Whole Cloth Heaven :)

It's raining here. . . has been raining for over 12 hours straight - time to break out the ark! I finished the whole cloth quilt!! I'm impatient so I set up some lights. . . and took pictures. . . I know, not the perfect situation but the pictures are not that bad. . . ;)

I am so excited about this finish! My head is still wrapping itself around all of the things I learned in Cindy's class - both from Cindy and from the other students. That was another wonderful thing about a live class - the sharing of information was constant! Talk about information overload!! In a really good way :D Here are the pictures and then I will share with you some of the major lessons I learned in the process. Umm, this post is a little picture heavy. . .

 And the back :)

Quilt Stats: 
Size: 30" x 30"
Fabric: Dupiani Silk for the front and binding (I used every inch of a 1 yard cut and got REALLY lucky that I had enough for binding! No left overs with this one!!) and the backing is from my stash.

Thread: Let me count the ways! Middle lavendar and blue just outside of that is Isocord 50 wt. The scrolls were outlined in a Superior Thread Rainbow. The blue border outlines were done in 12 wt Aurifil (LOVE!!). The ribbon candy and square spirals were done with Superior Thread Metallics. The red outlining the palm prongs is King Tut 40 wt.

Batting: Quilter's Dream Wool. . . of course ;)

What did I learn in making this quilt? Biggest lesson, if you have a chance to step outside your box and comfort zone, DO IT!! I came very close to deciding not to go to the class. I would have missed out on so much! 

This quilt design was done 100% with stencils! Isn't it amazing what you can do with stencils?? I had tried stencils in the past with way less than spectacular results! I now find myself looking at them in an entirely different light . . . and yes, there might be one or two new ones on their way to my house ;) 

The order of quilting when doing a WCQ is important. . . I wish I had known that when I did the family tree quilt! The rule of starting from the middle and working out (on a domestic) is thrown out completely. The 'big bones' of the quilt are done first (for this one I did the inside scrolls first and then the palm prongs around the outside). Then go to the secondary lines - like the blue borders in my quilt and the echoing. Then the fill can be started. At this point the quilt is completely secured so it doesn't really matter where you start filling.

Fills take time. . . and thread. . . and patience! :) And they can be done too densely (I think the scribble fill that I did in the blue and around the palm prongs could have been a little less scribbled) but once you have started it one way - you are committed. . . ripping is NOT an option. Especially on silk. I also think that the lines on the cross hatch fill could have been a little farther apart. 

Doing some semi dense quilting around the outside border of the quilt helps with getting it squared up and with binding. I mean quilt where the binding is going to cover - tack that outer edge down enough so it is not bobbling around just looking for the chance to form a tuck when the binding is attached.

There were many more things learned while making this quilt. It's my first one and I certainly was not expecting perfection. It has been a wonderful learning experience! I already have my next several in the planning stages. . . they will involve linens!! More on that soon. . . 

Linking up with Finish it Up Friday. Always SO much inspiration to be found on Fridays!

Until next time, keep on quilting!