Monday, December 8, 2014

Another Finish!


"Contentment"  49" x 49"
I've been going through my pile of flimsies, thinking about the ones I want to quilt.
This one cried out to me recently.  



I put it together a year or two ago, with leftover blocks from five different projects.
The words came from instructions in Tonya Ricucci's excellent book, Word Play Quilts.

On second look, the original house block seemed a bit muddy.
So I decided to do a little "home improvement."



Hmm, not exactly what I was looking for.




The third time was the charm.  Now for the quilting.




After stitching in every ditch, I sewed thin matchsticks around all the letters.
Then I added easy back and forth designs and small stippling.
I used puffy wool batting so the letters would pop out.



The half-square triangles got their own simple flower shapes.
Dark binding popped the colors.
Wa-la!

Don't you just love finishing?
I surely do!










42 comments:

  1. It's wonderful to see this quilt finished!! It's such an uplifting quilt, not just the words you have chosen but the happy colours. Congratulations on another brilliant finish..

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  2. Love, love, love this quilt. Doris

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  3. It's a great feeling to finish a quilt. I find a right balance of machine quilting and hand quilting with my tops. Some deserves to be hand stitched so i take my time.
    I love the house you ended up with. It anchors the entire quilt! Another beauty!

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  4. Good improvement in that house, there is surely more contrast between the fabrics now. I think the quilt is great, lots of things to keep looking at. And I love the way you quilted it. I know the 'finish feeling'. I should try that myself more often;)
    Groetjes
    Annemieke

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  5. It's gorgeous! I'm glad you choose to quilt this one. Nice feeling to finished it - Hugs Nat

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  6. Absolutely fabulous. I love it. It's grand and lovely and lively and full of verve and spunk!

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  7. This quilt has a very special vibe to it, great finish!!

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  8. love it love it love it. fantastic quilt. can't believe you changed the center block once, let alone twice. well worth the work.

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  9. Great finish LeeAnn! Your machine quilting is awesome, and don't you love wool batting? So soft and drapey, yet also lofty and so cozy. Nice home repair!

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  10. Wonderful finish !
    The third house is perfect.

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  11. One of my favorite quilts! Done is good.

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  12. Wow, I love this! What a great mix of fabrics, especially in the four patches. I really like the quilting, too -- interesting but not intrusive. A nice lift for a grey December day!

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  13. I do love finishing, especially when the result is as successful as your is! Congratulations on this finished marvel!

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  14. Yea!! I love this quilt. It is so funky and fun. The lettering is awesome.
    Nice house and wonderful quilting -
    enjoy your new finish

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  15. fabulous! did you have to unpick the centre block?

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  16. Another AMAZING quilt from you. I get so inspired seeing your work, thanks so much for sharing. Congrats to the book winners, it's on my list to purchase if Santa doesn't find it for me.

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  17. Wow, this is GORGEOUS! You combine fabrics with such intensity!

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  18. Love this quirky quilt! The words just make it sing.:) Beautiful work!

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  19. So worthy of the finish, it makes me smile.

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  20. Lovely quilt and the combination of hand and machine stitching really adds to the individuality of this piece.

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  21. I sure do love finishing when the quilt turns out as awesome as yours do!! Love it!

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  22. I did have a finish in 2013 - the quilt for my Granddaughter's wedding gift... in June. I know the glorious feeling. Love your quilt - good words!
    Hugs

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  23. Quite simply, I love everything you do.

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  24. Such a fun, bright quilt. A great finish. I really like how you quilted the blocks as well.

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  25. I'll say that the third time was the charm! This is a marvelous finish . . . happy, spirited, grounded, joyful and SO much more.

    Congratulations on this finish - I LOVE IT!!!

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  26. I just love the happy colours in the quilt, well done!!

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  27. Another wild one! Glad you pulled it out to finish. I like the way you treated all the different elements with different quilting. I think I remember you making the eyelash quilt and pulling out some of those blocks which are now in this beauty. Love it!

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  28. I remember this top but I did not know it had to be quilted. Your decision about the house is a good one, now it is a home!
    Full of kind words, this is again a great quilt - and finished is far better :-) It will be a very good one each year for Thanksgiving, but such a quilt is good to see all year long!

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  29. Chuckled when I read about your home improvements
    because I just did something similar in a current project. Love those words in your quilt & how you fit in the lettering ... I feel they make the quilt.

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  30. I like the words on this quilt. Nice finish.

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  31. Truly yours in every respect...the colors, the whimsy, and the sentiments. Love, love, love it!

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  32. I do love to see a quilt finish! If for no other reason than that means I can start another...guilt free! This is a great quilt! And the home improvement is the icing on the cake!

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  33. LOVE! Do you have the quilt hanging anywhere in your home...it would be such a fun one to look at everyday! Oh, and your home improvements were worth the time!

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  34. Your creations are always inspiring :) Merry Christmas to you! A finished quilt is the best gift. Love the little house in the middle. Janita

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  35. Love, love, love this! Tonya's book is a great resource and inspiration.

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  36. Hooray for your quilt finish, I love it and the house is now looking great with the renovation.

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  37. So much good stuff going on in this delightful quilt! Love those corner fans and all the quilty textures!

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  38. love it those colors are so vibrant

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  39. Love your finished quilt and the final house is so much better! I love Word Play Quilts and have used it extensively myself! From a fellow Seattleite!

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