Friday, September 22, 2017

Intricately finished

Hi all, and happy first day of fall! Where we live, it feels more like summer has made a return with a vengeance, at least in terms of the temperature.  It's supposed to be 90 degrees this weekend!  I don't know what's happening any more.  I went out walking last night and nearly sweated through my shirt.  It could be worse--it could be about 80 degrees colder.  That's coming down the road, I'm sure.

The happiest thing I did this week is finally, finally finish off the It's Complicated quilt, and I'm doing a happy dance because I'm so thrilled with how it turned out:


Wouldn't you do a happy dance, too?  I am so, so happy to finally have this done. Didn't it turn out great?


This quilt is the final finish from my 2016 Intricate Stitches quilt along, which followed the colors of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge to make one block per month, finished off with the center star.  All of the block patterns--including the pattern for the center star--are still available on the tab at the top of this page.  They have a lot of pieces, and they take a little time, but they are all make-able and each one of them would make a great quilt on it's own.


I made my quilt with all hand-dyed fabrics that I purchased from Vicki Welsh's shop in the RSC colors. The fabrics were fantastic and easy to work with.  And not a single one of them ran when I washed the quilt!  The white sashing and the blue frames and binding are Kona cottons, which coordinated perfectly with the hand dyes.


It's Complicated was quilted by Alycia of Alyciaquilts.  She did an amazing job.  The quilting is a mix of modern and traditional, kind of like the quilt.  Each of the blocks has a great feather wreath that extends all the way into the corners of the block:


and the quilting on the center star is also feathers, which completely look like they're spinning into the star points:


I'm in awe.  There are also some pebbles and other swirls as well as some echo quilting in the border.  The quilting really, really enhanced this quilt and I just love it.  Thanks Alycia!


I feel like this is the best quilt I've ever made.  Okay, I usually feel that way when I finish a quilt, but I really, really love this one.  And I'm pretty proud of it, too.


So that's my quilt, with way too many pictures!  Hope everyone has a good weekend!  This weekend is my birthday, so I have a lot of fun plans, including some fabric shopping with a friend.  Hope yours turns out great, too!

Sharing at Finished or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, crazymomquilts, and soscrappy for the RSC.

23 comments:

Danice G said...

Gorgeous Mari! What a beautiful quilt. You really should be proud of it :)

ES said...

This is an amazing quilt:)

Tish Stemple said...

This is gorgeous!!! Those fabrics are to die for and Alycia's quilting just brings it to life. I would be happy dancing for a month :)

Gale Bulkley said...

It is a beauty! Congratulations.

JanineMarie said...

First of all, Happy Birthday! I hope you have lots of cool treats! Second, you can never have too many pictures of a pretty quilt, especially on those fences. I loved the blocks as you made it--and that fabulous border, and now with the quilting, it's just amazing. I liked the pictures with the feathers, but then the one from the side that shows all the detail just blew me away. I hope this gets a special place in your home where everyone can enjoy it.

piecefulwendy said...

Oh my, that quilt is a beauty! Vicki's fabrics are so gorgeous and they make this quilt just shine! The quilting is amazing too. Definitely a keeper! Happy Birthday!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Mari,
What a fabulous quilt! You should feel very proud of yourself - you did a wonderful job. And not too many pictures either! I love seeing this, and oh my goodness - the QUILTING. WOWEE. The angled shot you shared on the center square - that quilting is just perfect for that block. I am in awe of both of you. ~smile~ Roseanne P.S. Have a Happy Happy Birthday! {{hugs}}

Sheila said...

It's Beautiful! Congratulations on the finish of a gorgeous quilt!

Mary in Peoria Handmade said...

Beautiful quilt-the blue borders set the blocks perfectly.And, the quilting is priceless.

chrisknits said...

It's a quilt to be proud of! Beautiful.

Lisa J. said...

This is a really beautiful quilt. You must be so happy to have this lovely quilt top completed.

marebear said...

Stunning!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Congratulations on a fantastic finish!! Alycia did add some awesome quilting textures. Happy Birthday!!

scraphappy said...

Wow. Amazing is not a strong enough word! Such a fabulous quilt!

maggie fellow said...

really beautiful and never enough pictures

somethingrosemade14@blogspot.com said...

This quilt is so beautiful and yes I would do a happy dance too if I had made one and finished it as lovely as yours. Better yet, I do a happy vacation because I would need some major recovery time. BTW, your photos are lovely, but the one with the quilt on the big tree, oooh I wish I had a tree like that in my neighborhood.

Preeti said...

We had fall like weather in the summer and now we are having summer like days in the fall. In any case, your finished quilt is Spring-like - fresh, beautiful with all the joys and color of new beginnings. Love the quilting!!! How do they say in American - you knocked it out of the park :-D
And a very Happy Birthday to you!!!

PaulaB quilts said...

Happy birthday! What better gift to yourself than this spectacular quilt finish. It all goes together seamlessly, especially with the sashing in blue and white. The Quilting really does complete it. Congratulations

Magpie Sue said...

You have every right to be pleased and proud of this quilt. It's beautiful. What a great birthday present for yourself! I especially like the outer border treatment.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Congrats! on finishing your RSC16 quilt. Alycia did an AWESOME job on the quilting! You two make a great team.

Cathy said...

Your quilt is stupendous - a true masterpiece. I've loved each block (and that center!) as you've sewn them up. Take a bow - you deserve it!,

Louise said...

Congrats on a gorgeous finish! It's fabulous :)

Kate said...

Congrats on a gorgeous finish!