Friday, August 15, 2014

What a relief it is!

Well, this post is late today, but I am VERY happy. Celtic Solstice is now done!  Look:

Too big for the clothesline!
What a relief it is to post that picture! Here's another view:


As you may remember, this quilt has been a struggle. HERE's a whole post about it. And you should know that I struggled right up to the end. Putting the blocks into rows and then stitching the rows together was a nightmare. So much matching! I couldn't just match the block seams, but also had to match every seam within the blocks. Slow and frustrating.


The border also gave me fits. First I couldn't decide what to do with it, then I had trouble lining everything up. In the end, I am much happier with it than I would have been with the original pattern. I think it came out okay. The final quilt measures about 78 by 78.

Truthfully, there is nothing about this quilt that was really difficult. All of the units were pretty basic and easy to make. There were just soooo many! Even the chevron sections didn't give me much problem. I strip pieced them using this tutorial.  Even though they were easy enough, there are some things I would have changed had I known in advance what the finished quilt would look like. For example, I would never have made pinwheels for the center of the "birthday girl" blocks. I think they'd be much more attractive as a solid square. But I had already made the pinwheels so I used them.



I would probably have chosen different colors as well, but I'm okay with how these turned out. I'm a little disappointed with how the dark green looks with everything else, and I probably would have chosen to switch the green and the pink. But it's done! 

Even though I struggled mightily with this quilt, I still love Bonnie Hunter quilts and patterns, and I love how generous she is with her work. She has a TON of free patterns and offers a mystery quilt for a limited time every year. So will I make another one of her mystery quilts? Right now, I wouldn't make one as a mystery. I'll wait for the reveal and see, but I'll still follow along and maybe make a few units. But I'm off mysteries for a while. Besides, we all know that I have a bajillion projects waiting in the wings already, so I'm guessing it will be okay.

Hope all of you have a great and relaxing weekend as summer winds down. Want to know the best thing about my upcoming weekend? I won't have to think about finishing this quilt anymore!

Linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, crazy mom quilts, TGIFF, and Richard and Tanya Quilts! Come on over and check out some great projects!


19 comments:

Gayle Bong said...

I know the feeling well. Looks great. Now to quilt it.

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

Even though you struggled with it, the quilt looks great! It will be even more stunning once you have it quilted.

Jeni B Quilts said...

I've felt the same way too and usually by the time I'm putting the binding on I am loving the quilt. I must say that I think its a great quilt and the I think the green makes the block pop! Great job!

Anonymous said...

I think this is just lovely. I like the intricacies of the pattern. My hat is off to you--this was clearly a challenge and you did a great job!

Gemini Jen NZ said...

Very very cool! Looks impressive!

Beth said...

I think your quilt looks great but I have made several of Bonnie's mystery quilts and when you don't get the coloring the way you want it definitely is disappointing. I love the solstice pattern but can't get my head around starting it because it's so piecey! Such a catch 22! Pretty finish! I too am a fellow wi quilter!

Shauna said...

I think it looks beautiful, I love the pinks and greens. I have agree about mystery quilts, it is very hard for me to pick not know where things will be.

wordmama said...

I agree that the number of units and blocks is daunting. But I think your color choices are very successful. I think the value contrasts make it work.

I agree also about doing mysteries, that I hate to spend that much time and not know the outcome.

Great job!

Kris

Terri said...

Turned out great. Love the colors you chose.
Hugs

laughing gas quilts said...

Your quilt looks terrific. Believe me, I know what matching those points is like, and it is not good. What I hate even more is when I look at the difficulty rating for similar patterns and find them rated "confident beginner". They'll never be confident again. Congratulations!

Jo said...

I think you have done a great job on this quilt. The green forming the circles is a good choice. The rings really stand out....

Pieces of Cotton said...

Wow! Very eye catching. Looks like you did a great job.

Afton Warrick said...

This is a jaw-dropper for sure. Congrats! I don't even want to think about the tremendous amount of seam-matching involved here. It is beautiful, and kuddos for sticking it through until completion.

Afton Warrick said...

This is a jaw-dropper for sure. Congrats! I don't even want to think about the tremendous amount of seam-matching involved here. It is beautiful, and kuddos for sticking it through until completion.

viridian said...

Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. I think your Celtic Solstice looks great.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I, too, am off mysteries - too many other projects to choose from.,

Your top is beautiful - congrats!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I hear you about doing mysteries - while I think they might be fun, there is too many unknowns. I really like Bonnie's quilts, and hope to make one of them someday, but I like to wait until the mystery has been revealed. I might do a small quick mystery, but nothing as challenging as Bonnie's quilts. Yours turned out wonderful, and I guess one positive is that it challenges you to do things that are outside your comfort zone.

MegsAnn said...

What a beautiful quilt! Sometimes the struggles are worth it when the project comes out so well. www.quiltartbymegan.com

Val's Quilting Studio said...

THIS post is exactly why I created Tuesday Archives...as I would have never seen this quilt! Perfect post to rejuvinate under our mystery quilt theme at TUesday Archives!! THANKS for sharing! V:)