Looking at this quilt you may wonder, "A brother quilt?" I am serious. My oldest brother requested a purple quilt because that is his wife's favorite color. :)
This quilt is what I call a Race Quilt Variation. It is pieced the same way as a Jelly Roll Race, but uses strips a lot wider than the 2.5 inches. In fact, I cut these strips out at 6 inches wide. This quilt top finishes about 72 x 88 inches. I have wanted to make a quilt this size since I figured out the Race Quilt Calculations back in January. I loved piecing a twin size quilt in less than two hours.
And yes, Escaped, was a bit of a "squirrel" for me. I had this quilt pieced and laying on the floor in my family room while I was cutting out and piecing Escaped. However, I did get it basted before I started quilting Escaped. I just wish this quilt would name itself as easily. I am thinking about calling it "Feathered Surprise." Cheetah suggested "Flower Surprise" because of the flowers on the back.
Because the rows are so wide, I decided to quilt feathers. My Tiara doesn't like the thread I planned on using, so I quilted it on my small domestic sewing machine. It only has a 6 inch throat space and I was still able to easily fit half of the quilt to the side of the needle. Because I was quilting in columns, it kind of rolled up as I went along. Normally I just bunch things up because I don't want to wrestle a whole log.
It is good to remember that you can use the entire space under the arm of the machine. My right hand was actually kind of under the bunched up fabric while I was quilting and keeping my focus area flat.
While I don't recommend using rulers without a ruler foot, I did it very carefully when quilting the vines for my feathers. (You can see that I just let the quilt bunch up behind my machine. Quilting up against a wall or in a corner keeps the quilt from falling off the back of the table.)
My free-motion quilting foot doesn't hop very much, so I just took it nice and slow while stitching the vines.
I forgot how much I enjoyed quilting feathers. :)
I am excited because this is the last quilt before I reach my goal for parent and sibling quilts. I just hope my brother and sister-in-law like it.
XX,
Jasmine
I think it should be Purple Surprise-I am surprised your purple loving son didn't call that out!! I like that you made the strips wide but used the jelly roll race method-I should remember that!! Would be fast for some charity quilts-hmmm thinking ahead now of ones to work on at quilt retreat in January-hey thanks for the idea!!
ReplyDeletePurple!! My favorite :D It's funny though, I am making a quilt on commission, purple was requested and do you know I have VERY little purple fabric in my stash?? Yeah, I'm rectifying that ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful quilt and your brother and his wife are sure to love it! I have done some ruler work without a ruler foot, and I agree, slow is the key but it is a little unnerving.
It sounds like the quilt is going to be loved by your brother and sister-in-law. How sweet of him to think of his wife when making his color preferences known for the quilt. I also like Cheetah's sense of humor with his name suggestion. :)
ReplyDeleteYour feather quilting is going to be lovely on those wide strips. Great job getting quilts to all your family members!
ReplyDeleteI am sure they will love it, Jasmine. This quilt is beautiful; purple is one of my favorite colors, especially in quilts. Can't wait to see the finished product. The feathers are looking gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThey'll love it.......I would.
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