Friday, January 24, 2014

a quilt for my brother

Welcome to finish it up Friday!
A few weeks ago my sister mentioned that my brother was in need of a twin sized quilt for his couch. About that time the economy blocks were everywhere on Instagram, and after seeing about 100 photos of them, they became somewhat irresistible. The final straw was seeing this photo. The muted color scheme really inspired me. Knowing that this quilt would serve two purposes, I gave myself permission to start something new. (New year, new quilt!) I used all stash fabrics, some that I had for over 3 years, so that felt pretty great!
I quilted it very simply, using (not so) straight lines, about 1/8" from each horizontal and vertical seam line. That didn't feel like quite enough quilting, so I did a single line of quilting on the diagonal lines. I didn't stress over perfection in the quilting. (That takes some effort for me!) In the end, it turned out to be a very soft and snuggly quilt.
I pieced the back, being certain to use up the 3 trial blocks I made when figuring out the measurements. No additional orphan blocks cluttering up the studio. Yay!
I machine bound it and that was FUN! I didn't have quite enough of the zig zag fabric to bind the whole quilt, so I added a strip of polka dots to fill the gap. Once again, polka dots save the day. :)
You can find the block measurements here.
It measures about 66" x 91".
I'm terrible at surprises, so when I saw my brother last weekend I showed him a photo of his quilt top. He seemed excited about. I also asked if he minded that there would be flowers on the back. (He doesn't mind at all.) I'm looking forward to giving him the finished quilt. I think he (and his kids) will use and love it. Just the way it should be!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

58 comments:

Janet @ Simply Pieced said...

Your brother's quilt is beautiful and I love what you did with the back! Wonderful finish!

Abby said...

What a lovely gift - I bet your brother will LOVE the finished product!!

Nicole said...

Beautiful job, Amanda Jean! So many fun details!

Lea said...

Really love this! I bet your brother will really treasure this quilt:)

Hilary said...

How gorgeous!

Jennifer said...

You accomplished quite a task....making a guy friendly quilt. It's really striking.

Just a note to all those who link to Finish It up Friday, can you please make sure you are actually sharing a finished product. I use this as my weekly inspiration and fully finished quilts are so fun to see and dream about making my own.

Svetlana said...

it's perfect. Love your color scheme, I'm sure your brother will love it.

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation said...

love the colors in this one! I'm sure he'll love it!

:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Vera said...

Looks great. Love the back side and binding. All together is perfect.

tara said...

I am quite taken with economy blocks I have been seeing and this color combo is very different. Great color combos!

Heidi Staples said...

Such a beautiful quilt. I love the pattern and colors together!

Susana Neiger said...

It's beautiful! I love the colors. I'm sure your brother and his family will love it! We have a twin-sized quilt (one of the first twin-sized quilts I ever made) that lives in our living room during the winter ... it's just right for staying cozy and warm on the couch or recliner!

Jade said...

This finish is just beautiful. I love the color choices - perfect for a brother. And polka dots are always a good choice. :)

Jan said...

What a delightful quilt. Your brother is sure to love it.

Karens Quilts, Crows and Cardinals said...

It's adorable Amanda -- great job and I love the fill in the gaps binding. Perfect...

AmandaK@whatthebobbin said...

I love the back. Nice touch.

Paula said...

Love the quilt!!

Lorna McMahon said...

Congrats on such an inspiring finish! Your brother will be very pleased. I love how you incorporated those blocks in your backing and added the dots for the binding. If you did not say, I would have thought it was all part of the grand scheme! Very nicely done!

Cindy said...

Love all of the polka dots and the colors. Wonderful quilt.

Julia Graber said...

Yes indeed. Your brother is getting a lovely quilt, so fitting for a man! Thank you for hosting "Finish It Up Friday."

Selfsewn said...

I think it's a very suitable quilt for a man! Love that polka bit, you should make it your signature.
Thanks for your measurement post, I am using it for my quilt which I am loving especially switching the blocks around x

Lana said...

That is a beautiful quilt.
I bet that will be a very much loved quilt....

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

I love that quilt! I hope it is well loved and used lots and lots. :)

RugratRodeos said...

What a gorgeous quilt! And I love the snowy back-drop- makes me want to curl up on that quilt with a big mug of hot-chocolate! Well done :0)

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Fantastic! Wonderful mix of fabrics!

Gemini Jen NZ said...

It is really gorgeous - super colour scheme!

Sue Daurio said...

Oh man, front and back that is one awesome quilt!

Kris said...

Your quilt is beautiful and I love the 3 blocks on the back!

Susie said...

This colour combination is just stunning! Well done.

Tennjenny said...

that's gorgeous, and that first pic is just fantastic.

Elise Lea said...

What a beautiful quilt! I love the colors and the way the whole thing turned out!

Locket Pocket said...

I love it! What a lucky brother you have! The colours are fabulous x

grapes and hearts said...

Your brother is lucky to have you as a sister :o) Great quilt!!!

Sarah @ mila+cuatro said...

I love the back! (the front is great too, but often I find myself loving the back more)

Sam said...

Fabulous quilt, another project for my to do list! I love the colour scheme you have used, sure it will be a much cherished gift.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

What a perfect quilt this has turned out to be! I'm sure he (and they all) will love it!

Yvonne Campbell said...

I know this one will be loved. Very nice finish!

Tina in Boston said...

It's so nice! I love the colors and the fun polka dot in the binding. I am going to make my brother a quilt! I never thought about it until I saw yours. I think I'll do economy blocks, too! Thanks for the inspiration!

RobinSue said...

Your brother is lucky! This quilt is wonderful. I love the idea of mixing so many fabrics - great stashbuster. I am hooked on the look of the economy block - thanks for the inspiration to get sewing.

cindi said...

love the quilt. i meant to comment yesterday and thank you for the spiral and oval quilting tutorial. i can't wait to try this.

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

Great colors for your quilt!

Brittany said...

I love this quilt, and the back is brilliant; using up the orphan blocks. I almost think it is a lovely as the front.

Helen in the UK said...

Wonderful quilt - I'm sure your brother will love it. Great use of the orphans on the back and love your choice of binding fabric :)

Unknown said...

Your lucky brother and how happy that he is going to USE the quilt just as it should be. :)

margaret said...

think they will be fighting over this quilt, very nice

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

A perfect quilt for a man! This is a super finish! Love how you used up those orphan blocks.

Always In Stitches said...

I love your economy blocks. Most of the I see have a fussy cut center? Where is the economy in that? You have swiss cheese leftovers. No thank you. So my vote is yours is the very best one. I am heading for my stash. You have inspired me.

Unknown said...

this quilt is SOOOOOOOOO gorgeous!!! lucky brother! i love how it looks so old-fashioned. i was happy to see that the instagram link you showed as your inspiration was my friend hannah's quilt! now i must make this pattern too :)

Suze said...

Your brother is going to be thrilled. I hope the quilt is used and used and used. I love the colors. I haven't figured out why the block is called the economy block! Fabric is fabric is fabric. Thanks for sharing a awesome finish.

Clair said...

The red binding is PERFECT!

Crystal said...

Really Beautiful! This is a great quilt for a guy and I love the colors. An excellent job.

Anna said...

Precioso!!!! Es muy bonito.
Anna

Penny said...

Love this block! I make a 12" challenge block each month for our Yakima Valley Quilt Club. We all start with the same fat quarter then add our own fabrics to our own block idea. Could you steer me to the directions for the 12" economy block, please? I've searched but can't seem to find them. Thanks. Penny, huckpw45@gmail.com

Svarta Malin said...

Beautiful!!

Lisa Lisa said...

I absolutely love this quilt! What a nice gift for your brother <3

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

One of my favorites!

Jessica Christensen said...

I love this quilt -- love the pattern, love the colors. Beautiful finish, my dear.

Suzanne said...

The question is...does your brother know that his sis is a hot shot quilter and that if he turns around for too long, many, many folks would jump at the chance to have that quilt drape over their couches? :-) I bet he does, right?!