The whole thing was nicely indulgent. Now I'm not sure what to do with it. But I trust there will be a chance to gift or sell the quilt before too terribly long.
Anyways, it's soft and scrumptious. Instead of machine quilting, I hand tied the thing all over with pearl cotton size 8 thread. I followed Denyse Schmidt's lead (see her version in Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration
) tying it rather densely with 320 ties in all for this throw quilt. And each "tie" actually has 3 knots, so that's over one thousand ties. Slow, but altogether enjoyable.
You see, I had backed the quilt in Chicopee Corduroy (see previous gushings on this sumptous fabric). The corduroy feels more like flannel - so, so cozy - and gives the quilt extra weight. Hand tying it made me fully aware of the intense softness of these quilting cottons and the delicious puff of it's quilted form.
I'm a fan of tying now. I just love how it leaves a quilt flat, yet still textured. I know those are kind of opposites, but still, it's true. Also, I never get that panicky, I-might-ruin-this-now feeling when I tie a quilt. I'll keep facing that fear at the sewing machine, but a break now and then can't be a bad thing.
As far as design, this Scattered Value layout is so easy to affect. The sparse sprinkling of light churn dash blocks satisfies.
I love how in this bright spot the light value script fabric fairly disappears while the glowing teal pastry voile fabric sings out vibrantly. And the leaves! Did you notice the leaves?
Sigh. How I love each deepening day of autumn.
{Quilt Stats}
**9.5" Churn Dash blocks
**finished size 50" x 72"
**some fabrics donated by Freespirit
**Chicopee corduroy available at Fabricworm
**Chicopee quilting cottons available at Intrepid Thread, Pink Chalk Fabrics, Fabricworm, Fat Quarter Shop, Sew Love Fabrics, Lark Cottons, Stash Modern Fabrics, Mad About Patchwork, Sew Modern.
It's beautiful! I especially love the mustard color. I'll have to try all those ties.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteWhile everything you make is always so beautiful - this is, hands down, my favorite. I was so excited to read that you hand tyed the quilt - seems like that is not the "popular" thing to do nowadays. Another blogger that I love, Alicia Paulson, ties most (maybe all) of her quilts and I adore them. Anywhooo - this quilt is so lucious, everything from the fabric choices to the block choices, to the backing, to the binding, to the tying - you have outdone yourself! One last thing - could you share the audiobook that you listened to - I always love a good book reference.
Thanks so much,
Natalie
Sure! I listened to One Thousand White Women. It's a historical fiction piece that touches on Native American Indians. So moving!
DeleteI recently hand-tied a simple quilt and I agree with you that I never had that dread that I get when faced with machine quilting. But maybe I'm doing something wrong when I say I can't imagine tying a 1000 times. I used a large darning needle and worsted weight yarn to tie my quilt and my hand hurt. Also I had a very difficult time pulling the yarn through the fabric. Is there an easier way? Did you use a special needle? I LOVE your quilt! I especially love the yellow borders.
ReplyDeleteI used a Chenille 24 needle and the pearl cotton, which is much finer than yarn. It works up without too much yanking! I do use my Thimble It pads to protect my fingers during such work.
DeleteThis is so beautiful, Rachel. I love the yellow - it's not a colour that I would normally choose but it really looks stunnig!
ReplyDeleteThis looks absolutely great and green ! Love it.
ReplyDeleteI love that lime/chartreuse sashing!!! How pretty!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! WANT
ReplyDeletegorgeous!! i love churn dash blocks...i love chicopee...i love the look of tied quilts...i love this quilt. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnother great job, Rachel. I haven't tied a quilt since oh, I don't even know. Maybe as a kid with my Grandma. I almost tied one not too long ago just because I wasn't sure how to quilt it. Funny--glad to see I'm not alone in the fear of quilting designs. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty finish. I wish I could reach through the screen and feel the back!
ReplyDeleteso nice, love the sashing color especially.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love your fabric selection. Can't get enough of that Herringbone especially!
ReplyDeleteI love this churn dash quilt. I did not realize you hand tied it. Sweet.
ReplyDeleteI love that you tied it! It's how my grandma taught me and how I've done most of my quilts. I love the look and feel of them. I actually need to finish tying my king-sized beast.
ReplyDeleteLove that you backed it in corduroy. I can imagine how soft it is!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, Rachel! I love everything about it! I read about hand tied quilts and some of them were done without batting. Did you use batting for this quilt since it's backed with corduroy?
ReplyDeleteYes, I did use batting. I definitely wanted it to fill heavy and quilty, so batting was a must. Going without batting is great for a summer weight feel.
DeleteI love it. LOL I almost typed you. But I love you too. You inspire me! I think I am one of your lurkers. I don't think I comment often! But had to on this one! I love the colors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Have a Beautiful Weekend,
Sherry
Haha, thanks Sherry =). Your comment has me smiling this morning! Enjoy your weekend as well!
DeleteI hand-tied my very first quilt, a little thing for my doll. I totally get that "oh my god I'm going to ruin it" feeling every time I start to machine quilt too. I made the mistake of trying FMQ for the very first time on the quilt I'm currently working on and to my perfectionist eyes, I really did ruin it. Luckily my husband didn't think so.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll go back to hand-tying for my next project. My tiny little sewing machine really isn't good for larger projects anyway.
Wow. Not sure what to say,- pretty, beautiful, great, wonderful, sweet..... But anyways I love your quilt and fabrics. Churn Dash is my favorite block to make and see in a quilt.
ReplyDeleteYou can also machine tie a quilt. A bar tack is easy and looks good or a small bit of a decorative stitch. Saves fingers ;-)
Simple and beautiful! I love seeing traditional blocks made in more modern fabrics, although Denyse's collections have such a vintage feel to them. :) The lighter blocks are a fun twist in this design.
ReplyDeleteReally lovely!!!!! I think I will give hand tying a go! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI hand tied my first large (queen) quilt. I enjoyed the process, but I enjoyed more the look on the face of the lady at the quilt shop when I told her that it was my first quilt and that I was going to make it 3 weeks. I did finish it in my allotted time frame and it is now used by my Inlaws.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt,but then aren't they all. I was wondering how far apart did you space your ties
ReplyDeletegaye71353@yahoo.com
Oh, It's been a while! How are you? :)
ReplyDeleteI just love this! And I can just imagine the look, the feel. You've inspired me to tie my next quilt. It sounds like just the way I love to make one - feeling warm underneath it with something good to listen to.
Wow, what a beautiful quilt!! This is my favorite quilt block and your colors are fantastic, so warm and cozy, perfect for snuggling! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete