when last (and first) i mentioned it, the quilt i am making for layla was just 5 separate blocks. very shortly after that (because making and attaching blocks was actually way more fun than i expected), it was a 4x4 block quilt top:
love and love and love it!
seems like i was almost done, right? ugh. no. you have to actually quilt it now. this means putting the padding in between my top above and a backing fabric and attaching it all together by running stitches all over the place. there are hundreds of books and blogs devoted to this portion of making a quilt that i wanted to so cavalierly overlook. apparently all i had done was the easy and fun part. now was the trial by fire.
i failed. i failed so hard, yall.
this is actually technically a quilt. there is padding sandwiched between backing fabric and my pretty top. all it technically needs is binding trim all around the edges.
oh but it's so bad you guys. i have not the patience for the diligent and perfectionist pinning that assembling a quilt requires. after an hour of crab walking all over this thing taped to my kitchen floor i was starting to wonder how grannies turn these mothers out without keeling over. so i sort of rushed it so i could just move to the next phase and start sewing it all together (classic me). since my top and bottom layers weren't evenly smoothed and pinned as such i got nasty gathering and bunching (even my walking foot couldn't save me).
sick!
no ma'am!
and let's flip over to the back. i adore the fabric i picked and think it's just right for layla because it's pink yet has lots of the slate color to de-girly it a tad and it has flowers but also plain tiny dots in beige.
if you stand this far away it's not atrocious
some of my quilting line junctions are even nice-looking
but then you spot things like this:
oh, the shame. there was much gnashing of teeth and tearing of tunics when i saw this. i could have maybe overlooked the front bunching because of all the colors and patterns distracting from it. but like gandalf told the balrog, i must tell this epic nastiness: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
so this is my best buddy for the next few nights:
ye olde seam ripper. good thing i know myself enough to have bought the full-sized ripper for extra-dumb sewers. and a sarcastic goodie good that i triple quilted this thing....3 times the fun!!! at least my burn is healing nicely.
at
2:12 PM
All my great-grandmas quilts look like that... I never known anything different. I think it's beautiful. She'll love it!
ReplyDeleteUm it's gorgeous. I am especially in LOVE with the back! I'm too scared to even attempt a quilt... it's on my bucket list at least.
ReplyDeleteO M FREAKING G. hold the phone. that looks AMAHZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am so impressed, even with the bunching and whatnot. it's totally gorgeous. and i am sure i would have done the same exact thing and rushed through it, only to have to spend a million hours ripping the seems....so, at least you're in good company.
ReplyDeleteummm...let me (the most ignorant sewer in the world) just say that I don't see a thing wrong with any of those pics of the front! Literally can't spot 1 defect. I know you will be perfectionist about it :) But I would gladly let me warm me at night with no judgement :)
ReplyDeleteHoly moly moly.... that quilt is amazing!!! You are amazing!! I am so impressed.
ReplyDeleteACTUALLY, you are brilliant because you just taught Layla the story of the Tortoise and the Hare- quilt style.
ReplyDeleteQuilt top looks amazing! Don't beat yourself too much about the quilting - it's going to be great!
ReplyDeleteJust remember, every time you sew you learn something. It just so happens that you learned a big something this time.
Seriously though, quilt top looks fantastic!
I have broke many a smaller seam ripper on many things! Glad you got the heavy duty.
ReplyDeleteOoh... I also think that the crazy quilters out there have these giant machines that they put the fabric through, ya?
ReplyDeleteTotally amazed you could put all those squares together to look so delicious, and have the back match too. Unt uh! If I'd gotten that far, I'd call the President to declare a national quilting holiday in my honor. Can you believe Erin is making a quilt in South Africa?? You two could be the beginning of a Dukes tradition!
ReplyDeleteThe quilt top is gorgeous Keight!!! The quilting part will come, it's my least favorite part too...I'm never sure what I want to do and most of my quilt tops sit around for a few weeks or months before I finally sit down and make myself finish it. Binding is my favorite, hope you like it too!! Layla will love the quilt forever. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful. Layla will cherish that her mom made her something so gorgeous and special. You made me laugh with the you shall not pass comment! You need to go to YouTube and watch sir Ian mclellan on acting. You will love it!
ReplyDeleteBakingmommy :)