Sunday, August 2, 2015

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses - Finished Quilt!

I finished this quilt over a week ago. . . since then, I have been trying to figure out how to get a good photograph! It's big. Too big for me to get hung high enough (yup, I'm vertically challenged) and if I'm honest, hung at all without having it drag on the ground or end up in a heap in the dirt. . . and that just won't do! So this morning I enlisted the help of my ever patient husband who is not even a little vertically challenged :)

I showed the flimsy here and added this quilt to my Q3 FAL list (first ever!). I'll be linking up this finish with Adrienne's (On the Windy Side) end of the quarter linky party. Two items on the list done... I need to get moving if I'm going to finish all of it! I started working on the Family Tree quilt yesterday. Have any of you tried ripping out metallic stitching? Umm. . . not.fun. I'm thinking I can cross this one off the list by the end of the week :)

When I was planning the quilting for Hugs and Butterfly Kisses, I kept thinking - overall design. Do not go crazy. Because of the prints, no one is going to see the quilting. . . . I was not able to do it. Hi. My name is Judy. And I am a dense quilting addict. ;) There is a lot of ruler work on this one. What everyone says about practice is true, I'm getting pretty good at keeping those lines straight and actually hitting the mark when I come to the end of the line! Ruler work does take time, but I find it so relaxing - I don't have to think as much about getting stuck, where am I going to go next. I have heard others say that quilting in general is relaxing and they think about other things while they quilt. I cannot do that. If I am doing FMQing I need to stay focused. The minute my mind wanders, so does my quilting ;) LOL

How about some a lot of pictures?? :D
Yup, the second hanger from the right came off the top of the patio.... I couldn't fix it so decided to roll with it ;)
Of course the wind had to come up just when I went out to take pictures. . . that piece in the corner is going to be hand sewn down and I will put my label information there. Yes, I should have sewn that down prior to washing. . .
The colors of the X blocks are a little more true in this picture. When we hung this quilt up this morning, it was the first time I got a really good look at the quilting. . . I am pleased, and grateful it turned out as it looked in my head! Obviously at this stage it is way too late to turn back ;)
The texture is truly amazing! For the border I did piano key and then I decided it needed more so I added circles in every other strip. I think it works well with the plus blocks.
I did those same lines with circles in the middle in every other row of the Xs. And ribbon candy in the alternate rows.
I did stitch in the ditch on the entire quilt before starting quilting. I did half feathers around the X blocks. The dark gray backgrounds got the twirling square design a la Angela Walters and in the light backgrounds I used a back and forth line. It's a little tough to see either of these designs but they definitely serve the purpose of mashing down the fabric around the Xs :)
Don't you just love pictures at angles? :)
Love how the front shows through the back on this picture :) This is Prisma from Studio e, procured from Backside Fabrics. I am in love with this backing fabric. . . I might have it in four colors.... OK, yes, I do ;)
Quilting is absolutely invisible on the back, but the texture is not :)
Last one, promise :) The secondary designs created by the quilting are pretty cool. Not 100% planned but definitely 100% appreciated :)
Quilt Stats:
Post Wash: 85"x 96" Not the biggest quilt I've made but it is up there :)

Threads: I used a total mishmash of threads in this quilt. And a LOT of it. I used an entire 1049 yard cone of Aurifil 40 wt and 4 bobbins of Bottom Line 60 wt thread on the back. . . so double that to include thread on top. Threads included Aurifil and Superior King Tut of various wts and colors.... This was my first encounter with Bottom Line. . . LOVE! Another useful tip from the classes I took with Gina Perkes.

Fabric: The X/+ blocks are made from a bundle of Lizzy House Butterflies. The gray text background is On Time in Ink by Whistler Studios, the white text background is from a text bundle that I bought from Pink Castle Fabrics. The two X (or plus depending on which block you are looking at) block background fabrics are Sunprint Feathers in Charcoal (Allison Glass) and Lazy Stripe in Gunmetal (Tula Pink - True Colors). The purple butterfly stop border is leftover from the backing of Cally's first quilt and I also used it in the pillow cases! :) The binding is Chalk Line Inspirations in charcoal (the same fabric I used in the pillow cases).

Batting: Quilter's Dream wool of course :) I need to source another roll of it. . . yeah, this one is down to probably two more quilts. . . I just love that I can quilt the snot out of a bed quilt and it is still soft, surprisingly so. This is a great benefit of working with a wool bat (this is not a Quilter's Dream only characteristic any wool bat will provide you with the same results).

So now to pack up Cally's quilt, pillow cases, cushion cover and wall hanging (yes, she claimed that too!) and get them sent off to her. She was initially scheduled to move Aug. 1st. Not surprisingly, this has been delayed. We'll find out tomorrow what her move in date will be. My guess is that it will be soon. I need to get this winging across country so it can provide her with mom's quilty hug on her first night of her new adventure! :)

Linking up with Pet Project with Julie over at Pink Doxies, Beth over at Cooking Up Quilts for MCM, Patchwork Times for DWM, Let's Bee Social with Lorna and Finish it up Friday.

Until next time, keep on quilting!
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25 comments:

  1. Great quilt! Love the pop of color the x's make on the gray background.

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  2. Oh my heavens!!! You were NOT kidding!! That is fantastic!!! It is just over the top beautful!!!!!

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  3. Pretty! As usual, you stunning quilting makes it glow. Love!

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  4. It looks amazing, Judy! The quilting is fabulous, and how could you give Callie a quilt with anything less than a completely quilted and well loved work over. :) The glowing of the front from the backing photos is fun, and I *know* that she is going to be so in love with the set. Best wishes that you can get everything shipped to her in time and that the move and transition goes really well!

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  5. It is gorgeous, Judy. Must have taken you a month to quilt this beauty.
    I am vertically challenged too. Thanks to our ever patient and tall husbands. As far as patience is concerned, well, if it takes longer than a weekend, then that is too much time. See, how much patience I have?

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  6. The wallhanging...oh RIGHT! (thanks for the link) How I love that! You have to do more fabric painting. When you sent me the before-husband-help pics, I did not see the secondary stars pattern in the quilting! I love surprises like that. I love the sunlight and angle pics, jaw-dropping as your work always is, so I can imagine (and start to drool contemplate it) how stunning this quilt is in person. I love the every other row circles you did, and yes, I concur, now that I'm getting better at, and more relaxed about, ruler work, it IS almost therapeutic! You should send this to Angela Walters for her Pinterest page. :-)

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  7. I am struggling with the same thing, quilt a lot(custom) or quilt a little freehand all over to get it done! Love the secondary stars!

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  8. I am struggling with the same thing, quilt a lot(custom) or quilt a little freehand all over to get it done! Love the secondary stars!

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  9. I have been meaning to try wool batting but haven't gotten around to it yet. I love the quilt and the quilting. Free motion quilting it so pretty but I haven't gotten the hang of it yet it feels so foreign to me.

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  10. So pretty I'm practically speechless, my dense quilting addict friend. ;) I bet Cally is thrilled, but that may be an understatement.

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  11. It's a great quilt! Love the gray background, and your quilting is spectacular.

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  12. I'm the same way wit FMQ--keep focused so the quilting stays consistent! Relaxing is not the right word for how I feel during or after, haha. Love the quilting you chose! It looks fantastic with the squares, x's and pluses! I love that backing fabric too, although I do wish the print was a little bigger.

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  13. Gorgeous quilt! Congrats on the finish!

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  14. No way I can relax and let my mind wander when quilting! You did a fan-tab-u-lous job on the quilting and I'm sure your daughter will love it forever! I haven't tried wool batting yet but keep hearing good things about it. I love all the detailed quilting you did; it really adds just so much texture.

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  15. Wow - what a quilt!! I'm new to FMQ and just love all the different designs you have done and how they all fit together. Have you any idea how long the actual quilting took?!

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  16. You are funny! Your quilt is amazing and so is the quilting! FMQ is something that I have to focus on too...even then it doesn't always work! I'm amazed when I see what people can do. I cannot imagine FMQ this big of a quilt! I love dense quilting!

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  17. Amazing quilting... as always, Judy. Love all the detail photos. The texture is beautiful. Yes, the quilting has definitely made this quilt truly special! I am in awe!

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  18. Hello, fellow dense quilting addict! This is absolutely gorgeous! All the quilting designs look perfect, and the texture is amazing. What a fabulous gift and I'm sure it will be well loved and used.

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  19. Beautiful quilt! The quilting is awesome! Hooray for crossing one off your FAL list. I'm visiting from "Let's Bee Social"

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  20. I really like the dense quilting on this. It gives really interesting relief effects and works perfectly for me. Love the close up photos!

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  21. "Mom's Quilty Hugs" and Kisses could not be better Judy! I love everything you did, from the pattern and fabrics to the amazing quilting! Cally will have the best looking bedroom in the state! Do you think she'd take some pictures once she gets the quilts and pillows all set up? I'd love to see them all together.

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  22. The quilt is lovely, and the quilting is unbelievable! Beautiful!

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  23. Dense quilting addict, ha ha. If I knew to quilt like you I would probably be addict as well :) Well done!

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  24. Wow - what a lot of work you've put into this quilt. The quilting is fantastic. I totally understand reverting to what you know best and just going with it. It's resulted in a lovely quilt. Visiting as a member of the official 2015 Finish-Along cheerleading squad.

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