Monday, April 7, 2014

Third Finish of the Year!

Plain Jane is finished! I can't believe how much texture there is throughout and how much more obvious it is after washing/drying the quilt. I literally did this little gulp/gasp thing just taking it all in.
Plain Jane
Wowsers..., isn't it incredible when our quilts just keep on surprising us? We think we have it all figured out, but it's not over till the last stitch, till it's washed and dried and we can see it with all the lovely bumps and crinkly crumples.
So much lovely texture
There's so much I love about this particular quilt, starting from the basket blocks clear through to the hand stitching. This entire quilt is made from my stash too, using all kinds of fabrics I was starting to think might be waaay too dated to blend properly into the background like I like them too. It will definitely make me think harder about some other fabrics I've been reluctant to use recently!
Not so 'plain' anymore
There was also a lesson in this quilt about never giving up on a quilt top if you're ever unsure if it's truly finished or not. I came back to this quilt top at least a year later (maybe more) and added the applique on. At the time I finished the rest of the quilt top, I literally had no ideas for add ons. And it was a nice enough quilt top the way it was. But... down the road, on one of those days when I pulled my quilt tops out of the drawer and considered, it looked plain and even kind of down in the dumps about not having any embellishment. I ignored the feeling in my gut a time or two but eventually I couldn't help myself and started throwing some of my applique parts and pieces at it until I had an idea for what this quilt needed.
And more texture...
I get comments all the time that this quilt top is not a 'Plain Jane' and that the name doesn't seem to fit. I know it doesn't. Now.

The BACK of my (experimental) improv. quilt
And yes, Plain Jane was the third finish of the year because I slipped another quilt into the queue. I made a small improv. quilt for Sherri Lynn Wood when she put the call out for volunteers to 'test' her quilt directions for the book she's publishing in 2015. It was an extremely frustrating process at first because I am completely unfamiliar with true Improv., but it was also fun and even a bit exhilarating after I got the hang of it. Or maybe I didn't ever really get the hang of it because my quilt wasn't one of the quilts chosen! A bit of a disappointment for a few days and then I snapped my chin back up to face forward again. Really, it was a great experience for me with lots of good stuff to learn.

I'm not supposed to share the front of the quilt with you until the book gets published, but the back will hardly give you clues to any special pattern directions! The hand stitching was all done in Perle Cotton in big fat circles (a first for me) across the quilt. You will definitely be seeing more of that from me as the quilting went lickety-split and I looove the look of it. Even though I really don't like the whole 'I did this wonderful quilt, but I can't show you 'cuz it's special, blah, blah, blah' kind of posts, I decided to show you a pic of the big stitch quilting circles for when I refer back to them. And you know I will. All about how I'm going to do better at them this time around and you're not left scratching your heads wondering when I ever did them the first time around.....







22 comments:

  1. Congratulations on finishing Plain Jane! It's a wonderful quilt, and lovely to see it in it's crinkly cosy state. Your improv quilt sounds intriguing. It's great to have a sneak peek of the back with your circle quilting. Did you use the perle 5 thread for the circles?

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  2. I know you are doing the Happy Dance for finishing your Not So Plain Jane. It is beautiful. Hugs

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  3. you are on such a roll - 3 finishes is great.

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  4. Congratulations! Three finishes, wow! It is a wonderful quilt, love how it crinkles. love the colors, love the pattern. Well done!

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  5. Happy Third finish Audrey - and what a beauty she is !

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  6. I always wrap a warm quilt out of the dryer around me and enjoy it for a few moments. I love your plain Jane, I agree about giving up, bad move. I also think so many keep starting that they don't have the time to get a quilt finished, but Oh what they are missing!

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  7. Wrinkly Plain Jane looks much "older" than she is... must be the hand quilting, and the trip through the washer and dryer, not to mention the stash fabric that you used! I LOVE IT!!!

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  8. felicidades !!!me gusta muchísimo
    es un edredón de los que no me cansaría de mirar
    me gustan los colores, me gusta el achochado
    me gusta todo
    buena semana

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  9. Love, love, love the quilt...and the big stitch circles. Can't wait to see the other side, but I will. :)

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  10. Oh, I love this quilt, too! Congrats on two finishes. I'm sure when I see the front of the big stitch quilt I won't understand why it wasn't chosen for the book. Good for you for taking a chance. If we never fail, we aren't reaching high enough...

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  11. Congratulations - a lovely cuddly quilt :)

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  12. Beauty! Your second paragraph - we think we have it all figured but it's not over til the last stitch - is spot on. There's still an element of surprise when you pull it out of the dryer - love that! By the way, I didn't make the final cut of Sherri's improv quilt project either. I was kind of bummed but I learned a lot in the process. Take care, Byrd

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  13. Congratulations on this beautiful finish! The appliqué really does spice it up, as does your beautiful hand-quilting. I've been afraid to wash a few of my recent finishes. Now you've got me headed to the washing machine. They are so much better when soft and crinkly.

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  14. so now you have to call it the 'Not So Plain Jane' quilt.
    it's wonderful and congrats on the finishes~!

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  15. Improv quilting makes my head feel broken....I do like it, but when I try it, I go a little mad like a bull in a china shop :o)
    If you make a great quilt why not write a post about it?
    I dont know what a plain jane quilt is....I dont think you've ever made a plain quilt, ever!

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  16. Your Not So Plain Jane looks fabulous, Audrey! And how intriguing is your improv quilt......!

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  17. Another wonderful finish that expresses your improv style and creativity so well.

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  18. Your posts usually provide inspiration, Audrey. Today you're offering hope ~ for all of those unfinished projects, piled high on shelves or in pieces here and there. Nice finish!
    (Which batting did you use? Do you have a favorite that you use consistently?)

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  19. Well every girl who calls herself a plain Jane isn't really. Neither should a quilt be when we take time to see the details. You are staring the year out with great finishes! Congratulations on another.

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  20. Congrats on another super finish! I LOVE your not-plain quilt! Love the applique, love the baskets, and I love your hand quilting! It just begs to be cuddled with! Whoo hoo!

    Oh, the improv quilt is intriguing! (I probably did not spell that right) Love the big circles! I can't wait for the big reveal. I doubt that you will disappoint any of your readers. Improv is sometimes tough to do but, on the other hand, there really is no right or wrong either.

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  21. I love a quilt fresh out of the dryer with all its crinkles and bumps.

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