03 April 2017

My Queen Size Quilt


I have 25 blocks to share with you in this quilt and I want to show you every single one!

Each block tells a story of how my free hand machine quilting has evolved, they show things I learnt along the way, they show that you can free hand machine quilt while not having had much experience and they show that a big quilt can be quilted on a domestic sewing machine - and still turn out ok (or awesome).



My amazing quilt-holder-uppers did an amazing job despite the wind.  Featuring Trouble, the patient and friendly dog.


Many quilters say that a finished quilt is better than a perfect quilt, and I have to agree.  If I was to give up at the first imperfection, this wouldn't have been finished and it wouldn't be looking so happy on our bed.

From a distance, this quilt doesn't look so special.  It's simple patchwork, plain fabric, 25 squares, each one 17x17 inches.  No big deal, right?

Things I have learned:  apparently solid fabric is scary for quilters.  It shows off the quilting much more than fabric with a design.  I, unknowlingly, boldly started with an intimidating project. I knew I had to NOT think about this fact too much at the beginning or I might have crippled under pressure - I wanted to quilt each square differently.

I know that with a large quilting project, it is better (not always best) to start quilting from the center, so that's what I did.  But, I'm going to reveal one block at a time, left to right, top to bottom - not in chronological order.



So, here's the first block!


I hope you like it - and more than that, I hope you are inspired to try for yourself!  This looks complicated, but when it's broken down it's really simple.  My inspiration for this design comes directly from Lori Kennedy, from one of her (many awesome) tutorials I found with Pinterest.  Here is a link to Lori's original post.

I began with a chalked line showing me where the squares were - another thing learned, that it's easier working on a smaller area, then moving on to the next area.  The flowers above were my second try (the first try on a different block didn't go so well, but it still looks awesome, and that's part of the learning process).  The leaves were an improvisation.  But, by this stage, I had a little more confidence to play.

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Thanks so much for visiting!

H xx






5 comments:

  1. Anonymous03 April, 2017 17:05

    I like the pic in the middle of the 3 '25 ideas' pics down the bottom. It invites me in to explore and click on the link - even though I have no quilting experience and am quite hopeless with a needle and thread! Am not intending to branch out and go crafting - but that pic makes me want to ;-)
    - <3 Rachel B.

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  2. Notchka28 May, 2017 00:40

    I like this block a lot, the scale of leaf/flowers kind of reminds me of a tropical wall paper I've seen, or those two colour Hawaiian quilts 🌺

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    Replies
    1. Holly May B28 May, 2017 05:46

      Oh, I'll have to look up Hawaiian quilts! I was thinking it's almost similar to tapa cloth style, too. Have you heard of welsh quilts? Go, look them up on Pinterest!

      Delete
  3. sue.denike@gmail.com02 April, 2021 10:36

    Just came across this post and I have to say I love your quilt - such a treasure to see your skills grow and how quickly they evolved! Gives me hope for my attempts.

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    Replies
    1. Holly May B19 April, 2021 10:43

      Thank you, Sue! They really do evolve as you go. Proof that practice makes better, and every quilt you make will be better than that last.

      Delete

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