March 30, 2018

My Leafy Checkerboard Finish

Time to share another big finish. I've been quilting on and off for close to 18 years and in all that time I have never made a quilt for my own bed. Seriously. Never. Can you believe it? Now I can proudly say my bed has a new cover.

leafy quilt

You may remember seeing these blocks eons ago. I worked on them slowly over the course of many months by taking them to BoulderMQG sew days. Month after month after month. I even blogged about it here back in January 2016. Over two years ago! Once the blocks were done it still took awhile for me to lay them all out and sew them together. Obviously it wasn't at the top of my to do list.

Karen at the Quilted Moose did the longarm quilting. I chose an all-over leafy pattern and love the look. I also made pillow shams from the giant hosta fabric I've hoarded for years. You know I love leaves.  : )

leafy quilt

Sadly, the quilted top sat all nicely folded up on a chair in the bedroom for far too long. I blame it on the binding fairies. They didn't show up as scheduled. Of course the thought of binding a queen size myself just wasn't appealing so I did what I do so very well. I procrastinated. Expecting two different house guests last month finally, finally pushed me into action.

I set up my machine downstairs on our long dining table and added another long folding table to the side. All this extra space was a tremendous help in supporting a queen size quilt. I also did it all by machine by attaching the binding to the back and then pulling it to the front and stitching it down close the the fold. It's so much faster for a big quilt. You can see this method used on another quilt here. Now that I've used this method a few times I'm getting better at finding that sweet spot for aligning my stitches. For quilts that will be used a lot, I think it's a great way to go.

In the photo below you can see most of the back. I used up a lot of the older leafy prints in my stash. This was at the ironing and trimming stage.

leafy quilt

I ended up making two quilts from these leafy scrappy trip blocks. The wall hanging below has actually been finished and in use for some time. I just never shared it on the blog.

leafy quilt

I love taking quilt photos in the wild and fell in love with this set of steps full of ivy. Don't you think it's perfect for this quilt?

leafy quilt


Hopefully I'll be back before another whole month goes by. Until then happy quilting and crafting.

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20 comments:

  1. Yay! Your quilt is SO pretty and I love those hosta pillow covers! Great job!

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  2. The quilt looks beautiful on your bed and doesn't it feel so good to have something you made to sleep under? The stairs with ivy on them are an amazing backdrop, too!

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  3. Oh, Anne, it's PERFECT for your bedroom! I've always admired your wonderful stash of green and leafy fabrics, and to see them all together in my favorite layout of simple patchwork is just so wonderful. I'm so glad you found the motivation to "get 'er done" and onto your bed. Hooray! Congrats on two lovely finishes :)

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  4. Where did you ever find so many leafy fabrics for the quilt squares and everything else? The whole room is a leafy delight. The hosta pillows really shine and the bench pillows are also great. I hope you will have many restful and happy moments there.

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  5. You have such a great eye for putting colors (and shades of colors) to use to great effect. I'm in that "never made a quilt for my own bed" club, but hoping to fix that. You've inspired me to start thinking harder about that with your beautiful quilt.

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  6. Both quilts are beauties. All of those wonderful greens. So nice. The ivy stairs shot is perfect.

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  7. OOoooo I love the photo on the ivy steps! This quilt is perfect to surround you with leaves all the time :)

    So nice to see it done-- I hope you're proud!

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  8. SO nice and cool you finally have one of your own quilts on your bed! YAY

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  9. Wow! Really makes a statement! Being my favorite color, I think I’m in love.

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  10. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I love the giant hostas, too.

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  11. You have SUCH a flair, Anne! Not only is the quilt on the bed just gorgeous, but so are those pillows! They pull the whole look together. I want to be a house guest! And that wall hanging is fabulous too. You make me WANT to be a "green person," and a "leaf person," neither of which I am! In truth, you make me want to make decorative pillowcases for our bed. Now you've got me thinking...

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  12. Wow - when I first saw that quilt, I just knew it was yours! You have a distinctive branding with green. And it's beautiful in its simplicity. Great finish :)

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  13. I love it, especially with the shams and the green glassware on the shelf above the bed. Looks great!

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  14. Congrats on that long term project! YAHOO! I love how it and your pillows look in your room. Beautiful! And yes, your photo on the ivy covered stairs is perfect. GREAT picture!

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  15. I miss your lovely quilts and blogposts! They are always full of life. Your new quilt looks made for your bed and your room. And yes, that ivy photo is so beautiful!

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  16. So beautiful. I have a little stash of green fabrics that I keep hoping will magically turn into something... I guess I need to get to and try my hand at magic :-D
    E xx

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  17. The quilt is beautiful. I think it would be worth waiting 18 years for a wall hanging and bed quilt this lovely. It must make you smile every time you look at it.

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  18. Stunning and a beautiful room!

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  19. I love this quilt, the colors and design work perfectly in your room!

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  20. Did anyone notice the leaves in the carpet? I did. I love reading about your quilts, and your creations and love how you always have such a beautiful staging of your finished projects. TWO quilts! Now that is totally impressive, and with your usual Anne flair, you changed the second one from predictable to interesting, with your use of the side sashings flowing into the grid. Beautiful as per your usual, Anne. Congratulations on another finish!

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WaHoo!!! You're leaving me a comment. Thanks for stopping by and do come back again. Quilt on, Anne.