Audrey - finished at last!!

This has been by far my biggest and most ambitious quilting project ever!

I started with this pixelated image:

Using YouPatch, I generated a pattern with just over 2000 pieces and, over the course of about 50 hours, I made the quilt top.

Here she is half-finished at the Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show last year

On quilting, binding and backings - Part 2

Last week, I wrote about the quilting side of pixel quilt making. Moving right along, I thought it would be good to have a bit of a look at binding and backing choices.

As with most other quilts I've made, I make the quilt top first and then wait to see how the quilt top 'speaks' to me before I choose a backing and binding.

The great thing about these pixel quilts is that all the fabrics on the quilt top are solids. That means I get to go completely crazy with backing fabric choices. Of course, I do think about the thread colors I will use in the quilting to make sure the backing fabrics will happily play with those thread colors.

I had such fun raiding my stash of vintage sheets for the back of my bunny quilt. Even though the front of the quilt had no greens in it, I loved the idea of my bunny frolicking in a green field of 70's flowers. 

The lilac binding worked perfectly with the backing and framed the front of the quilt nicely. I usually opt for a much bolder binding but this quilt just seemed to cry out for softer, prettier choice. It really works!

I couldn't resist this lime and pink backing fabric for Marilyn. I thought she would have approved of the flowers and butterflies. I found it at Amitie and bought whatever was left on the bolt!! Loved it THAT much!!!

I'm not entirely delighted with the look of the black quilting on this fabric but I knew it was going to be a wall hanging and really, only I would know! ;-)

And given the black border that I added to this quilt after I'd quilted it (remember?) a black binding was really the only choice.

The backing for Groucho was also a wonderful Amitie find. I knew it would absorb the quilting beautifully ... and it did!!

But what I'm particularly excited by is the Groucho binding ...

I made a binding that would change color as the colors around the edge of the quilt changed. I think I did a pretty good job of matching up the seams.

I usually love a binding to create a frame for the quilt but in this case ... with the image moving out beyond the edges of the quilt ... I knew a frame such as a black binding would only serve to contain the image rather than allow it to breathe. Does that make any sense?

With YouPatch still in it's very early days, we have yet to see any pixel quilt finishes from our lovely customers. So I am extremely excited to see what wonderful choices people make with their pixel quilt bindings, backings and quilting designs.

Can't wait to see what everyone is stitching!!

Andi xx

A quilty finish

Aaaaaaaahhhhh .... back to my usual bright warm colours!

I finally finished this quilt started way back last year.

It has been sitting in my UFO pile for way too long, basted, just waiting to be quilted and bound.

Of course, once I got going, it was a pretty quick finish. Just a day or 2.

It ended up pretty big .... 78 inches square.

I went for the fancy shmancy binding again after using it on this quilt.
I really like the effect of this technique!

For the backing, I have used a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett floral print.

It sits very happily in the quilt stack in our lounge room, waiting to be snuggled under on a cold wintry day.
I fear these are coming all too quickly. Where did you go Summer?

Andi xx

On a roll

I just couldn't rest until it was finished.

I made the back using left over bits from the front and some solids I had in my stash.

The quilting is a new approach for me, thanks to inspiration from the fabulous Ashley of Film in the Fridge. She uses this sort of random line quilting to wonderful effect. Like on this quilt.

You can see the quilting much better on the back.

And for the binding, more scraps from the front. The scrappier the better, I say!!

I hope you're having a crafty Monday too.

Andi xx