Wednesday, October 21, 2009

building blocks

building blocks
This is what I came up with for the log cabin quilt along that Quilt Dad hosted over on flickr. I only made 3 blocks. I know, lame-o. The layout has been in my head ever since I saw this quilt, which was 27 months ago. No joke. It's so nice that flickr keeps track of things like that for me.
It's pretty simple, but I love simple. In place of my usual stippling, I switched to swirls. Daring, aren't I? Quilting the swirls was really fun, especially since I had just fixed my darning foot. The only thing I don't like is that the tread is too dark for the pieced blocks. It detracts from the design. I guess now that I've made that mistake, I can move on and make new mistakes on my next quilts. :)

I picked out a lime green fabric from my stash for the binding. I think it suits it really well. I was disappointed, because I'm on a fabric diet and I really wanted an excuse to go on the hunt for the perfect binding fabric. Sad, I know.
For the back, I used a solid blue. Someday I'd like to make a quilt like this, but without the pieced blocks- just two solids, quilted, with a fun binding. I guess that's why it takes me 27 months to get around to quilt making. Finish one, add one to the list. :)

The quilt measures 41" x 57".
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In an unrelated note, I have received 149 blocks for the quilts of valor project. AMAZING!!! Thank you! In all I have 150 blocks, which evenly makes 5 quilt tops. Wa-hoo!!! I can't believe it worked out so perfectly! Since that is the case, I will no longer be accepting quilt blocks for this project, in case any of you were procrastinating.

102 comments:

beth said...

I get to be the FIRST to tell you...Wonderful quilt! I love it! AND thank you for organizing such a great project for the quilts of valor! You're an inspiration to us all!

Nichole said...

i did a test swatch of quilting like that before and really disliked how it looked. however, now that i see it on an entire quilt, i realize i should have pushed through and used it. it looks nice and fun!

Mountain Home Quilts said...

lol- even though you only have 3 blocks it still looks fabulous! :)

One Flew Over said...

I can see why you fell in love! Gorgeous!!

Thimbleanna said...

You. Are. The. Master. Love the use of gray -- that's to hot now!

Sew This N That said...

Wow wow wow! This is so beautiful, I love how you have kept it simple and the colours are wonderful, great quilting it really lifts the design :0)
*hugs* Heather x

Cheryl Arkison said...

I LOVE that quilting. I am so stealing it.

Linda said...

I love the simplicity of this quilt! The loopy quilting adds a lot of texture and visual interest to it. Love it!

Mindy said...

I don't think any part of that quilt is lame. It is gorgeous!

Little Penpen said...

what a great idea... three blocks and a gorgeous quilt!

Janet said...

That's a great modern quilt, I think the binding looks perfect.

dutchcomfort said...

Love this quilt Amandajean! Less is definitely more!

We learn from every quilt we make!

wishes, true and kind said...

Well, if only doing 3 blocks is lame-o, you just took it from lame-o to COOOOOOOL!!! Lovely, modern quilt! I'm really liking gray in quilts right now, but haven't tried it yet.

Rene' said...

Now, that's my kind of quilt a long! ;-))) Your quilt turned out beautifully. Congratulations on the Quilt of Valor project.

Theresa said...

What do you mean 'finish one, add another to the list'? I can't even get them finished half the time before I start cutting out another....and usually it's your fault :-)! I really should clean up my act! Lovely quilt, love the colour combo.

Lorraine said...

I love the simplcity of this quilt & how the thread colour is visible in the quilting .

OrangeRoom said...

I'm completely in love with this. The colors are perfection.

em's scrapbag said...

I love the simplicity of this quilt. Makes the log cabin blocks pop!

RosaMarĂ­a said...

beautiful quilt! i love the idea to make a quilt with two solids blocks too.

dolores said...

Amandajean, is that Kona charcoal? I used the Ash in my wonky. I just was talking about you in a thread on ORBC. Someone was asking how others are going to quilt their wonkies and I said if I had seen your's first that is exactly what I would have done. I put this one in my favorites!:)

I see what you have done but how in the world do you make it so flowing and not end up with these straight lines or with too large or too small spacing? That's my problem, spacing.

This one is definately on the top of my to-do list!!

Rose said...

Love your quilting, my dream is to one day be good (or at least decent) at free motion lol.

jessica said...

Lovely - I'm in the process of making a quilt with brown sashing. Never thought I'd use a dark color for sashing, but I'm liking it so far. Will have to think about what thread to use for the stippling.

paulette said...

I love your quilt-simple but stunning! Your quilting is absolutely gorgeous! Pops the quilt! Well done!
Paulette

Jen said...

your quilting is beautiful! You are SO TALENTED! Just thought I'd let you know that I found your blog about a year ago and you (along w/ a couple others) inspired me to learn to quilt and start my own blog! I used all your tutorials to teach myself how to do everything! Thank you for sharing with us all your beautiful work!

allsewnup said...

I love this for its simplicity.

Carolyn

CitricSugar said...

Is this one of those things where you pan your own work so that others will compliment it?? :-)

The quilting is fantastic and I think you might be wrong about the darker thread - there are only three blocks (not lame, by the way..) and a whole lot of background. I love how the quilting stands out! This quilt really does seem to be about the quilting so embrace it. It is very modern and I might have to do something similar in the future...

Very happy that you received so many blocks for the valor project!

jessica said...

Lovely - I'm in the process of making a quilt with brown sashing. Never thought I'd use a dark color for sashing, but I'm liking it so far. Will have to think about what thread to use for the stippling.

Andi said...

Lovely!!

Bonnie said...

Sometimes we all need a simple quilt, and this one is beautiful! I just love the swirl pattern for the quilting, that is the first thing that I noticed.

Dandelion Quilts said...

I like it. And, I like the dark thread, too.

Anonymous said...

That's really lovely. I love the simplicity of it - and now I'm inspired to make something equally simple...

Renee said...

Wow - 3 blocks - I love it! The colours are fantastic and the impact is huge. The binding really sets it off.

... another quilt into my queue. :)

Kristin said...

This is gorgeous! And it gives me an idea for something I might actually, maybe, be able to get accomplished on a reasonable time frame. My wonderful new little baby is definitely limiting my quilting opportunities!

Julia said...

I love it! Very manly!

Erin said...

Amandajean, I LOVE the swirl pattern! I have to get better at stippling before I try it out.

I always love your color choices :) Great work. And bless you for putting together all those quilts for such a great cause.

Aimee said...

I really, really like the swirls! How fun!!! I've thought about doing a completely solid quilt too. Mostly because it would be so fast, but I also think it would look really neat. Maybe even a big one to go on my bed. If I find just the right color sheets...I just might do it sooner than later!

ZippyZippy said...

I love that simple quilt, very striking, stipple looks great too, I love stipple, but am only a beginner at it. I have a quilt ready to quilt and am trying to decide weather to attemp all over stipple.

Lurline said...

Love your quilt and thanks for the link to the tutorial!
Hugs - Lurline♥

Unknown said...

Love the design. A great use for just 3 blocks.

Angela Nash said...

Wonderful quilt! I have a drak-sashed top that need to be quilted and I'm unsure what color thread to use. I don't want the lighter block to be obscured. What would you do, if you had a do-over? Right now I'm thinking it needs to be two seperate threads - one for the sashing and then quilt the blocks in white. Thoughts?

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

love the little quilt. Who gets it?

Alissa said...

I is so so great! I'm finding myself more and more drawn to simple. Solids. They are so great. Wonderful quilt!

ale balanzario said...

What a lovely quilt, love the grey, even I have never made a gray quilt, love how you use it, and how the other colors give live to it. wonderful job you did with your free motion quilt. WOW.

Congratulations, your quilt is so beautiful.
Ale

Ariane said...

I love your quilt. It looks wonderful. I love the quilting too. I'm going to have to do that with one of my quilts soon. It looks so nice.

jacquie said...

i love gray...and the binding just makes it...perfect!

Sherry said...

Hi AmandaJean. I LOVE this quilt! I also love the quilted swirls. It looks great. Congrats on another wonderful finish! WooHoo!

Sophia said...

Love the colors on this! You have made me want to branch out and try grey! The quilting is awesome!!!

Angie said...

Nice quilt, and great that your number of blocks turned out just right.

Danielle said...

Love these colours together, so beautiful. And the swirls are perfect! Love your work!

OurCrazyFarm said...

I think the dark thread keeps everything flowing together, rather than having the 3 blocks "pop" out. Very beautiful! I love the colors!

debra lynn said...

Love it!

Chara Michele said...

I absolutely love, love, love the green with the grey in this quilt! :)

Unknown said...

I absolutely love this quilt, just so plain and simple, just perfect! Why don't I come up with things like this, I think a quilt has to consist of as much pieces as even possible, but it is just the simplicity of this that gives it its beauty! Perfect color match too! Thanks for the inspiration!

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

Wonderful, very graphic design; great quilt! The swirley quilting adds a nice texture.

Sølvis blog said...

Love your quilt. So simple and so special

Jessica Christensen said...

Such a self-deprecating post from such an amazing woman! My friends, Pam and Becky, would tell you to "take it back." See, the difference between you and me is that you wait the 27 months. I just charge right in and never finish hardly anything. You inspire me to want to be a better finisher. You have seriously helped me realize that I actually CAN finish things. How's that for a daily affirmation?! = )

Karen said...

Simply stunning! I love the swirls!

becki said...

Love the quilt! It's very Denyse Schmidt! Great job, I always look forward to your creations!

silversmith said...

i love this quilt! simple and dramatic.

on your sidenote...if you get more QOV blocks, you can always send them my way and i'll work them into another QOV. you inspired the one i'm working on right now - a confetti quilt.

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

Oh no. I love the dark thread quilting and the swirls. I love that quilt. So simple yet inspiring! You know? I may have to try this one. How hard could it be?

Laurel H. said...

Love. This. Quilt. Wow! The simplicity of the three blocks is what makes this quilt so beautiful, IMHO.

Your dedication to the QOV project is inspiring. I am a part of a charity sewing group, and in just over three years, we have created over 10,000 pieces (we do more than quilts/blankets), and it is a wonderful feeling to be a part of something like that. I recently have been exposed to something much more personal; a friend's home went up in flames, and I have been wondering if I should create quilts for the 9 of them. After reading your blog, I am giving it serious thought.

Jeri said...

Gosh I just love this quilt! I like it more than the original one, probably because these colors just pop! The loop de loo quilting is really fun and whimsical. Really, really love it!

Jeri

Lisa at Sun Naturals said...

Love the quilt!

Calico Road said...

Very nice! The swirls are so fun!

Janet said...

Less is more in this quilt. Can you tell us what thread and weight you used? I love the way it shows on the quilt.

Jennifer said...

I love the colors and the quilting! The swirls are a nice contrast to the blocks. :)

Valerie said...

I really love the quilting on this one, and I love how the thread looks on the solid parts.

Amanda Jean said...

janet,

i used thread from connecting threads on this one. it's thick and 100% cotton. it really does show up on the quilt, doesn't it?

aj

Amanda said...

Simple yet satisfying!
I admire all your work.

Crafty Girls Workshop said...

I love that quilt! So simple, hey at least you MADE 3 blocks, I didn't make ANY! Argh, I hate to admit that. What colors did you use for the solids? Are those from Kona cottons? They are so rich! Yummy, thanks for sharing. I love the quilting design too. Oh and I love that 365 days of quilting blog. Isn't it awesome!?

Anna

Roxanne said...

Love it! less is more!!

Brandi said...

I really like that quilt! I like how simple, and elegant it is!

Jessica said...

I love simple and swirls! Great!

Diane said...

The swirls look great!

leigh said...

love the simplicity, love the quilting.

i've been wanting to make a solid quilt like that for some time too. actually, several, in several different color combos. maybe one day i will . . . .

rosehippo said...

Your quilting is AMAZING. I love the simplicity of just the three blocks. They pop, as my mom would say.

pratima said...

Love the simplicity of this quilt with your beautiful quilting... the swirls are lovely!

jessica said...

I love your swirly quilting, it looks so smooth! great job!

Sweet Baby Jamie said...

I love the simplicity!! It's fabulous, not lam-o at all!

Kristin said...

It is stunning!

Red Pepper Quilts - Rita Hodge said...

Lovely quilt! Simple designs with stunning results! Love the quilting too.

Rita

marty said...

I love the blue and slate. How simple and pretty

Sarah said...

I love the loopy quilting! More motivation to practice free-motion quilting...

Kate said...

I really like the loopy loop quilting. I'm going to try that on my next quilt. Have you seen pebble quilting? That looks interesting too.

Love your work!

Aimee said...

Really cute, Amanda! I love the loopy quilting.

As a newish quilter, a question: would it be terrible to use a different colored thread for the pieced blocks & something else for the sashing? I know the overall loops would have to go around your pieced blocks, but I'm just trying to picture it in my head. I've never used more than one color (or variagated) thread when quilting.

Allie said...

Your quilt turned out beautiful!

Beth said...

I actually like that the thread is a little dark. It really makes the quilting "pop." This works because you only have three blocks. I LOVE this quilt. I may have to copy....

Beth

Margaret T. Zenk said...

Love it. I have some orphan blocks and now I know what I must do. My machine quilting skills are less evolved but I have an idea that involves ombre thread and straight lines. Thanks for the inspiration!

AnyoneCanQuilt said...

Love this quilt! Of course, I love all of your quilts. :) Your circle quilt really caught my eye too! I have a stack of small vintage feedsack circles that I picked up at a thrift store. Looking at your quilt makes me want to get working on those circles!! x

Alaskan Vaughans said...

Wow, that first photo is absolutely gorgeous. Simple is better, I guess, it's beautiful!

Alaskan Vaughans said...

Wow, that first photo is absolutely gorgeous. Simple is better, I guess, it's beautiful!

Beth Karese said...

The blocks pop! The background was a great choice (and one I wouldn't have thought of). Looks great!

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

i love the simplicity.. i made 3 blocks as well.. twice actually.. and used one set in a doll quilt.. and one to make a table runner... but i'm hooked.. lots more wonkyness on the way!!

Holly said...

Very pretty. I am gonna try that quilting pattern.

What Comes Next? said...

I love the simplicity of this quilt! Gorgeous, and if you hadn't mentioned the thread being dark on the pieced blocks, I wouldn't have noticed - honest!

Katie said...

Wow! Love your blog. I just came across it via Sew Mama Sew. Your ticker tape quilt is great. I can't wait to make one. I also love the simplicity of this one. It's such a great idea. I totally get the whole fabric diet thing, too. It's almost harder than a food diet!
Katie
http://adelaidelemonade.typepad.com/

SeeLifeMarvels said...

Love this! I am brand new at this but seeing this beautiful simple quilt made me realize I can do this! Thank you for the inspiration.

happy zombie said...

Seeing what you did with your 3 LC blocks... all the rouge twozie and threezie blocks in the back of the cupboard are squealing with delight that they might get to see the light of day again!

Your quilt is so stunning. PROOF that less is more.

Rebekah said...

what a darling quilt! I love your new swirly quilting. might have to try that soon!

heather said...

i LOVE the twirls, swirls!! GREAT job!!! LOVE IT!!!

heather said...

i LOVE the twirls, swirls!! GREAT job!!! LOVE IT!!!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful quilts! I love to look at them.