For the love of Liberty, the end
May 11, 2012
People, I have been holding out on you.
I finished the Liberty quilt awhile back, three weeks ago give or take a couple of days. It has been happily residing on our king sized bed since and we have been slumbering quite happily below it. I love this quilt just like I knew I would.
It is backed in an aqua free spirit voile (water). I bought 7 yards and railroaded it with all the little Liberty scraps in a patchwork strip down the middle. The combination of the Tana Lawn on the front and the voile on the back is dreamy. DREAMY. It is super soft and a bit silky, with not much weight at all. To make sure that I didn't lose the airy, summer weight quilt I was going for, I used the lightest weight cotton batting I could find - Quilters Dream Cotton Request. It was a good choice - light and drapey, perfect for this quilt. I quilted it on my machine using the basic guidelines for an orange peel design as shown by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Frannson!, except that I found it easier to quilt side to side instead of up and down. The squares made for an easy quilting guide - bonus! I wanted something more than straight lines and I didn't want loops. I think this was a wonderful choice - it's not too busy, but still interesting and geometric. On the front, it's not very noticeable, but on the back - boy, oh boy! It looks like an entirely different quilt.
I machine sewed the binding to the front and hand stitched it to the back. I had a hard time choosing what to bind this with as I wanted it to compliment the quilt, but not compete with it. I ended up using this Liberty print that doesn't appear in the patchwork, but that is still floral and has some pink. I think the dark brown grounds the whole quilt well.
And because I know someone will ask, here it is on the bed, just as it is, no styling. I think some new pillow shams are in order. And maybe a switchplate? That's only been missing for 6 years. Ahem. But, best not to rush these things, quilts included. This one was certainly worth the 1.5 year wait.
(Other quilt details such as fabric, square size, etc. can be found in these posts: For the love of Liberty, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)
swoon.
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 11, 2012 at 06:35 PM
So gorgeous. So jealous. Love it.
Posted by: victoria | May 11, 2012 at 06:42 PM
It is stunning, and I feel like I can imagine just how amazingly soft it is! Love the missing switchplate.
Posted by: Jenny | May 11, 2012 at 06:42 PM
I love it! I've made one King sized quilt on my machine and I swore I'd never do it again but then I got a King sized bed so I think I have to try again. But I'm thinking quilt as you go in blocks, and I love the idea of the circles you used!
Posted by: Jessica | May 11, 2012 at 06:46 PM
Absolute gorgeous -- I've been dreaming of doing that someday. So far I only have a small collection of Liberty fabric so it won't be anytime soon.
Posted by: Carol | May 11, 2012 at 06:49 PM
wow! love this so much. this is absolutely stunning!
Posted by: Michele H. | May 11, 2012 at 06:56 PM
look at your beautiful unstyled bedroom :)
and what a quilt eh!!
Posted by: charlotte | May 11, 2012 at 06:57 PM
This is truly beautiful, what a wonderful summer quilt for your bed. I think I remember that you use a Bernina... how difficult was it wrestling this baby through your machine?
Posted by: Jacqueline Jones-Blacker | May 11, 2012 at 07:01 PM
oh wow. that is exactly my kind of quilt, erin. beautifully done!
Posted by: Heather | May 11, 2012 at 07:07 PM
Love the quilt!
Posted by: laurie | May 11, 2012 at 07:20 PM
Stunning ... love the orange peel quilting .
Posted by: Lorraine | May 11, 2012 at 07:23 PM
Completely perfect!
Posted by: Jess | May 11, 2012 at 07:41 PM
Gorgeous!! I was waiting to see what you'd use for backing. My cousin asked me to work on a Liberty quilt for her (eeep!) and I've been debating what fabric would be best on the back. Didn't want something that would seem rough and heavy next to the oh-so-soft Tana lawn! Of course you came up with a perfect solution. And it looks BEAUTIFUL! Enjoy it. :)
Posted by: Julie | May 11, 2012 at 07:44 PM
wow, this is beautiful!!!
Posted by: [email protected] | May 11, 2012 at 07:51 PM
This quilt is so incredible and SO perfect in your room! Gosh, now I really really want that new sewing machine!
Posted by: blair/wise craft | May 11, 2012 at 07:52 PM
that is fantastic!!! i love it! liberty never ceases to make my heart pitter patter!! your quilting is great, too!
Posted by: beth lehman | May 11, 2012 at 07:52 PM
It's really beautiful Erin!
Posted by: Mama Urchin | May 11, 2012 at 08:00 PM
So gorgeous!
Posted by: Annri | May 11, 2012 at 08:24 PM
I love that quilt so much, Erin. Beautiful beautiful job - thank you for all the details.
Congrats!
Posted by: seashoreknits | May 11, 2012 at 08:32 PM
stunning! looks lovely, comfy, and very cuddly!
Posted by: Dianne | May 11, 2012 at 08:35 PM
A.MAZ.ING.
Posted by: Alicia A. | May 11, 2012 at 10:03 PM
Wowzers. That looks great! LOVE the "orange peel"...which looks so hard. :)
Posted by: annalia | May 11, 2012 at 10:27 PM
I just love it! You are truly gifted. I adore the Liberty fabrics too. You are inspiring me to give it a whirl!
Posted by: Jennifer | May 12, 2012 at 12:05 AM
Absolutely beautiful! I just love it!
Posted by: Carla | May 12, 2012 at 12:15 AM
That looks absolutely gorgeous!!
Posted by: krista - Poppyprint | May 12, 2012 at 01:12 AM
Beautiful! I know the work and love that went into it. Sleep well.
Posted by: Mary Lou | May 12, 2012 at 02:48 AM
Congratulations on finishing. The quilt looks fabulous.
Posted by: Lyn @ Oh, the possibilities! | May 12, 2012 at 07:44 AM
It turned out so pretty! Love it!
Posted by: Caron Mosey | May 12, 2012 at 07:53 AM
Wow, it's a liberty scrapbook! I am really excited about how the quilting looks so different on the front and the back. I was unfamiliar with your batting so I will have to look that up. It sounds like it has some appealing qualities. Hope you have many great sleeps under this quilt.
Posted by: Suzanne | May 12, 2012 at 08:00 AM
The quilt is beautiful. You are always inspiring me. Don't worry about the light switch ors was missing for way longer than 6 years.
Posted by: Beth | May 12, 2012 at 08:51 AM
Beautiful Erin.
Posted by: Jill E. | May 12, 2012 at 10:37 AM
beautiful, beautiful...... i adore the quilting pattern!
ps - switch plates are totally over rated :)
Posted by: Stephinie | May 12, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Congratulations, Erin! I don't have trouble believing that it IS absolutely dreamy. A treasure for sure.
Posted by: Rachel at Stitched in Color | May 12, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Wow. Just wow. I have a king size bed, too, and the thought of sewing a quilt for it scares me. You did a wonderful job! It's absolutely beautiful.
Posted by: del | May 12, 2012 at 11:16 AM
absolutely awesome!! another job well done. enjoy.
Happy Mother's Day!!
Posted by: kristyn | May 12, 2012 at 05:00 PM
It's spectacular, Erin. How wonderful to literally wrap yourself in cotton luxury at the end of each day. It's an heirloom in the making. Who needs a switch plate when this comfort awaits?
Posted by: molly | May 13, 2012 at 01:13 AM
so beautiful, erin! what a joy it must be to sleep under.
Posted by: amisha | May 13, 2012 at 08:50 AM
Beautiful work! Have been working on a stash of squares for a king size quilt myself but have only done smaller lap sizes so far... But always good to dream! Thanks for the great inspiration and ideas!
Posted by: GreenDarner | May 13, 2012 at 11:11 AM
So enviably lovely.
Posted by: roni | May 13, 2012 at 02:02 PM
it looks amazing, erin! what a beautiful accomplishment.
Posted by: emily | May 13, 2012 at 05:54 PM
Beautiful!
Posted by: Jessica B | May 13, 2012 at 09:20 PM
It is beautiful and I love your choice of quilting!
Posted by: Emily | May 13, 2012 at 11:31 PM
Wow, how lovely! The fabric (!), the quilting... Love it.
Posted by: Rineke Nanlohij | May 14, 2012 at 04:47 AM
Hi Jacqueline - I have a Bernina 820 QE (I upgraded last summer) which has a very large throat so I had plenty of space to quilt this without wrestling at all. I can't speak to anything beyond that - this was my first king quilt! Erin
Posted by: Erin | house on hill road | May 14, 2012 at 06:31 AM
Erin, it's totally beautiful! You must just sit on it and look at all the different patterns.
Before last week I hadn't heard of Request, but now I've read about a couple quilts made with it. Will have to check it out!
Posted by: Dorie | May 14, 2012 at 08:23 AM
This is beautiful! I absolutely love how you quilted it! So perfect!
Posted by: Chara Michele | May 14, 2012 at 01:05 PM
Beautiful! I love how this turned out.
Posted by: Tessa | May 14, 2012 at 03:24 PM
Very beautiful!
Posted by: Jessica M | May 14, 2012 at 07:12 PM
So beautiful! Serious quilt envy!!!
Posted by: Clare | May 15, 2012 at 09:33 AM
Oh my Goodness, this is absolutely blooming beautiful!
Posted by: Andrea | May 15, 2012 at 10:29 AM