Hi everyone! How are you doing these days? Are you getting ready for 2020 to be finished? I certainly am ready to kick this year to the curb and move on to something else. Before that, though, I have to finish grading these confounded exams and finish up a bunch of quilty projects. Which of those do you think I am looking forward to more? At this point, I honestly couldn't choose!
I hope you are all in the mood for color and brightness today, because I have a finish to show off that is very, very bright and very, very orange:
Yep, the big orange quilt is finished and ready for my nephew! Everybody do your happy dance now, because this was a bear to get done and I am so, so happy to see it finished and in the mailing box.
This is the Elvira pattern from Gudrun Erla, and she had a quarantine quilt along for it some time ago. Somehow I hadn't made a quilt for my nephew, even though I know he likes them because my sister-in-law's mom was a quilter before Alzheimer's took her. He's grown quite a bit since then, and he needed a couch quilt that would cover his 6 foot 4 frame. I (foolishly!) asked him what color he would like, and he requested orange. I think this fits the bill!
I was determined to quilt this myself, which I eventually succeeded at, but I have to tell you-- it was a bear and a half. This quilt finished at about 65 by 87, which is much larger than I usually think I can handle (but a great size for Joe!) I knew I'd quilt this with a walking foot and just straight lines, so I thought it would be okay. Well, it took me four days to baste this monster, and even then I was obsessive about flipping the quilt and checking the backing after every stitching line. I even resorted to a few small spots of spray basting to keep things from shifting.
The lines here are about an inch and a half apart, and they took forever. There are a few wobbles, but mostly the lines turned out straight because I was obsessing over them and stitching pretty slowly. I'm not sure it's apparent in the pictures, but on the top half of the quilt, the lines go diagonally, and in the bottom half they are straight. In person this looks great, and it was easy enough, but it did take a long time, and then I had to bury the threads from the bottom half. After all that worrying, it worked out fine. I used an antique gold thread for the top and a gray for the back, and somehow that worked, too!
The backing is a geometric gray print, and I used whatever pieces I could find to make a scrappy orange binding, which I then spent several evenings stitching to the back. I love the binding, and it used up a whole lot of the leftover orange pieces that I still had. Looking at the scrap basket, it seems like I'm back to a "normal" amount of orange scraps, which feels pretty nice. Orange may be Joe's favorite color, but it isn't mine!
I hope you've enjoyed this bright and happy quilt, and that you got a nice dose of happy color. It does brighten the day, doesn't it? I'm hoping to have a few more finishes before the end of the year, so stay tuned! And please stay healthy and safe, too!
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, and Brag About Your Beauties
29 comments:
This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing the photos!
Gorgeous! What a pop. Love your use of blues too.
Love the beautiful pop of orange! I'm sure he will love it <3
Oh my goodness, I love this quilt! Orange is, hands down, my favorite color. You did a great job on this. I'm sure he's going to be very happy with this quilt!
Orange is one of my fav colors and I love, love, love this quilt! :)
It is fantastic when a set of circumstances result in the creation of a beautiful quilt. The oranges scream confidence and the blue highlights which in this case are really lowlights make a statement of interest. Your nephew will love it. I know I do. His bold color choice and your skill were the perfect nap on the couch quilt building blocks.
O is for oh my gosh Mari!!! You have created the most outstanding Elvira Quilt it there. LOVE it!!!
love your orange quilt - it is a like a big burst of sunlight!
Congratulations on finishing this one, Mari! It is a happy quilt, and what a great gift for your nephew. I would have a hard time dragging a quilt that size through my machine for quilting, too - so impressed that you did it!
It may have been a bear to finish, but the end result was so worth it. This is a fabulous quilt. Is he a fan of the Vols of Tennessee? The grey blocks look so good with the orange. He's going to love it.
It definitely brightens the day or any room you are in! I love it, but I do like orange:) I am sure your nephew will treasure it.
I'll bet the texture is absolutely wonderful with all that quilting! He's going to love love love it :)
It's absolutely stunning, even if it isn't your favorite color. He will LOVE it.
What a beautiful way to use Orange. He will love it - and he will think of it as a positive of 2020!
Oh this is so beautiful and I love the orange and blue!!! Great job!!!
Such a beautiful and vibrant quilt. Your color choices are stunning. Orange may not be your favorite color, but I think we can all agree it’s a cheerful one! Joe will love it! (Please share his reaction with us after Christmas).
I love this!! Orange is such a happy color - using the gray with it was the perfect choice. Well done Mari.
WOW, I don't have near that much orange in my stash... not a favorite color here. I'd have to go shopping to make that. He should be so happy with that quilt come Christmas morning!
I like that orange quilt.
Mari this is FANTASTIC!!! I made an Elvira quilt, and this makes me want to make another. I love the checkered block! I am not an orange person (sorry Anja and Preeti) but I love this, truly.
I love the orange and soft gray/blue together and your inclusion of units of pieced squares. Wonderful! My Elvira top still waits for quilting.
What a gorgeous quilt! I would have a very difficult time giving it away even if it was for family! Lol
I just quilted a large quilt, too. It was outside my comfort zone but worth it. Revel in your finish and all those straight lines!
It’s a GREAT finish! I have been checking out several of versions of Elvira, and yours is definitely my favorite, I can see it in orange and blue for my Denver Bronco fanatics, or gold and purple for my brother the Viking fan ! I love it as a great guy quilt!
Hi Mari, what a gorgeous quilt! I'm not in love with orange but the grey in there calms it down and it looks great! I'm glad that you got a lot of your orange scraps used up for the binding. You wouldn't want to have to make another one :-) If you want, please consider linking up to Free Motion Mavericks. We'd love to have you join the fun - any kind of quilting is great and you did an amazing job! Take care.
I love your quilt, orange and blue is such a beautiful combo! Great quilting, lines are a simple yet pretty design, and the 2 directions are a good idea!
Mari, I understand not liking so much bright orange, but this is a grand quilt! Your color selection is outstanding. I keep looking at the quilt and it is so happy that it makes me want to dance. Congratulations on your bravery in taking on a difficult color, size and doing your own quilting. I'm delighted to have found your blog today.
I told my neighbor that I would be up at midnight this New Year's Eve, not to see 2021 come in but to make sure 2020 went.
I finished a quilt recently and didn't do a scrappy binding and a friend said she was disappointed. I almost always use the leftover fabrics for the binding.
Big, Bold, Bright and Beautiful!!! Love all the pictures :-)
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