago and I have been enjoying it very much. I just finished my 1st string quilt and I'm ready to try another. I really liked doing this quick quilt.
Etty

Paula #870 said...

I really love Bento boxes and adore your Bento quilt!!!
xxx
Paula