Sketch to Reality


Must. Finish. Projects.

I'm on a kick this last month and I feel the need to finish up a bunch of stuff before I start anything new. It must be September. I've long since considered Labour Day to be my New Year more than January 1st. It's felt this way since I left university and feels even more so now that I've got one in school full-time.

This quilt has been basted since some point in the spring. I was in charge of a basting demo at my guild and used this. Then I got stuck on what quilting design to sew. I browsed this site for days. I sketched and doodled. Nothing ever felt right. Then I was chatting with Amanda Jean and she commented that she was coordinating her quilting, thread choice, backing, and binding. I hadn't thought this far ahead, but it made a thread colour pop into my head. From there I made a few more doodles while hanging out with the girls and a plan was hatched.

I honour of the New Year and because Amanda Jean posted about her nearly whole cloth quilt I felt the need to pull out mine yesterday. Now the trick is to realize that sketch...

The Triangle Quilt



The Triangle Quilt
90'' by 90''

So named by The Monster because it has lots of triangles. Simple, explanation, really. Made up with bee blocks from my Pieced Together 2 bee, and some more added by me. Random flying geese, all going in the same direction.


The girls decided to pretend they were fallen statues on their bed. Other than sleep it would be the most still they've ever been on their bed. Right after I took this picture they started wrestling.

This quilt ended up being the perfect size. I know some folks don't like square quilts for beds because beds aren't square. If you want to skip that traditional pillow fold look, however, the 90'' by 90'' is perfect for the modern queen bed. You know, the kind that are ridiculously tall? Even after washing I've got plenty of overhang, without it being obnoxious.

(When I finally get a chance to finish up the details in the girls' room and photograph it you will see what I mean.)


I promise you that the quilt does lay flat when it is on their bed. It's been washed already to get out some random blood stain. I actually had it on their bed for a week before I finished the binding, so maybe the blood was a prick on my own finger? But for a bed quilt for two little girls I expect it to get washed A LOT.

For that reason I didn't stress over the quilting too much. I wanted it solid and graphic, but I didn't worry about it being perfect. It is my theory that "organic line quilting" is another way of saying "too lazy to mark". Well, it is in my world. The quilting on this one is mostly straight lines with random triangles. They sometimes echo the actual geese blocks, and sometimes they don't. It turns out to be a pretty neat effect on the finished quilt.


When it came to the back I more than lucked out. Back in March, when I was visiting Amanda Jean, we went to Hancock's (I think). The grey was purchased with these bee blocks in mind, although I had no idea what the quilt would become at the time. The turquoise polka dot I also bought then. The two combined perfectly in this back. The polka dot is a single stripe down the middle of the back. The Monster is obsessed with all things striped, so at least one had to be there.


Binding a quilt this size doesn't go fast, but it was a great activity on the nights I couldn't face much more after this run of single parenting. Or when the girls are playing baby tigers on the floor and you sit on their bed, under the the quilt, stitching. Other than that one section of turquoise it is the same yellow. I wanted the geese to pop, so I carried the yellow to the binding.

As for solving the problems we were having before, this quilt has definitely been the solution. Besides, it's pretty.

Coincidence

It was only a coincidence.

There I was happily quilting away on my little blue/green HSTs. You know, the one Hubby thinks is my coolest quilt ever. And the one where he thought I should have matched up the background circles? (By the way, I told him he could make the quilt himself next time if he thinks that's ever going to happen.)

I'm busy twisting and turning the quilt as I add the straight line quilting when I notice this:


And this:


Out of 272 blocks I managed to match up these two seams, without even trying. That counts for something, right?