Friday, June 02, 2017

pink flamingo gingham quilt top

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I finished my gingham quilt top! Piecing a king size quilt in less than a week during the first week of summer break may not have been my smartest idea ever, but it's done! Hahaha! I love how it turned out!!!!
This baby is huge, measuring about 108" x 100". I'm pleased that there is plenty of overhang on the sides, so it should still be plenty large after quilting and washing/drying. I did not use a pattern at all, I just did my own quilt math. (It was pretty simple!) The individual squares finish at 4". I am very happy with the scale of squares in relation to the size of the quilt.... I think it's just right! The colors used are all Kona cotton: white, pearl pink and pink flamingo.
I've got an idea for the backing, but I'm still trying to decide how to quilt it. I was thinking about doing a simple stipple all over, but I'm not sure. If you have any brilliant ideas, I'd love to hear them! :)
Last week I had a few questions about what kind of thread I used to quilt the big nines quilt, so I thought I would answer that here. I used a 50 weight thread, Aurifil 2615, which is a lovely light gray color. I love it because it blends with all the lighter fabrics, but it's still not too stark on the darker fabrics. It's definitely a keeper!
Also, I plan to start the quilt along for the June quilt next week! It will be very laid back and informal. I'll share a few simple instructions each week, and you can sew along with me if you choose to. You can share photos of your projects on social media so we can see your progress. I think it will be fun! The quilt in the book measures 85" square, but I plan to share measurements for making a smaller sizes. At this point I'm thinking about baby and lap sizes. How does that sound?

Now, it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week! I've extended the time so that link ups will be open an extra day (ending on Sunday afternoon rather than Saturday afternoon, my time.) We will try that for a few weeks and see how it goes!

That's it for me today! I hope you have a great weekend!


26 comments:

Alison V. said...

This is so cool! I am thinking that I might also participate in the June QAL! :) :) :)

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

I think it looks fantastic! For quilting, what about using quite a strong pink to quilt parallel lines down the middle of each paler row and column and then lighter pink to do something similar across the rows with darker squares - sort of merging a tartan and a gingham?

Mari said...

I love your gingham quilt! For quilting, I would definitely go with something swirly or curvy to add contrast to all the straight lines. Looking forward to the quilt along!

Melissa Corry said...

Your quilt is so fun!!! I love how soft it looks in those beautiful pinks ;)

Bernie Kringel said...

Well that was fast!! This is such a simple design which is good for a king size bed. I agree with stippling or some sort of swirly simple pattern so you have curves with the patchwork pattern. Very nice !!

Kate said...

Yay, I was wondering if there would be a QAL! I hate string quilts, but I'm going to take your book advice and dive into my stripe fabric instead.

Pieced Brain Quilt Designs said...

Love the quilt! I've been meaning to make one.

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

The gingham quilt top looks great and drapes beautifully!

Anna said...

oh goodie! I'm so in for the quilt along. fun! And love the quilt top!!!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Looking forward to the QAL like so many others. I should look for a background fabric now.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Amanda,
How wonderful that you got the quilt top all together. Aren't you just SO pleased with it? I am thrilled to see it. Maybe I'll check into the QAL. I've never joined one. ~smile~
Roseanne

Thimbleanna said...

You're a Speed Demon Ms. Crazy -- it looks wonderful! When I made a black and gray gingham quilt (queen size) for my son, I did straight-line 1/4" quilting on both sides of every seam and I loved how it turned out. Nice and straight and simple -- perfect for a guy quilt.

EBattles said...

Yes, please, to a baby and lap size QAL! That's doable during the summer break : ) Your summer productivity is AMAZING!

em's scrapbag said...

However you quilt your gingham quilt will be wonderful. You always do a beautiful job. I like the idea of straight lines in grid to go along with the gingham pattern. I use the same Aurifil grey thread for the same reasons. It is great!

pingraham said...

I love your pink flamingo quilt top! You asked about sizes for your quilt along - YES! Since getting your book, I've wanted to try this quilt! I pictured a lap size quilt with many colors, but Christmas fabrics. I was afraid that the scale might be too large for a lap size but wasn't sure. I'd love for you to do the math for me! Ha! Thanks for asking, and offering the quilt along!

Angie in SoCal said...

It turned out so neat. Since it's straight lines how about a curvy quilting motif.

catinthegrass said...

The quilt top looks fantastic! If it were mine (and some thing like it is definitely in my future!) I would use my walking foot and do a continuous orange peel quilting using the square "grid" of the patchwork. Its pretty quick to quilt and always looks way more impressive than the effort deserves...LOL!

Patty said...

As I've been reading the comments, it seems to be about 50/50 on which quilting you should choose :O) If it were my quilt, I would go with the straight lines running horizontal and vertical and I would also focus on texture.

Quilt batting has gotten so thin over the years that I've stopped using 100-percent cotton, for the most part, and have been using blended batting; my favorite has been a blended wool. I have also started doubling my batting so my quilts will be heavier and the double batting have given my quilts a better texture as well.

Cara said...

With the pink, I think it would be fun quilted in loops with the occasional heart. It's very sweet and looks great on your bed.

christine m. said...

Eek! Absolutely love the gingham look!

christine m. said...

Do you have more specific details? how many blocks per row? how many rows? how much fabric in total of each colour?

Betty said...

It looks great! Perhaps you could take a look at what Esther did with her Sufoku quilt
Look here, at the end of her tutorial, it's great:
https://ipatchandquilt.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/baby-baby-baby-sudoku-quilt-tutorial/

KaHolly said...

It came out great! That was a lot of stitching in such a short time! Well done!

Judy said...

It's beautiful! I love the colors. How about orange peel quilting?

Grandma Beth said...

So excited about the QAL. I just got your new book. So many ideas! Your gingham quilt is so pretty and so fast. I'd quilt loops or large swirls to soften the geometrics. But I'm sure it will look great however you quilt it. Blessings!

Andrea said...

Love the fun comments for quilting suggestions...one thought is something that emphasizes what makes a gingham pattern in woven fabric, which is the crossing of colored and white thread to make the three different shades (white, light and dark). Perhaps straight line stitching in a grid using dark pink thread and white thread to give the same crossing pattern as in woven gingham fabric, but you could do crossing colors with something that curves too.

Anyway, fun to see what you are sewing. Happy summer Amanda Jean!