Friday, February 22, 2013

Low Volume Finish


Last week was my HST BOM quilt finish, this week, my low volume quilt. Woo! This quilt was made for a cousin of mine who got married last weekend. (I finished it just in time to take it with me to the wedding!)


Some time ago, I participated in a low volume charm square swap. It yielded a bunch of lovelies, but I didn't have any immediate ideas for the charms, and when I did consider using them for myself, the presence of two small and messy kidlets dissuaded me.


I sewed them together in rows and added a 5" outside vertical stripe to either side to widen the top. To brighten it up, I used Anna Maria Horner's feather pattern and raw edge appliqued it.


Quilting was mostly straight lines on a diagonal through the blocks, but I did a bit of loop-de-loop FMQ in the borders.


And to balance out the bright feather, I pieced in a bit of red binding on the opposite corner. This idea was sheer genius. (Or perhaps it emerged because I didn't have enough binding material?) The backing is the same Ikea text print that I used for my HST BOM quilt.

I presented both my sister's quilt and my cousin's quilt to their new owners last weekend, and both sets of owners were excited! I wish I had gotten a shot of it wrapped up. I realized when I got to Texas that I didn't have a card or ribbon of any sort, even though I'd brought wrapping paper and tape. I faced the label outwards, rolled it into a cylinder so that the label still showed, and tied it in a large bow with a wine-colored sash I had brought with me. I think all future quilt gifts will be made in a similar fashion.

Several non-quilters commented on the backing fabric, asking me the significance of the numbers or why I chose that particular fabric, and I kept thinking, "Because it looks cool, peeps! Don't you know text fabrics are all the rage? This quilt is hip!" Maybe it's a quilters-only thing?

I'm linking up to TGIFF at Gingersnaps Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts. I love WIP Wednesdays because you get an intimate look into the creative process of so many bloggers, but I LOVE Fridays because there are so many drool-worthy finishes!

15 comments:

  1. Fabulous! Love the low volume idea.

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  2. Love how the feather makes the whole thing pop- congrats on two finishes gifted off happily!

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    1. Thanks! To be honest, I think the quilt would be a little boring without the feather. :)

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  3. Enjoyed reading your blog about how you gifted it and the creation story of your very lovely quilt! The feather is a great touch, as well as the different color of binding. I will have to try both of these neat techniques. P.S. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a sweet comment. Oh, yes exactly what is low volume. That is the second time I came across that term today?

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  4. Love the soft colours but with two children, a dog and a cat, a quilt in those colours would not work well in my house. Lovely though.

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    1. Trust me, I'm with you on this! I love the look of this quilt, but quilts that stay in my house have to be bright or dark colors to offset the inevitable stains! I figure it's safer with the newlyweds. :)

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  5. I love the way you have incorporated the feather, it is a unique block, and showcasing it is a great idea.

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  6. Oh, it's beautiful, Audrey! The feather is so gorgeous and I never would have thought to balance it with a pop of colour in the binding (that is sheer genius, right there!).

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  7. I love this! The feather is beautiful and bright, awesome job!

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  8. What a great way to use those charms! I do love the feather and pop of red in the binding. That is funny about the non-quilters...I guess that's why I love blogs!

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  9. Oooh pretty! :) I've seen that feather pattern popping up a lot lately, mainly in my MQG though hehe. I love it! It gives a nice pop to the lighter charm squares. :)

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  10. So cute!! I love the pop of color with the feather!

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  11. This is just gorgeous! I love that feather; it just pops so well and makes this go from a regular quilt to a very, very special quilt.

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    1. Yay! Thank you! Those feathers are such a pain to make, but I love them on everything!!! :)

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