Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Fresh new year, fresh new quilt

 Hi everyone, and welcome to 2022! How is the new year treating you so far? I had a lovely break and the week between Christmas and New Year's-- hereafter known as National Slacking-off Week-- was a nice respite from all the usual stuff. I read some books, visited my parents, and I may have even cooked a thing or two. I think that feeling I had was called "relaxing," but I'm not very familiar with that term anymore. And hey-- I sewed, too!

Which brings us to today's finish, which is not really the first quilt of 2022. Back in November, I made a queen sized quilt to give for Christmas, and then I quilted it myself and-- miracle of miracles-- it was finished in time for the holiday. I almost never make Christmas presents because they just add stress to my life when I'm also trying to do grades, but this was a special case. Here is the finished quilt:
 
 
There's a moose on my quilt! Better than a mouse, and much bigger. This is the Moose Buffalo Plaid quilt from Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts, and you can get a pattern right HERE. She has the same kind of quilt with a bear and one with wolves, too, if you'd rather have that.

 
If you've ever seen a moose in person, you know they are enormous. Sure, they look great in the zoo, but they're pretty far away behind walls and moats and such. In the wild, they are as big as your car. The quilt isn't quite that big, but it is a queen size that I expanded by several rows and added a border to so that it will actually fit the bed it's intended for. Have you noticed that many quilts that are marked for a particular bed size will actually usually cover the top of the bed and not the sides? This ended up at just about 92 by 84. (Yes, a bit wider than it is long. To fit the bed, you know.)

 
I quilted this myself on the (rental) longarm, and it took up most of the setup there. Officially you can do quilts up to about 112 inches wide, but I wouldn't want to try it. I used a panto called Cotton, and it went really fast. I'm not sure it suits the quilt, necessarily, but at that point a more involved panto was not in my skill set, so it worked. I used a cotton and wool blend batting, so it's fairly light but really warm and cozy.


I actually only took the center part to the quilt shop with me and quilted it on the longarm, then brought the quilted piece home and added the borders, which I quilted on my own machine with straight lines. Why did I do this? Because this was a special gift and I only wanted the panto on the large center part, including the moose, with the borders different. It was extra work, but really worth it to me. I don't have the skills yet not to run the panto into the border, so it worked.

 
Amazingly, the moose is not paper pieced, but Lorna has very clear and ingenious directions for making the moose really realistic. There are a lot of pieces, but they go together pretty easily. And you can't really argue with the result. I've also done the bear from her patterns, and it is the same way, so no need to be afraid to jump in.

 
Those of you with sharp eyes probably noticed the upper right corner of the quilt, and I'll bet you can guess what happened there. There is more of the medium fabric in the quilt than any other, and I forgot to compensate for the extra rows I added, so I ended up a bit short. Oh well! I put some leftover pieces together and I'm calling it a design element. It didn't effect the coziness of the quilt, and the recipient didn't even blink.
 
I didn't get a picture of the quilt with the recipient (at least not one I can post), but I promise that it was received with a great deal of thanks, and immediately put to use right there on the sofa. I can attest that it's quite warm and guaranteed to see them through a cold winter, which is all we can ask for, right?
 
 
Hope all of you are enjoying the start to a new year and all that brings with it, and getting some stitching time in as well. I'm working on getting ready for the new semester, and still cleaning out all kinds of stuff. I finally unpacked the last box from the old house over the break, so I'm feeling quite virtuous!

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or not Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, and the Patchwork and Quilts linkup at Quilting Patchwork Applique.

16 comments:

karenbbsnow said...

Great finish. Lorna has so many fun patterns! Love the green. I agree, Christmas projects are stressful and I usually avoid them too. Like you I did one this year and did get to the finish in time.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Congratulations on completing a well-received gift quilt, Mari! Which one will you finish next???

piecefulwendy said...

This is a neat quilt; the colors are perfect. I'm sure they are enjoying snuggling under the quilt on these chilly winter days! Encountering moose in the wild is amazing, and a bit scary, but they are beautiful animals!

sue s said...

Seeing moose up close is quite the experience!! This is a fun-looking quilt and I'm really tempted to do a buffalo something this year.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Fabulous gift!!!
and I LOVE moose - this is a great one !!!

Sara said...

The moose and plaid make an awesome quilt. Love it!!

grammajudyb said...

I love your Buffalo Plaid Moose quilt. I've got a gingham or plaid quilt on my want to do list.

Preeti said...

A very handsome finish, Mari. Way to begin the new year!!! I even love your greens and the quilting is just perfect for a warm and fluffy finish.

Kathleen said...

What a lovely finish! Great job improvising a solution for the corner - it works perfectly. Congrats on a great finish.

scraphappy said...

Such a fun pattern. The panto is a fine pattern and the border treatment finishes it off nicely. So much fun to be had with a longarm.

ButterZ said...

Hi Mari. I read your email and the comment has worked

QuiltGranma said...

I too have found patterns for quilts to be to small. As for this year? Our water to the trailer froze, the heat gun used to thaw it melted something, now some part is in the water line... =problems. Now it is snowing.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That's a great quilt! I love the plaid effect with the moose overlaid. Lorna has some neat patterns. I bought her bird quilt pattern and haven't made it yet - need to put that on the list! Happy New Year, Mari!

Ivani said...

Hi Mari, congrats on a beautiful finish. I like the gingham look of this one. It is a great quilt and you did a wonderful quilting also.

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Wow, lovely quilt! This moose is fabulous, and I love the half squares on the top corner of the quilt ;) I used to see more bear quilt with this design made by Lorna, so seeing a moose is a beautiful surprise! Great quilting design and yeah for the new skill using a longarm!
Thank you for sharing, and linking up ;)

Melanie said...

The quilting reminds me of bushes, or leaves - so I think it fits well with the green and the forest theme... Enjoy your first finish! And all the best for the new year :) xo