He showed me a banner that he had and was wondering if I could make him a quilt along the lines of the banner. I told him I would think about it...and probably do it. It took me five years...sigh..but I did finish it. Listed are the various posts and pictures I took from this project.
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10/10/2011
Well, good intentions and all..go no where if I don't get off my butt and do posts or share information. After 5 years of planning and drawing out ideas and buying fabric and sewing and getting torqued and starting over, I finished the top of a quilt I was asked to make for a friend. I spent three years in the phase one part of planning, buying fabric, cutting it out, trying to put it together; only to be unhappy with the results and start over. I finally got serious about it two years ago..and still was tearing it apart every time I turned around. Finally two months ago, it seemed perfect and I just started sewing. Yesterday, I finished the top. Now I need to contact the quilter so I can schedule a time for her to do it on her long arm. The blanket will be for a King Size Bed. The quilt will go to the floor on three sides. The man I am making this for is a retired Navy Captain and a lover of all things Bear. I showed up at his house a few months ago and told him I needed to lay the panels out on his bed to make sure they would fit. He loved what he saw. Told me that with exception of Polar Bear, all the Bear colors were present. Anyway, here is the top.
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10/12/2011
Very excited today. I spoke with the lady that will be doing the quilting for the Bear Quilt. We meet Friday to discuss the how to's and etc. Just so exciting watching a project come to completion. I was thinking last night about some of the other projects I have done over the years and thought I should post some things on them. I have a baby quilt I made that I made from 20 fat quarters. Was actually quite fun to make. When I have tried to explain it, it sounds complicated, but really is so easy to do. I will sit down, write out the instructions and maybe even make a drawing or two and put it up here.
10/29/2011
Out of the upper regions of my brain floats a fog...and out of the fog, stuff drops. And if I am very lucky, I manage to grab some of the floating stuff before it hits the ground and it becomes a floating thing, an idea, a modified floating thing, working toward concrete and then one day I put it to paper to see if it has merit and then eventually it turns out to be something you touch and feel. Such is how it goes...
Here is the pic of the wall hanging that inspired the bear quilt…
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and the design that came out of it.
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and if you look at the finished quilt, you will see the frame around the bear carried forward, the green background and in the stitching, the leaf pattern and in some cases the pine cone. I had the bear pattern inserted in the border above and below the bear.
11/30/2011
The bear quilt came back from the long arm quilter lady...and is ready for me to put on the bias tape binding I decided to finish it off with.
Below are the pics of the quilted piece. The quilting in the green is hard to see from the front because the thread blends in so well.
And keep in mind that the quilt is lying on my almost full/queen size bed and not on the king size bed it belongs on, and on it, it goes to the floor on three sides.
I like the fact that she left the nose alone. Stands out more.
She said she added wool batting under the bear to round the edges better and to make the trapunto stand out more.
Per my request, the black border has this bear design on top and bottom strip.
12/30/2011
This is the website of the Krista Moser that does the quilting for me. Love her work.
1/12/2012
I seem to be in slow mode as the year is beginning. I had totally hoped to have the Bear Quilt finished, but I am caught up in watching TV in the evenings and hand sewing the binding around the quilt. I have to get myself prepared when I sit down so that I am relaxed and the stitches will stay the same from sitting to sitting.
2/4/2012
Doing so many things and trying to get them all done soon, so I can get some sanity back.
First off, I decided my hand sewing on the binding sucked. So I ripped it all out and started over. Finally got it all pinned and going to finish it up tomorrow..
I hand basted the binding in place, but have found that the new clips I received as a christmas gift work very well at keeping the fabric in place as I move down the fabric. I always find it amazing at what your mind can do when you are a sewing addict and you see tools meant for other jobs and how they just seem to fit into the sewing world. My favorite tool when I am trying to hand flatten seams, or to push out a point after turning it inside out..is a tool used by pottery people to shape their work on the turnstile. It has a really nice point on it, a slightly dull but still sharp edge to flatten seams, and a nice thumb indent to not lose your grip as you are manhandling fabric. In my stash of things is a pair of chopsticks. I use those to reach into long openings to push corners out.
2/11/2012
After lots of brain juice over the past few years...the Bear Quilt is done.. Now all I have to do is deliver it and see it on the bed..
Here are some shots...
Laid out on bed it will go on when complete. I needed to see if the proportions would look right..
When the label goes on for history .. it's done ..
2/18/2012
It was delivered and put on bed ... and to think, Bill, a professional photographer ... took a crappy pic .. and I managed to put my finger in front of the lens on my IPhone.. hahaha
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