Spools
81 x 87
Hand quilted
783 three inch spools.
I made a few spools from scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month from 2014-2016.
I even twirled the seams on all these darned things so they would lay flat. I was glad I did that when I decided to hand quilt.
I am thinking this is truly a "charm quilt" in that no two spools are the same. But I actually am not sure. I keep thinking I see some fabrics in more than one spool but with making spools over a period of years I can't be absolutely certain a particular 1.5 inch scrap didn't get carried over from one year to the next.
It's kind of a fun I Spy quilt (for me).
I like quilts with lots of different fabrics because that's how my paternal grandmother always made her quilts - with lots of different fabrics from old clothes and whatnot. I used to love to inspect the quilt and look at all the fabrics. Sometimes grandma would tell me stories about who wore the dress or shirt and how it was then sometimes made into something else like an apron before it finally arrived in a quilt.
Originally I was thinking of quilting this on my DSM but it looked so "vintage" to me that I just felt it needed some hand quilting. I had always wanted to hand quilt some Baptist Fans so decided this was the quilt that needed it. I hand quilted with ecru (or was it white?) perle #12 that just happened to be on clearance which also convinced me the time was right to quilt some Baptist Fans. I am soooooo glad I made that decision. It just adds to the vintage feel I was getting from this quilt. It also adds LOTs of texture.
I used a piece of dark brown polka dot fabric for binding. I had just enough for eight 2.5 inch pieces width of fabric which I thought would be enough to finish this off. I never actually measure out my binding precisely before I sew it on - I just kind of guesstimate how many pieces I need. When I get down close to where I started I then cut off how much is extra, sew a joining seam, etc. Well...I did NOT have enough binding and no more brown polka dot fabric left to add and nothing in the leftover binding fabrics looked like it would work. But there was a white on white piece of leftover binding in there so I added that and decided it would be my quilt label. I used a sharpie and wrote: "Spools 2017" and my name, city and state. Since I'm terrible at labeling quilts it worked for me. In fact I might use that trick more often.
The backing was a nice sheet from the thrift store. It had kind of a vintage feel too (and even better...it had butterflies).
for
Hand quilting? Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts
LOTs of scraps? Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework
40 comments:
Wow, awesome work! I think it is definitely a charm(ing) quilt!
great use of scraps!!
Congratulation on this awesome finish. Love the picture with the shadows. It shows your quilting so beautifully. It does look vintage. Love the label idea too. Turning a misfortune into an opportunity. Good for you. ;^)
What an accomplishment and such patience. The hand quilting does add to the vintage feel as well as the sheet. All scrappy goodness.
This quilt is wonderful, Cathy! I, too, love quilts like this, made from many different scraps. How neat that you had that experience with your grandmother which really influenced your own path as a quilter! I bet you'll enjoy this quilt for many years toncome!
What a WONDERFUL finish! I LOVE this!!!!! Kathi
What an amazing work! This is lovely!
Wow!!! I just love it!!! It's absolutely gorgeous!!!
So fun to see a RSC finish! Loved watching this one grow and how beautiful your quilting makes this a true heirloom. Enjoy.
Oh my goodness, what a lot of work in this quilt! And the result is awesome. You will enjoy this quilt for years to come, and it represents a little bit of your history. Excellent!
What a charming quilt Cathy. I love it! Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!
Oh my goodness... this might be one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE quilts ever!
I love everything about this quilt!
You must enter it in shows so that everyone can enjoy it!
You are such an amazing quilter!
DId I mention that I LOVE it!?!
Lovely! Congratulations on such a wonderful finish - I am partial to Baptist Fans and yours look just perfect.
OMG I absolutely love your spool quilt!!
and the quilting is also gorgeous. Very well done. Congratulations!!
Fabfinish! Baptist fan quilting is always so perfect for a vintage looking quilt. I'll need to remember your binding/label trick.
What a fine finish, Cathy! Well done. You are one of those quilts who makes blocks over several years and then suddenly has enough blocks for a grand quilt. How I love Baptist Fans, especially on vintage-looking quilts.
I resisted spools for a long time because it seemed that the dominant pattern was ovals (and I wanted it to be spools). Then recently I saw one that didn't give that impression (and now yours where just a few pop up) and I started making a few more of those 3" spools. I laid out the 12 or 15 I'd made and oohed and aahed at how bright and cheerful they looked. But I suddenly realized 4 seams and 8 pieces of fabric will meet at every corner. I can hardly get 4 pieces of fabric to meet at the corners. Now I'm thinking of a very small quilt, or perhaps spools in the center of a medallion.
Your quilt turned out so lively and bright. I bet it was very satisfying to hand quilt. The Baptist fans look great. There is nothing that beats the highlights and shadow of hand quilting.
A wonderful quilt! So much happy scrappy goodness to look at!
Wonderful quilt and your pattern, fan is one of my favorites to do. I am so pleased to see that someone else's use sheets for backing. Pretty one you found too.
This is a fabulous quilt. Kudos to you for finishing and being sew creative with the binding.
What a beautiful quilt! Congratulations on a great finish.
That is so cheerfully lovely! Congrats on another great finish.
Amazing quilt!!! You have such patience! The hand quilting is perfect too!
Congratulations - I like that label on the binding idea!
Congratulations on a beautiful finish! The baptist fans are perfect and the fabrics in all of the spools are a feast for the eyes! I would never get tired of looking at this quilt!
I love your quilt, the Baptiste Fan stitching just put frosting on the cake! Your grandmother would be thrilled with this quilt.
Brilliant finish! Love all the different fabrics in the spools. I think I have to start making some. Your baptist fans hand quilting is just great.
Fantastic finish - huge congrats! Scrappy, even down to the end of the binding. Love it :)
What an awesome quilt! I love the fact that there are so many different fabrics and that the spools are so small. I find it incredible that you hand quilt so many full size quilts. Hand quilting is almost a lost art. Did you have a hard time quilting through the sheet backing and all the seams? I see a spool quilt in my future!
Congrats on a beautiful quilt! mary in Az
I forgot to ask - what kind of batting did you use? I love the way the fans show up so well. And I do love your binding label idea - so creative!
I love Baptist Fan quilting and yours goes beautifully with these little spools. Great back too, and a clever trick for labelling.
I love scrappy quilts best, too! (Your grandmother and mine made the same kind of quilts!)
Your spools are fantastic, and the handquilted fans are the perfect finish for them! (And thanks to you, I'm now making spools, too. I've got about 11 done - only 772 left to go!)
I am in awe of your quilting speed! The quilt turned out fabulous - yay for scrappy, vintage-inspired quilts!!
This looks incredible! Congratulations on a beautiful finish. I'm sure all those fabrics will bring back great memories every time you use the quilt.
Wow, Cathy, it seems like you whipped through the quilting on this in no time at all. I know the piecing took a while! It's a real beauty, congratulations!
Oh wow. A giant gold star for you! (Or maybe a bunch of little ones so they'll fit on your forehead.) Just goes to show what perseverance can accomplish. But the hand quilting is the icing on the cake for me. Wow. Love the binding label trick too!
Wow! What a wonderful finish. I love the baptist fan quilting, it is such a wonderful pattern/texture with those spool blocks.
Such a wonderful quilt. Great inspiration for me to get my spools out and keep them handy.
Wow, wow, wow. And that's an understatement. Congratulations. It must be so satisfying to call this one done. On behalf of the 2017 FAL hosts, thanks for linking up and sharing your work! Great Job.
Post a Comment