Friday, June 20, 2014

machine quilting sampler, volume 2

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This finish is very exciting to me, mostly because it's been a long time coming (I started this baby in 2011!), but also because I had to dig deep to find the perseverance to get it done! As much as I wanted to quit some days, I stayed the course and finished it. Hurray! Finishing feels GOOD!!!
This is a machine quilting sampler, so each block is quilted in a different pattern. Some blocks are free motion quilted and some are quilted with a walking foot. Between this sampler and my first one, I only repeated one pattern (by accident). Combined, that is 43 unique quilting designs, which was quite a challenge in and of itself!
I love the big blocks of solid fabrics because they allow the texture of the quilting to shine. Since this was in progress for nearly 3 years, I noticed QUITE an improvement in my machine quilting skills. That was encouraging!
The blocks are joined with a quilt as you go method. It takes some time, because all the seams on the back are finished with hand stitching (!!!), but it was worth it. I also figured out a way to make the binding wider, so it finishes at 1/2". Matching the width of the binding to the width of the joining strips is a little detail that makes a big difference. Imagine a skinny binding around the outside edge...it just wouldn't be the same.
The back is a collection of prints, mostly from Denyse Schmidt's second line for JoAnn's. It feels like a specific date stamp from the past, but in a good way. I love the vintage feel of most of the prints. (Hey. If you are going to do a long term project, pick vintage prints. They will only get better with age. hahahaha!) This would make an excellent picnic quilt...IF I weren't so attached to it!
The quilt measures about 64" x 88".

Because I know someone will ask (and many have already asked about this in the past), there is not a pattern or tutorial available for this quilt at this time, because I teach classes based on this quilt. I have thought about turning it into a class or pattern so it would be available on line, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe someday? I hope so! There JUST aren't enough hours in the day!
One more finish to celebrate this week...I updated my bright birch trees pattern and it is now in print! (Available for wholesale orders only at this time. Contact me if you are interested in carrying them in your shop.) I don't know how many hours it takes to get even the most straight forward pattern to this point...but it's a LOT! (Sometimes it's better not to know, or even think about!) But I'm pleased to have it DONE. Also, that herringbone quilting is one of my favorites of all time, inspired by this genius quilt by Latifah Saafir. I love it so! 
 
Alright, that's all I have for today! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!
finish it up Friday, 6/20/14
1. alidiza  67. Sue@ Quilting The Green Star  
2. Crumb Jar Nines Finished @ Kat and Cat Quilts  68. Modern Free Piecing Pillows  
3. Mary @ SeeMaryQuilt  69. Becca @ bryanhousequilts  
4. Nancy@PugMomQuilts  70. Quilting Nonnie: Caught Up At Last  
5. Michelle's Romantic Tangle  71. Sam @ Diary of a Madfabriholic  
6. Vera @ Negligent style  72. Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts  
7. Pieces of Cotton  73. Alice @Blossomquilts  
8. Cindy@Live a Colorful Life  74. Sarah C. & Friends  
9. Wouldn't It Be Dreadful...?  75. Julia in Mississippi  
10. Nat @ Made in Home  76. Wendys Quilts and more  
11. Janeen@Quilt Art Designs  77. 4th of July Banner  
12. Pat@ColorMeQuilty  78. Frankie Carson  
13. Eva-bambi-Johansson  79. michelle @ sewnhenge  
14. ashley @wasntquiltinaday  80. sunrise quilt & cushion cover  
15. Janeen@Quilt Art Designs 2  81. low volume quilt for charity - Karen  
16. Green Cheese Quilting  82. Lucy @ Charm About You  
17. Carla @ Grace and Favour  83. Katelyn @ Sing While Crafting  
18. Val's Flannel Twister Finish  84. Quilt for Amelia  
19. Cynthia Brunz Designs  85. tubakk, Norway  
20. Beth @ plum and june  86. Quilt for Ava  
21. Jeni B Quilts  87. Amanda @ The Cozy Pumpkin  
22. Jeni B Quilts  88. Julie @ That's Sew Julie  
23. Jan O @ the Colorful Fabriholic  89. Tara @ Stitch Fancy- Flower Quilt  
24. KatyQuilts  90. sally from Sally's Angelworks  
25. River Girl Quilts  91. Anna dress  
26. Heather @ Winding Bobbins  92. Maja  
27. Mary Stori  93. Megan @ Crooked Tail Crafts  
28. Our Busy Little Bunch  94. Anne @ Springleaf Studios  
29. Lynn @ Cats in the Cupboard  95. allison  
30. When Bad Things Happen to Good Quilts @ From Bolt to Beauty  96. Alison@thechainpiecer  
31. Fabric Stamping for Needlebook and more  97. pentagon ball @ sew paint it  
32. Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts  98. Bower Bird Patch; Memory Lane- New Zealand  
33. Kymberly@Peas in a Pod Creations  99. jessica pearl  
34. Bernie @ Needle and Foot  100. Liz @ LizzyClips Design  
35. pat in wi  101. Leanne @ Crystalbrook Cottage  
36. I QUILT FOR FUN  102. Jess @ Quilty Habit  
37. Shauna of Shauna's World  103. Francesca @ Swink Girls Quilt  
38. Debbie @ A Quilter's Table  104. Simple Sewendipity  
39. karen @CapitolaQuilter  105. Em@SewingByMoonlight  
40. Ruth in Canada  106. Alycia @ Quiltygirl- Summer Quiltin'  
41. Darcy @ Modern Cozy  107. kris@Sewsunshine  
42. Needle little Balance: babyquilt  108. Alissa @ Hmm, well here I am.  
43. Needle little Balance: bibs  109. Terri Faust Quilts  
44. Share your FIRST post linky!  110. Julie @ Quilty Sewing  
45. Caffeinated Cotton  111. Gretchen @ My Pieced Life  
46. Jess @ Sew Patched Up  112. LisaAnn @ Making It Up As I Go Along  
47. Jasmine @ Quilt Kisses  113. Jess @ Everything Is Coming Up Rosie  
48. Quilt & Shout  114. Brenda@Scraps and Strings  
49. Geta Grama  115. Anna (The Crooked Banana)  
50. Evie  116. Tita Carré  
51. free pattern  117. Zafira @zarkadia  
52. cath@wombatquilts  118. gina  
53. Fabadashery  119. Mihaela@abeeautifulday.blogspot.com  
54. Marmalade HST @QuarterMileQuilts  120. Needle Books  
55. Sue @ Lappteknik  121. moniique's mess- triangular quilt  
56. Jehnny @ Jenny and the Boys  122. Liz @ Shush's sew together bag  
57. Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Quilts  123. Tulip In My Garden  
58. Kerstin@sunset sewing  124. Quilt Doodle ~ Garden Gnome  
59. Sarah @ Berry Barn Designs  125. Dresden Quilter  
60. A Maxi for my Mini-me  126. Diana @ Red Delicious Life: FMQ kitty cushions  
61. Jennie @ Porch Swing Quilts  127. Kathy@KayakQuilting  
62. Granny Square Pillow from just Quilts  128. Sandra @ Sew in Peace: Sweet Sixteen Baby Quilt Tutorial  
63. Mari @ The Academic Quilter  129. Kim @PersimonDreams  
64. Tanya Quilts in CO  130. Cathy - A Quilting Chick  
65. Patchwork Pillow  131. red and white pinwheels  
66. Crossword Finish @ Nested Threads  132. Melinda @Quiltn in Wilton  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

51 comments:

Kat said...

I LOVE your sampler! The colors on the front are so mellow and really let the quilting shine. Great finish!

Vera said...

What a great samplers!

Live a Colorful Life said...

I really love this version. Maybe someday I will even have one of these quilting sampler quilts of my very own. Fingers crossed. The colors are so pretty in this one.

Quilt Art Design said...

Wow your quilt is amazing! Love all the FMQ you've done too.
janeenvn@gmail.com

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Oooohhh terribly inspiring!!! Great sampler!

Carla said...

Yes, finishing does feel good! A lovely sample of stitches you did. I can only hope to be able to quilt like that on my domestic some day : )

Colby said...

Oh I would love to figure out how to make the binding wider! Are you teaching this class anywhere in the area anytime soon?

Snowcatcher said...

My goodness, this is all kinds of awesome! I have a quilt-as-you-go project that's been hanging on the quilt rack for years and years and years. You've made me want to get that baby finished!

Spectacular quilting!

River Gril Quilts said...

A terrific sampler! Thanks for sharing so much of your quilting with us.

Ellomee said...

WOW!! I am inspired! Wonderful quilt detailing - so beautiful!

Karen @runsewfun said...

Third row down, first square - medium bright blue: SWEET! How did you do that? Walking foot and elongated zigzag stitch?
Also, rain all week plus a humming machine equals a finished Scrapbasket Quilt Along top! Now to choose a backing...

Amanda Jean said...

Karen,

thanks! I did a post about my amoeba quilting here:

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2012/06/machine-quilting.html

it's free motion quilting. hope that helps!

also, woohoo for a quilt top! way to go.

Amanda Jean

Amanda Jean said...

Colby,

Nothing scheduled at this time, but maybe we can remedy that?

AJ

Izzy said...

There is so much I love about this one! Thank you so much for sharing. :-)

Anonymous said...

the color scheme of this quilt is so peaceful and serene. really very nice!!

Unknown said...

That is gorgeous! I'm hand-quilting one right now that has several large blocks and I'm trying to make a different quilting pattern in each one- it's hard!

Debbie said...

oh I love this! Such a great resource plus it's just downright beautiful!

Jehnny said...

What an awesome idea- a quilt that improves machine quilting skills at the same time! I'm totally putting that on my list to do (but, um, without the hand stitching on the back. So I might need to find a different way of doing that..one that doesn't involve the inevitable picking of fingers and blood).
Beautiful quilt!

Darcy said...

Your quilting is absolutely stunning - just LOVE how they look all together :-)

Needle little Balance said...

Your sampler looks amazing!

Anja said...

Wow, that must have been so much work. It was totally worth it though - this quilt is amazing.

Judy said...

That is a lovely quilt!

I have a suggestion to get rid of the hand work. Marguerita McManus and her daughter has a quilt-as-you-go system that does not involve any hand sewing. The book is called Crazy Shortcut Quilts plus she has several others. It has been a God-sent for getting large quilts done without handling large amounts of quilt in my standard sewing machine. Or the time consuming process of hand-quilting with my hands going to sleep from holding that tiny needle.

Sue @ Quilting the Green Star said...

That's such a good idea to make a sample quilt, my samples are just in a box and I don't take them out often.now I will have a go at joining them together so I can see them every day and get rid of another box too. Thank you for the inspiration Amanda and sharing your idea.

Blossom quilts & Crafts said...

Well done on finishing your long time WIP. I really like the concept!!

Lorna McMahon said...

Your work is always inspiring and this finish does not disappoint. Love the detail of the quilting samples from the front and the vintage prints on the back. The matching width for the binding was a brilliant idea and looks fabulous. Well done!

Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore said...

That's a very clever idea to do a sampler quilt like that. It must be pleasing to see an improvement in your quilting over the time that it's taken to make the quilt. I like projects that take time - I tend to remember other things that were going on around me while I making the quilt. It's too good for a picnic quilt at the moment - wait a few year for that!

Knitwitsowls said...

I could see a baby loving this quilt because of all of the textures! an excellent make and nice to see your improvement!
Frankie
http://www.knitwits-owls.blogspot.co.uk/

cindi said...

Love this. What a great way to try out so many fmq designs without the pressure of doing a whole quilt. Check out "thequiltingedge" for a fabulous qayg technique all by machine. It works beautifully. No hand sewing the back. Yea!!!!

Schulz Family said...

I started doing something like this years ago. Now I see yours I am inspired to pull out my one and only block and actually make a sampler quilt. What a fab idea.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

A memory quilt of quilting! I love those DS prints and the quilting patterns all look great! Congratulations on finishing your pattern update too :)

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

I absolutely love this idea of a quilting sampler. Something I really should do because I can use all the help I can get with free motion. My first time linking up too. Had a big finish to a project I was struggling with too.

Caffeinated Cotton said...

Sounds like you dug deep and finished some things that weren't always so "fun" to work on. Thats gotta feel good. Really interesting quilt. Great job.

Kari said...

I am a shop in Wishek ND Rumpelquiltskin :) I have to order this pattern for my shop. I have been following your blog for a couple years now, it is so gooood!!
Please email me how I can get this pattern, ok info@rumpelquiltskin.com Thanks

P11otter said...

This quilt is very beautiful! Love the colors to!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Congrats on getting the pattern in print, that is a very big deal.

Suzanne said...

This is indeed a FANTASTIC Friday Finish. Kudos! I still would like to try a QAYG with blocks. Someday.

Karen H said...

Lovely sampler! This is a very stunning quilt.

Karen H said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Penni Domikis said...

I love your quilting sampler. These are super great ideas.

ValerieH said...

Love the pattern and colors! Wonder what a border would be like.]?

margaret said...

what a beauty and today at our MQG they did a lesson on quilt as you go then I come home and see yours, how good that was as I would not have understood yours without the lesson

margaret said...

what a beauty and today at our MQG they did a lesson on quilt as you go then I come home and see yours, how good that was as I would not have understood yours without the lesson

Anonymous said...

What a fun quilt. Quilting sampler or not, I like the big solid blocks with those borders between them.

maroccanmint said...

Amazing! And inspired so much :)

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said...

Beautiful quilting! And such a great idea to practice your quilting.

Laura said...

Love this! Making a FMQ sampler quilt of some kind is definitely on my bucket list. Maybe one day...

mimi'sdarlins said...

This is one of the prettiest quilts I've seen! I love all of your quilting patterns, and to me this quilt has two fronts, both sides being equal in beauty. I have done this QAYG technique several times, and I agree it is very timing consuming, but always worth the work. Congrats on a beautiful finish!

Unknown said...

Love your quilt! Your blog is such an inspiration to me!

FlourishingPalms said...

I'm really regretting that I haven't been following your blog until today, especially since I feel like I know you through IG. Your free motion quilting is wonderful, Amanda! All you put into your Quilting 101 series of posts is just great. I sense you're a quilter who's much like me. You're just way younger! :-) This sampler quilt is marvelous. I can really appreciate the time you put into it, and I'm sure it will be a fabulous example to share with your students. They should be very grateful to have you as their instructor.

Barbara said...

I would really love to take a class built on this quilt with you. I hope you offer it online soon. This is a less intimidating way for me to learn to quilt on my machine. And I'd love to learn how to quilt as I go. Please do consider making a class soon.

Barbara said...

Oh please make this into an online class people far away from you can take! I'd love to gain some confidence with my FMQ and this quilt really is an attractive way to do that! It could be a block of the month QAL!!!