Monday, November 17, 2014

Finished!

I finished quilting and binding this quilt over the weekend, washed it and took a nap under it today!

75" x 66"




Here's the quilt that inspired me.  
It's from Roderick Kiracoffe's collection shown in his fabulous new book,

I wish I had the opportunity to meet this quilt maker.  
I'd love to talk to her about her brilliant design and the fabrics she used.
One can only imagine her process.




Mine is made mostly of shirt scraps.  I imagine hers was too.




I pieced the scraps randomly in strips of darks and lights. 
Looks like she did too.







For quilting, I couldn't tell how she did hers.  Roderick said it was done in purple thread.  
I decided to stitch in the ditch by machine, and add some hand stitching in just a few of the large blocks.  




The hand stitching looked so good, I had to keep going!  
That added another month of evenings to the process, but it was worth it.
Here you can see before and after the hand stitching.




The idea for knots on top came from the lovely and talented Carolyn at Material Obsession in Australia. 
I love the little bit of added texture they provide.
The binding is corduroy, nice and soft to touch.




I love how it looks when folded on the couch.
Every new lap size quilt at my house gets it's debut here.

I've thought of several names for this quilt:
"Many Thanks to Roderick"
"Hour Glass"
"Courthouse Steps"
"Day and Night"
"Dark and Light"

None of them have stuck.  That's fine.  
I doubt the original maker named her quilt, 
so maybe I won't either.


55 comments:

Unknown said...

Классно!!!!

Jenny M said...

Great use of fabric...your quilt looks great!
I recently bought that book and will now go back and view the original quilt with a different view of how it can be done with current fabrics....how many of my husband's shirts could I cut up? LOL

apiecefullife said...

It has been nice to follow this story. What a lovely quilt, lovely quilting. Much as I hate to weigh things down with a name quilts do need a name so you can "tag" them on your posts and to catalogue them. what about just "Roderick"?

Rachaeldaisy said...

Wow!!! This is so wonderful in every way! I love that you've already had a nap under your quilt. What perfect way to celebrate it's finish.

audrey said...

Ahh... What a fabulous quilt. Love the scrappy goodness, the quirkiness and the lovely texture from your hand stitching. I can see where your quilt ideas came from (the influence) but this quilt looks all you. Love it!:)

Susan said...

This is a wonderful finish! I love so much about it- the free piecing, the colour contrasts and the fabulous stitching! I bet you are proud of it, whether it has a name or not!

Susan said...

Fabulous! I never dreamed you would hand quilt it, but it added so much to this quilt!

Marly said...

This is a great quilt. I like the bold coherence you, and the maker of the original, created while using such a wild variety of scraps.

Ann said...

Beautiful! I love this. I love that you used shirts too. I would never get tired of looking at this if it was on my couch!

deb oldenburg said...

quilts like this are a joy. probably use it up wear it out theory applied brilliantly. I think that's why these older quilts are so refreshing to look at-no matchy match and co-ordinated-kits and fabrics-the quiltmakers joy shines through.i like you have to desire to copy exactly other peoples quilts, kits etc. I like to follow design ideas and go for it

Margaret said...

So many things about this quilt that I love ...
maybe I can sum them all up & simply say that this quilt has "soul".

deb @ frugal little bungalow said...

I'd like to take a nap under that sweet quilt too! :)

Pinkadot Quilts said...

It's so cool! i love your hand stitching too.

Barb said...

Great interpretation of this utility quilt. I too love the stitching and well worth your time.
don't you love napping under a hand made quilt!
congrats on a great finish and having a wonderful new quilt!

Karen said...

A good use of many, many fabrics. It does have a vintage look much like the original.

Julierose said...

this is absolutely lovey--looks both older and modern at the same time. the hand quilting really finishes it off sowell...great finish hugs, Julierose

Maryse said...

Your quilt is fabulous! I especially love the hand quilting with the knot, it's a cool detail that caught my eyes right away.

Helen said...

This quilt has been a "love affair" from the start. It even survived a rough bump with that bleeding blue. Tho it resembles the inspirational version, it is uniquely yours with that red corduroy binding! Big hugs...

Selvage Quilter said...

Love this quilt! The red binding is the icing on the cake. And I noticed all the hand quilting and the knot made me smile. I love how you put it all together!

Quilting Stories said...

A masterpiece!!!! Sooooooooo splendid!
So dramatic light and shadow! As well
I think it's a very good idea to mix machine quilting in the ditch and a hand quilting with a contrasted thread, it gives a kind of "naive" touch. Great choice the red binding. So beautiful on the coach... makes me smile as I do exactely the same as a debut for my new quilts!

Chris said...

Gorgeous finish! I bet you had sweet dreams under that beauty! I agree about the hand quilting, I am falling back in love with it, and adding it to my new pieces. Thanks for sharing!

Havplenty said...

A great scrap quilt and good use of upcycled clothing. How did you assemble this? I see both rows and columns.

tushay3(at)yahoo(dot)com

Marit said...

A beautiful interpretation with a big "personality" on it's own. Love how vibrant and colorful it is, even with the strong light and dark contrast. The hand quilting add so much charm, too. I can imagine how soft the quilt feels with all the up cycled shirts - just lovely! Congratulations on a beautiful finish, and on taking the time to add the last layer of quilting by hand. Slowing down can be a challenge at times, but then again, it can be so worth it!

; )

O'Quilts said...

Very very great!

Esther said...

Lovely quilt!

Brenda said...

Oh Wow! lovely on so many levels-- the use of value, the upcycled fabrics, the twist on the traditional block, the handquilting, and your usual sense of colour and style. I really want to hang out in your sewing room with you!

em's scrapbag said...

This is fabulous! Love the contrast of light and dark scraps.

Terry said...

A great and true tribute to the quilting heratage.
You deserve all the luck of being the first to sleep under a newly finished quilt. AMAZING********

Mcm said...

Another winner!

smazoochie said...

It's really delicious! In the (every stinking) ditch & hand-quilted -- maybe what I need to do with my new string top. Another beauty, nifty!

Lynne said...

Oh wow, I love your quilt! All that quilting is impressive, as well the amount of scraps used to make it.
I'm deep into that book, and haven't been this charged up about my quilting in a long time.
Lynne

Mary said...

My heart just skipped a beat! I LOVE this! Oh golly...it's good! Perfect! I love the idea of stitching in the ditch and then hand stitching random blocks.

Karen said...

What an accomplishment. I would name it "Sands of time". I picture the sand309 slowly dripping thru the hour glass. Congrats!

Kim said...

Divine....I hope it gives you sweet dreams of many more quilts to make and inspire us with......this is really one I'd like to tackle.

Happy Sewing

Heidi said...

Absolutely wonderful...
this one must create wonderful dreams ;-)

Quilteuse Forever said...

Tout a déjà été dit, alors je te le dis en français : quel magnifique quilt !
Les décisions que tu as prises successivement ont toujours été les bonnes : le choix de ce modèle d'abord, puis celui de tes tissus avec ce piéçage libre que j'adore... Et puis vient la surprise du quilting : pour un tel ouvrage, il aurait été dommage de le quilter visiblement à la machine. Tu as aussi osé laisser les noeuds apparents, c'est très amusant, cela donne un effet rustique qui convient parfaitement à ce quilt.
Roderick pourra te faire figurer dans un prochain livre qui pourrait être : les quilts sympas du XXIe siècle...
Alors simplement bravo LeeAnn !

Heather said...

That book was the most inspirational book I have read all year - each photo blew me away. I love what you have done with your quilt, and would call it 'Echo' in reference to your conversation with the quilt from the past.

makatrin said...

What a wonderful quilt! I especially like your hand quilting with the visible ends.
Have I understood correctly, you have first quilted with sewing maschine and then also with hand? Awesome!

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a marvelous finish ..... I like the name Respect .... Seems to sum up inspiration, technique, appreciation, tradition, innovation, and emphasizes the rich inner soul of the quilt.

So many reasons to love this one!

cspoonquilt said...

Great finish! Both quilts are so quirky and scrappy. I like the way you finished it with some 'big stitch' quilting. I have got to get that book! what a source of inspiration!

Monica said...

I liked this quilt when you started it, and I like it even more now! Those hand quilted bits are perfect, and the little knots are a great way to finish off each piece. Just wonderful. Congratulations!

cinzia said...

Love love love this quilt! The handstitching is fabulous. I could understand how you couldnt stop. Definitely worth those extra evenings of work in my opinion! Wow!

Sujata Shah said...

Soulful, happy and serene!!! Your hand stitching did it all!

Unknown said...

Wow wow wow - a super quilt Kxx

Lori Kay said...

I love the red binding. I was inspired to try my hand at a similar quilt with my large collection of scraps. I'm slowly making progress on the piecing. It's a lot of work but I see from your quilt that it's definitely worth the effort.

Cynthia@wabisabiquilts said...

Wow, what a fabulous quilt, everything about it. Very inspiring!

Tonya Ricucci said...

beautiful

Annemieke said...

Fabulous!!! I can keep on looking at this quilt. And the red binding looks great on this!(and the little knots too;)
Groetjes
Annemieke

patty a. said...

The quilt turned out fabulous! I love it. Now I am going to have to make one!

Lara B. said...

Completely awesome! Your rendition does perfect justice to your original inspiration!

Stina... said...

Gorgeous.... Stunning quilt...and I love it!!

Frederique said...

Beautiful quilt, and I guess you were happy under!
For more scraps, you are welcome to enter my fabric giveaway!

Victoria said...

Spectacular! Truly, just marvelous in every way. I like to think that the quilt maker responsible for your inspiration is smiling down on you from Heaven.

Crazypatch said...

I love this quilt. falulous!

Debbie said...

I'm sorry - the link to your email in your profile didn't work for me. I was wondering if I could include a photo of your quilt in this post in my next newsletter. I'd link back here of course! Thanks for considering! Debbie/A Quilter's Table