Sunday, October 31, 2010

Somewhere Over the Rainbow


I finally fiished my postage stamp quilt!  I am so excited that it is finished!

 

  I started working on it during the spring of 2008, so it only took two and a half years.:)  It is made with 3,800 1 1/2 inch squares-3,000 on the front and 800 on the back.


 Each block contains 100 squares.  The finished size is 80" x 91".  I started piecing it on my mom's vintage 70's Kenmore sewing machine and finished with my Bernina.  I stippled all over for the quilting; I used eleven bobbins of thread, which is the most quilting I have ever done on a single quilt.  I really like the dense quilting on this one.


 I started collecting squares way back then, and I participated in two rounds of a postage stamp swap on Craftster to get an assortment of colors. I knew I wanted to make blocks of one color, but I wasn't sure about the arrangement.


  I tried a couple different variations, and I really liked some of them; I may go back and make another one in the future based off one of the variations I tried.   I wanted it to be big enough to fit a full size bed when it was finished, so I quickly realized I would need a border or to separate the blocks.  I am happy with the way it turned out. 



 I went with my daughter to the park to take pictures of it, and it is a little wrinkled from being squished in the bottom basket of her stroller.  I kind of like the wrinkled look because it shows it will be loved and used.:)


 I have always photographed my quilts in my backyard, but it was fun trying to get different pictures of it.  It is currently back in the washer because it did get dirty from lying on the grass; we have a lot of geese in Colorado.


I actually sewed the binding on by hand on this one.  It was the first time I have ever tried that!  It felt like it took forever; it was about two weeks sewing for 30 minutes to an hour at night with a marathon sewing session during the Auburn vs. Old Miss game last night. 



It is definitely one of my favorite quilts I have made, if not my favorite.  I love that it is my own design and that it turned out just like I wanted.


If you want to see in-progress pictures, follow the links below:
May 28, 2008-starting, July 14, 2008, September 8, 2008 (layouts), February 23, 2009 -top almost pieced, May 29, 2010 basted and started quilting and then started ripping stitches out, and October 15, 2010-quilting.

I am entering this into Amy's Quilt Festival.  I look forward to this event every spring and fall.  There are some amazing quilts every year, so go look if you are ready to be inspired!



You can see my previous entries by following the links below:
Spring 2010 and Fall 2009

Thank you for stopping by!

52 comments:

SewAmy said...

Oh Audrey, it is beautiful. I remember you working on this a long time ago when we were in the quilt block swap on craftster. I bet you are happy it is done. The quilting you did is awesome too.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love this quilt!! Although I'm sure the piecing was tedious, it is so worth it-- this is stunning, I just love the arrangement and the blocks of concentrated color.

isolada. by design said...

Congratulations, Audrey! It's absolutely gorgeous. And I didn't really have a clear vision of how big it is until I saw it draped over the fence in one of the photographs. It is well loved and well lived with!

What a great idea to enjoy the park with your daughter and take photographs of the quilt. I particularly love the one where it is on the picnic table with the pond, geese and fall color as backdrop. You've a good eye which totally makes sense given your numerous creative abilities.

Today is a beautiful day. Enjoy!

Ana

Little Island Quilting said...

What an amazing quilt. I cannot begin to comprehend how long it must have taken. Well actually I have and I don't think I cold show that much dedication to a quilt! Well done

Kimberly said...

It is absolutely gorgeous! The quilt definitely reflects your labor of love.
I never ended up doing anything with my postage stamp squares. I just recently passed them onto my daughter to add to her "sewing stash". Now I am wishing I had plowed thought and had made at least a pillow!
Awesome and awe inspiring!

Unknown said...

Wow Audrey! I'm so excited to see this one finished!! Beautiful work, and photos!

Marianne said...

Oh, yes! Take a bow it is stunning! That pic at the lake is very pretty.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! Definitely worth all the work you did - and pix are fabulous too! (Sorry about the goose poop!) ;-)

Andi said...

Completely stunning.
A work of art!!

Tiffany said...

Beautiful quilt! So many little squares - what dedication!! :D

Kristie said...

Thems a lot of squares!

This is gorgeous, and definately worth all your hard work! I love rainbow quilts, and this is up there with my favorites. Thanks for sharing, and happy festival!

Melinda said...

Beautiful! I don't think I would have it in me to piece that much. The results are amazing though! Kudos to you!

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Wow. My jaw is totally on the floor at this quilt, it is beyond amazing! I can't get over how many little pieces went into this one quilt. Wow!! I love how this quilt turned out and I am in awe of how much work that went into this. Just wow!

AnnieO said...

Truly a magnificent example of carrying an idea through to finish! Terrific photos too. Thanks for sharing your quilt's story :)

Annette said...

Oh, I LOVE this!

Katie B said...

This is an incredible quilt! Beautiful photography too.

Bec said...

Wow Wow and more WOW!!!! This quilt is spectacular....so incredible! no onder it took a couple years to finish!!! just Amazing! xx

BJ said...

Beautiful. Great quilt. Great pics.

BubzRugz said...

Such a beautiful quilt and the work is outstanding... I love the presentation of this post too..... I'll be back...
Hugz

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

What a gorgeous quilt! Thanks for the links to follow the progress. Your pictures are so pretty!

moira said...

OMG this is amazing. So pretty and I love the binding choice.

Renee said...

Oh wow! That is one seriously gorgeous and suitably impressive quilt! Beautiful!

Steffi´s Candy Quilts said...

This is such a beautiful quilt, and I love the outdoor photos you did with it. The fall colors of the trees in contrast to the bright quilt are amazing!

Unknown said...

Great job. I love the layout and design of the blocks. A well deserved pat on the back for you!!!

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said...

This is just stunning! Beautiful work! And the photos show it off beautifully.

Jenny said...

I'm in love with this quilt. it is so inspiring and makes me want to make one similar to it. Just lovely!

Shelly said...

That is sooooo beautiful! Great job! And very inspiring!

Jill said...

I love postage stamps! This is a beautiful one. I like making them, too.

Quiltbenaco said...

E? semplicemente fantastica!
Mi pace tanto tanto.
Brava
Ciao Domenica

Fullgrownwoman said...

Love, love, love!!!! It is GORGEOUS!!

by Daisy said...

i love your quilt, the colours, the hard work it envolved, even how you chose to photograph it. i love everything about it!

cheers from Portugal

Jodie said...

Holy cow - this is BEAUTIFUL! And amazing! And inspiring!

em's scrapbag said...

This is a fabulous quilt. All those little pieces play so nicely together.

J said...

Really, really beautiful. Well done.

Stephanie said...

Wow that quilt is awesome! You must be very good at lining up your edges, I don't know that I'd be game to try something so intense but it is so gorgeous!!!

Rene' said...

Audrey, what a fabulous quilt!!! You must be so proud and glad that it is finished. I love how you laid out the blocks in a rainbow color scheme. Thanks for the links on your progress.

♥Duff said...

I can only imagine the levels of patience and perseverance that you have! This is truly a testament to the beauty of quilting. thanks for sharing!

Allie said...

Oh my goodness--that is gorgeous! You are amazing.

Lisa said...

I love this quilt! I just made a block like this for a challenge and I know how much work it is! What an accomplishment. It would be my favorite quilt too.

Amy said...

This is such a great quilt!

Stephanie D said...

It's just beautiful, Awdrey! It would be my favorite, too--so cheerful and so much work gone into it!

Karen said...

There is so much work involved in this quilt but it was worth it!
It looks great. I love the range of shades and fabrics in each block.
It is so colourful WOW!!

Rachaeldaisy said...

This quilt is sooo beautiful. All those little squares!! I love it!! Great photos too. And I love the name of your blog.

Charity said...

The photo's are gorgeous. I couldn't imagine the quilt without the boarders and sashing. The white just helps everything pop right out. It seems like a test of patience.
It's wonderful!

Dawn N. said...

absolutely beautiful!!! I love it!!

Carol said...

Gorgeous postage stamp quilt. I am impressed with your approach to it and the time and patience.

Lauren Phelps said...

Your quilt is beautiful! I love all the bright colors!

Jolanda said...

I am spending some time every day to look at all the quilts posted. So far yours is the most beautiful I have seen. Gorgeos!
Jolanda - atelierarte.blogspot.com

pimprenelle said...

It's wonderful! The photography make it more beautiful , It's so lovely.
Good day from France!

Fancy Tiger Crafts said...

So inspiring and great photos! Thanks for sharing!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

I missed this last Quilt Festival - glad I found it today! It's gorgeous!

Banaghaisge said...

That is a wonderful quilt!!! Thank you for sharing it - I found it cos someone pinned it to Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/pin/46379694/
It looks so effective. And your stippling is great - lots of tiny stipples for lots of tiny pieces of material. Inspriational!
Thank you,
Jasmine in Oz