Friday, February 08, 2013

sock monkeys!

Welcome to finish it up Friday! I'm pleased that I was able to finish my sock monkey quilt this week. Better yet, I didn't start a new project to replace it. Hurrah!
This pattern is called Fair and Square. It's a simple, fun and versatile quilt pattern that I designed a few years ago for Margaret's Hope Chest. It only requires 2 yards of background fabric and 33 6 1/2" squares. It goes together in a snap and it's a nice way to show off novelty fabric or larger prints.
For the backing I pieced the leftovers into one strip and surrounded them with a sea of polka dots. (hurray for polka dots!) Pieced backs are my favorite not only because they are highly practical, but so interesting, too.
I quilted it with loop-de-loops. Nice and easy!
Of course it needed red polka dot binding. This dot is from the circa 1934 line by Moda. It's well over a year old....about time I used it!
I machine bound it, which didn't go smoothly, (not sure what was up with that) but I wrestled my way through. It's already been washed and dried, and it's super crinkly. I didn't have any color catchers on hand so I held my breath until it came out of the washing machine. Thankfully, no bleeding! Phew!
 
It measures 48" x 66".
 
Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

45 comments:

Megan said...

I love it! I think the polka dot binding is just darling! Cute finish!

Svetlana said...

what a lovely quilt, and that polka dot binding is simply perfection!

Frances Meredith said...

Can you EVER go wrong with that great red and white colour combination? It looks great.

Turid said...

Your quilt is so beautiful. I often use black background to get the colours pop up, but white does that too in a very nice way. I love the back side and the binding as well. Have a nice weekend!

Judee said...

Love that pattern. I am inspired.

Beth said...

The polka dot binding is great!

MaterialGirlQuilts said...

Cute quilt! Love the quilting and all of the polka dots :)
Amanda

Unknown said...

I recently invested in a set of those fancy red clover clips. They make a world of difference when machine binding! I sew the binding on the front, iron it out, fold it to the back and iron it down, and then clip with the red clips. I've done 3 quilts with the clips so far, and they are the only 3 I've ever caught all of the binding on in the first try! I highly recommend them, if you haven't already. ;)

Katie said...

sock monkeys and polka dots with loopies -- it's like a fun explosion. Great job.

Nifty Quilts said...

Fun quilt! Congratulations on your finish! I machine sew many of my bindings too. I suppose you're already using a walking foot. I find it really helps.

Nifty Quilts said...

Fun quilt! Congratulations on your finish! I machine sew many of my bindings too. I suppose you're already using a walking foot. I find it really helps.

Tennjenny said...

Oh my, you're brave to toss in a red and white quilt with no color catchers. I would have been biting my nails to the quick! (Oh, who am I kidding. I always bite my nails to the quick.)

It is really, really lovely! The colors are just beautiful against that background.

Heather Cartwright said...

The polka dot binding is perfect!

Chase said...

I am loving the red and white quilts so much. I really need to find some good polka dot prints. They are cute in the backing and binding. This week, I finished a single girl for S and a mini bag. Have a great weekending~ p.s. It would be the lunar new year.. so Happy New Year if you don't mind~ xc

Rebecca said...

Love the red and white polka dot binding!

Emily said...

Ah, polka dots... you and I share a love! ...I need to make another fair and square quilt. Such a great easy pattern with big impact.

Cheerful Homemaker said...

I really like the loopy quilting :)

Lucy | Charm About You said...

very cute!

Annilu said...

So beautiful, your latest quilt!
I used this pattern for the third quilt I ever made and it was so easy-peasy that it turned out quite well without nearly any experience. A real beginners-quilt! Thank you so much for the inspiration you are sharing with us all the time!
My whole quilting-history is reflecting your ideas and so - in a way - you have become a real part of my life. Thank you again!

Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts said...

Absolutely Hooray for polka dots! Love it all!

zitakiss said...

Szia! Légyszives nézz be a blogomba: zitakiss .Készítettem egy szép szívecskés foltmozaikot.Zita

beth said...

What a fun quilt!

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

This is a great pattern to show off pretty fabrics. Love it!

Tessa @ TheSewingChick said...

Hooray for polka dots indeed!! Love this quilt...something about red and white gets me every time!! As always, thank you for the inspiration.

SarahZ said...

Adorable!

Clair said...

What a fun finished project.

Gunilla said...

Lovely quilt and I love the quilting!

Susan K from Canada said...

Amanda - I love love love this quilt - the stripes, dots, and colours WOW

Rachel said...

Beautiful! LOVE sock Monkeys and you did them justice :-)

ChristaQuilts said...

I love it - especially the binding!

Anonymous said...

It turned out great. Your blog was what got me started quilting+ sewing, all your beautiful finishes - thank you :-)

Mama Pea said...

I adore this quilt! I have a sock monkey fetish. When are you going to sell it? ;-)

Anonymous said...

I could almost list our kitchen for Finish it Friday! It's 99% done and we can start moving into the cupboards but will have to wait for the touch up work before moving furniture. :)

Love that polka dot binding!

Andy said...

What a great quilt! And what a relief that the red fabrics didn't bleed! I had an older quilt that had been washed several times (always with a color catcher) and one time I thought it would probably be safe to wash without the color catcher. Nope! Now it has some pink spots on the white fabric where it meets up with the red binding. Grrrr.

Suzanne said...

Wow, this looks really different than the original fair and square. I like so much. I'm trying to figure out what I can use to make one of my own. You are such an enabler. I love you for that!

Chara Michele said...

Love it! Wish I had some projects finished up, but right now all mine seem to still be in progress :)

Ellie Q said...

LOVE that sock monkey fabric! And the binding was the perfect finish!

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

Sock monkeys and polka dots - just perfect! Did you see there is a knitting pattern for a sock monkey project bag ...? It's here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sock-monkey-project-bag

nancyb said...

hi amanda! i love your site. i am making my granddaughter a quilt using your latest tutorial which i linked onto my blog. i'll send you a picture when i'm done with it. thanks for all of your crafty goodness! nancyb

greelyrita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
greelyrita said...

Did you mention who will get this quilt? Lucky them. I continue to be in love with the colours in the French General fabric line. That's what you used. Love! Polka dots or stripes in a binding are so wonderful too.

barbaradougherty126 said...

Where can I find the soc monkey fabric? Love this one so much. I know a certain grandson would would love it.

Smultronbo said...

I love that quilt. Really nice work. And the pattern is so nice and easy. Thanks for sharing. I didnt have a finish this week but wanted to stop by anyway. Take care. ;)

Mary said...

Very cute! Love that binding.

paige13d said...

Very cute! Have you tried using vinegar in the wash? I always add 1/2 - 1 cup of white vinegar when I was a new quilt, depending on the size/intensity of the color. I was always told it helped to set the color.