Kate's single girl quilts
March 28, 2011
Here they are! Finally finished! I'm not going to lie to you. These quilts were not an easy project. And like most things that I really want to make and that I find tedious, I sure did take my sweet time - 3 years, give or take a month. So when I started on these, Kate was 6 and now she is 9. It doesn't seem like it took that long, but it did. Trust me, I double checked.
The pattern is the Single Girl Quilt by Denyse Schmidt. Both fronts are exactly the same layout - the patterned prints are from the Swell line by Urban Chiks (long out of print) and the solid is Kona cotton in raffia. I sweated my decision to use a khaki color as the background and I am happy with how it turned out. Kate's other bedding is all white and her room just needed some grounding neutral. It's good.
The backs are similar. The prints in the patchwork strips are slightly different - I used scraps for those. I am glad you all talked me into the print for the main backing fabric. I was leaning towards the solid and in the end I think it would have been too drab. So thank you. It turned out great.
I can tell you that if you really love a quilt pattern (like I I do this one), even if it is a challenging one (like this one), attempting it and finishing it (curse words and all) is so very satisfying. There is nothing particularly difficult about sewing this together, curves and all, if you take your time. Well, maybe you don't want to take three years, but you know, go slowly.
I think one of the reasons I stalled on finishing these quilts was because I could not make up my mind on how to quilt them. The hand quilting template that comes with the pattern is what I really wanted, but I knew that I would not have the patience to hand quilt two of these. I thought about having someone else long arm quilt them for me, but in the end, decided that I wanted to finish these myself. Call me crazy, call me strange, but it is really important to me that each of my daughters have a quilt that is entirely mom-made. These are Kate's. I toyed with free-motion loops and figure eights, but after constructing a test square and giving it a go, I ditched that idea. In the end, I went with the original hand quilting template, but used my walking foot to quilt the concentric circles. I made a huge template out of card stock and transferred the pattern to the quilt tops with a water soluable pen. It was a bit difficult manipulating all that fabric through my machine, but it worked just fine in the end and I got the look I wanted in much less time than I would have if I'd done it by hand.
Sometimes when I start an ambitious project and it becomes tedious or taxing, letting it sit for awhile is the best I can do. If I really love it, really want it, really will enjoy it, I will come back to it and I will finish it. When I realized this, it was a big "Ah-ha!" moment for me. It doesn't matter if I can't finish something right away. Given the time, I will get it done. So there you have it. Two quilts in three years. It took me longer than I had planned, and definitely longer that I would have liked, but I am so happy that I stuck with it and finished them. After all, good things come to those who wait.
dude! awesome! they look so great, and I'm so glad you got to the end and can now enjoy them!
Posted by: tracy | March 28, 2011 at 11:28 AM
They are TERRIFIC, dude. Congrats on a great finish!
Posted by: carolyn | March 28, 2011 at 11:30 AM
seriously, what an amazing accomplishment erin. I can only imagine what a wonderful feeling it must be to have these finished. they look great! xo, rach
Posted by: rachel | buttons magee | March 28, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Stunning. I love the quilting! Kate must be thrilled. And are you itching to start a new quilt now?
Posted by: blair | March 28, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Whoa, great quilts! I love the khaki background. My great-grandmother made a lot of khaki-background quilts out of lively prints, so these remind me of hers. Bravo on making something modern feel heirloom.
Posted by: Kristina Strain | March 28, 2011 at 11:45 AM
wow, they are beautiful! i LOVE the concentric circle quilting. i know what you mean about having a "fully mama-made" item, too. knowing that your daughters will have them forever and probably pass them to their own kids is a really neat feeling.
Posted by: kristin | March 28, 2011 at 11:48 AM
I have been so nervous to use my walking foot on anything other than straight lines. Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Sarah | March 28, 2011 at 11:54 AM
way to go! i'm so impressed!!
Posted by: beki | March 28, 2011 at 11:57 AM
What a lovely finish! It doesn't really matter how long a project takes, as long as you still like it when it is finished.
Posted by: Suzanne | March 28, 2011 at 12:03 PM
Beautiful! They will be loved for so many many years. I have been contemplating using this pattern to make a queen-sized quilt for my sister when she gets married...a project that will probably take me three years if I am lucky. ;) Your quilting looks amazing, muy impressive!!
Posted by: Julie | March 28, 2011 at 12:06 PM
absolutely gorgeous x2!!! lucky girl.
Posted by: annri | March 28, 2011 at 12:13 PM
So fantastic! I'm glad the walking foot worked out, because the circle quilting is one of the parts that makes this pattern so good and unique. We need a photo of them on Kate's beds.
Posted by: Jennie | March 28, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Good for you!
I have a 3-year-in-the-making quilt that I'm in the process of binding. I decided that I need to hand stitch the back of the binding since the edge is zig-zaggy, so I might have another year before it's done-- but you're right. Sometimes with ambitious projects it's good to let it sit and do something more instant gratification in the meantime.
Posted by: jessica | March 28, 2011 at 12:36 PM
What a fabulous accomplishment! They're beautiful. = )
Posted by: Jamie | March 28, 2011 at 12:54 PM
they. are. wonderful. and kate is one lucky little girl!
Posted by: sarah | March 28, 2011 at 01:13 PM
You deserve to stand at the door of her room, look at those beauties and beam.
Posted by: Suzanne | March 28, 2011 at 01:41 PM
Hooray for finishing. I know it feels so good. Does Kate love them?
Posted by: Mama Urchin | March 28, 2011 at 01:56 PM
took me a triple take to recognize the before and after-ness of these. man oh man does the quilting part add a lot to the, um, quilt! i suppose this is obvious, but i did not know.
erin, they're fabulous.
Posted by: Molly | March 28, 2011 at 02:09 PM
They're just stunning. Now I want to cut mine out. I'm in love.
Technical question - did you use plastic for the templates or some other method?
Posted by: Sarah Jackson | March 28, 2011 at 02:13 PM
Such very lovely and special quilts!
Posted by: Sasha | March 28, 2011 at 02:13 PM
They're beautiful! I love the khaki with the colorful scraps and the green background - it ties it all together and keeps it cheerful, but not overwhelming. I love the end result!
Posted by: Ashley | March 28, 2011 at 02:32 PM
Fantastic. The quilting is just wonderful.
Posted by: Jenny | March 28, 2011 at 02:33 PM
You've done such nice work. I love the circle pattern and I like the idea of your template. Did you quilt each block with the circle pattern separately and then sew them together or is it all one big quilt sandwich that you quilted the circles on? Does that even make sense? I'm pretty new to quilting and I still have trouble manipulating even a small quilt around my machine. Smaller squares might be easier. Thanks.
Posted by: Regina | March 28, 2011 at 03:12 PM
absolutely beautiful! so worth the wait.
Posted by: Kelly | March 28, 2011 at 03:17 PM
Lovely. They are gorgeous, and I agree, it is so nice that they are 100% mom-made for your daughter. I bet they look amazing in her room! Congratulations, that's an epic finish.
Posted by: krista - Poppyprint | March 28, 2011 at 03:57 PM
fantastic! good for you for not giving up on it. sometimes the projects just need to wait until we are really ready.
Posted by: tam.me. | March 28, 2011 at 03:59 PM
love the dainty prints with the raffia color. i'm working on a spiderweb quilt, wondering from the begining how to quilt it. your circles would work perfectly, a light bulb moment. it must take courage to make matching quilts, the boring factor i mean. mom-made with love times two!! :>)
Posted by: Petersonmarye | March 28, 2011 at 04:08 PM
Amazing. . what a great job!
Posted by: H2Ogirl | March 28, 2011 at 04:25 PM
totally gorgeous!!
and you're right, it doesn't matter how long it takes, if it's worthy it... it'll get done.
Posted by: monica | March 28, 2011 at 04:42 PM
these are beautiful....what a treasure. You did a fabulous job Erin.
Posted by: Lisa Q | March 28, 2011 at 05:05 PM
Nice job! I'll bet it feels wonderful to have them finished. I was happy to see that the machine quilting worked out...since I have that pattern too...and was scared of the hand quilting!
Posted by: Annalia | March 28, 2011 at 05:10 PM
So beautiful.
Ive been seeing a few of these popping up. Melissa at Clothwork is doing a similar one that I had been following along.
I dont think three years is too long to wait for a 'true work' like these.
it took seven for my first quilt. mind you I did other quilts in between. I dont ever want to be so slow again.
Posted by: wendy @ the textured leaf | March 28, 2011 at 05:18 PM
Very Impressive! I tried quilting my own small blanket once and succeeded in only mastering diagonal lines to make a diamond pattern. This is really lovely. Your daughter will treasure these!
Posted by: Amy | March 28, 2011 at 05:30 PM
What's 3 years for a quilt she'll cherish for a lifetime? I'm definitely on Year 3 for a quilted wall hanging...small little wall hanging. Some things take several sleeps until the right ideas come to us. We can't control these things!
I love them. They are simply perfect. Congratulations.
Posted by: Indiana Lori | March 28, 2011 at 05:32 PM
Beautiful. I am sure the girls will appreciate them all the more for the time that has gone into them.
Posted by: Provincial Homemaker | March 28, 2011 at 05:57 PM
Wow! Beautiful job. I am just starting mine (king size) and I am so glad to see you didn't have to hand quilt it to get the same look. Love it!
Posted by: Kristin | March 28, 2011 at 06:02 PM
what a grand accomplishment, erin. they look beautiful!
Posted by: amandajean | March 28, 2011 at 08:34 PM
I just purchased this pattern after seeing all of the amazing quilts made from it. Absolutely lovely - what an accomplishment!
Posted by: Emmmylizzzy | March 28, 2011 at 09:49 PM
Those look awesome, I love the quilting. I'm glad to see you finally finished them! I've just started Anna Maria's Gathering WildFlowers quilt and it is more challenging than the other couple of quilts I've made (curved pieces? what?!) but this gives me hope that I'll get it finished eventually. Seriously, after a month I'm almost done cutting pieces... if it takes me 3 years that will be just fine with me.
Posted by: ericadeanna | March 28, 2011 at 10:15 PM
What a wonderful gift you are giving Kate. They turned out beautiful. I agree that sometimes a little distance is needed to keep the project fresh and moving along.
Posted by: Heather | March 28, 2011 at 11:15 PM
Bravo you - what a beautiful accomplishment and loving gift!
Posted by: Tora | March 28, 2011 at 11:30 PM
I love them and the quilting is perfect, wonderful!
Posted by: flowerpress | March 29, 2011 at 03:48 AM
Hi Regina - I quilted each quilt after the top was finished and sandwiched to the back. It did take a bit of muscle to squish that all through the machine, but I'm glad I did it the way I did. Erin
Posted by: Erin | house on hill road | March 29, 2011 at 07:00 AM
plastic! email me your address, lady.
Posted by: Erin | house on hill road | March 29, 2011 at 07:01 AM
photos of the beds as soon as the headboards are reupholstered. ;)
Posted by: Erin | house on hill road | March 29, 2011 at 07:01 AM
erin-these are just stunning!
what a wonderful heirloom to hand down to your daughters.
you must be so proud.
Posted by: martha | March 29, 2011 at 07:13 AM
i am over the moon impressed over here.
wow.
charlie has been asking for new "covers" since he was about 9.
(he is 15)
i'm getting close to working on it. i promise!
Posted by: leslie | March 29, 2011 at 03:00 PM
it is beautiful. i love it.
Posted by: summer | March 30, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Bravo, Erin! This is beautiful.
Posted by: Beth | March 30, 2011 at 07:10 PM
how lovely!!! I've been wanting to try this pattern for a long time, but I'm intimidated by the curves. Yours look fantastic.
Posted by: Jenn | March 31, 2011 at 08:57 AM