Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Finished Sunburst Pictures and Another Improv. Quilt Top Joins the Quilting Queue

So I'm diving back into blogging after a short, two week hiatus. It feels a little awkward and ungainly after removing oneself from the rhythm of it all but I really find myself {unexpectedly} missing the musings about the journey. Quilting, stitching, posting, reading and/or commenting--it's all part and parcel.
Sunburst is finished!
Sunburst is the quilt that was finished up in time for the last quilt show. It's been the forever project for longer than I like to admit to. There was never the right time to post proper finish-it-up pictures, but overall, I am extremely happy with the results.

After a bit of agonizing, I ended up stitching a free-style Baptist Fan pattern over the entire quilt. This was one where I never got comfortable to 'just go for it', but continued free-hand marking throughout the entirety of the stitching. If you were to get very picky and critical, you would find areas with 5 arcs instead of 4 and in at least one spot, there is only 3. Love, truly, truly love how that ends up happening with this sort of stitching. Kind of ironic because the continued marking instead of 'eyeballing' only highlights my ongoing insecurity with complete and total abandon to freestyle!
Looking at Sunburst
Generally I would be feeling contented with the look of stitching by one completed row, two at the most, but this quilt left me second guessing until almost half of the stitching was completed. It left me feeling a little frustrated and antsy. Not that I could imagine anything that might look better, but I had this fear that using a Baptist fan pattern was not good enough, perhaps I was cheating the quilt. I know, so irrational! But you know how protective we feel about our babies.
Really love those trees
It was wonderful to pull the quilt out one evening and just smile at the relaxed and almost joyful look to the stitched arcs. Oh yes! That's what I was hoping to see! And then it was all totally fine. The perfectly spaced arcs of traditional fans look marvelous, but I'm a huge 'fan' of the human touch, and slightly-off perfect is what usually gets my motor running these days.
Looking perfectly snuggable!
And I also wanted to show a picture of one of the Adhoc Improv. quilts that I've been working on. It's the Score #5 from 'The Improv. Handbook for Modern Quilters' by Sherri Lynn Wood. I'm very happy to report that the quilt top is now finished! If you want more details on the progress of this particular quilt, you can check out my latest post over here.
Score #5
Now I just need to find time to work on that other Adhoc. Improv. project I started a couple months ago. So many things have been taking up our time lately and quilting happens in odd moments and random bits of free time. Honestly, it's been wonderful to feel and see the season start to change. Fall usually ends up being a more peaceful time for our family and believe me, I'm more than ready for the return to the slightly more normal around here...

20 comments:

  1. Just awesome...as all your quilts are. They speak to me, as your stories and thoughts do!

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  2. Sunburst is bursting with happiness. The quilting is sweet and charming. It all fits together.

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  3. I like all the applique on your sunburst quilt. The tulip trees are so interesting with their unique perspective. The birds, the colors, and the Baptist fans make it delightful.
    Congrats on finishing the fifth score top, too. You are moving along. Good for you.

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  4. The fan quilting is perfectly suited to this quilt, imnsho!

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  5. Nice work! I'm glad I'm not the only one craving that return to normal routines. I love the quilting. The idea of working completely freehand is appealing but if I start that way I usually end up marking, just to stop it all getting totally out of control.

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  6. Sunburst is beautiful; and the quilting is just perfect for it...I also love Baptist Fan--I like the way it spreads across a top...
    Your Ad Hoc piece is really coming together nicely, too...I have her book and got stumped on wedges--(they are hiding away somewhere undisclosed!!)..But I will get back to them...I will...honest...(me talking to me!!) hugs, Julierose

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  7. Baptist Fans are awesome. Definitely one of my go to Patterns for hand quilting. I don’t think I’ve ever been brave enough to do them without marking first. Thanks for sharing. Your applique is beautiful and the whole quilt sings.

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  8. Your Sunburst quilt is gorgeous! Love the fan quilting and like you I need to mark.

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  9. I think this quilt is just screaming with happiness with its wonderful new hand quilted Baptist fans. The texture really finishes it beautifully!

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  10. Truly lovely! I think the Baptist fans look amazing for the quilting, and the quilt itself pings all the happy buttons! :)

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  11. What a lovely quilt! Handquilting is always the perfect finish :0) The texture and softness of this quilt are wonderful! Beautiful!!

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  12. Sometimes simple is best, and Baptist Fan adds such a beautiful texture without trying to hog the spotlight from your wonderful applique design. I love it!

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  13. Love your Sunburst, and improv natural human touch Baptist Fans quilting!

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  14. Congratulations on finishing Sunburst and your version of 'score #5.'
    Beautiful design and work.

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  15. I love the way the Baptist fan quilting turned out. It's just so sweet. You mentioned on the Improv blog that you were having a hard time coming up with inspiration for the new challenge. I've got a particular subject in mind but no spark of development is pushing me to get started. Maybe its's the weather - still hot.

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  16. Your so talented and carefree................I'm still working on it! Love seeing your baptist fan quilting I plan on doing that on a quilt this winter. It's such a great overall pattern!

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  17. Love your baptist fan quilting on this quilt, the handmade freehand touch is great! And I love the floral addition on your 'score#5' it plays nicely with the solid turquiose on the other side.

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  18. I wondered what happened to Sunburst. I had seen it a while ago as your Current Quilt in the Hoop and then another one appeared there but no word on Sunburst. Glad you finally shared. It's wonderful. I love your free hand Baptist Fans. Good you were brave and stuck with them. I rarely mark what I hand quilt but I did have to mark the Baptist Fans I've tried. I'd be very scared not to mark those! Congrats on another finish!

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  19. Omg, 'cheating the quilt'. Yes, I get that completely! I think the discrepancy in number of fan blades is perfect. Idiosyncratic quilting is most beautiful, and means this was stitched while you listened to life. Another great finish!

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  20. What a lovely quilt Sunburst is. The Baptist fans worked just right. What do you use for marking? Thanks as always for sharing.

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