Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Yo-Yo Quilt is finished!


I sewed the last two yo-yos together this morning, and it feels so good to have it be finished! My daughter thinks the yo-yo's look like flowers, and she points at it and says, "flowers" which led me to take the quilt to the park and rose garden this morning to snap some pictures of it.

I first started this quilt in 2003, and it is the first quilt I ever started. I really didn't realize what I was getting myself into when I started making it; I just knew I wanted to make a quilt, I didn't have a machine, so it would have to be all done by hand. I am so proud that it is completely pieced together by hand without using a machine at all.



I could also call this my "traveling quilt" because it has definitely traveled. When I started the quilt, I was living in Birmingham, AL, then I got married and moved to Ft. Payne, AL where we lived for about a year. We then moved to Denver, CO, which is where we live now. It has traveled across the country with us as we have moved several times. I have worked on it while driving from Denver to Hobbs, NM to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and new niece, and it has been to Destin, FL several times over the summer to visit with my family. It traveled up to Newport, VA one New Year's Eve to go to a concert, and it has also been to San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans. I even worked on it on the ten hour drive from Denver to Yellowstone National Park several years ago. Many of my friends have seen me working on this from time to time over the last eight(!) years, which is so different than the quilts I have worked on with the machine. I like that it has traveled so much, and it was easy to take with me since it was hand sewing.

It is fun to look at and see how my fabric choices have changed over the last eight years. When I first started it, I was working at the Birmingham Children's Theatre as the charge scenic artist, and I would use scraps from the costume shop. This led to realizing that corduroy isn't the best choice to use for yo-yos! I have several 4x4 sections that are made that didn't make it into the final quilt from these early days due to the material I used; I didn't know that wool, silk, and cotton might not be the best mixture of fabrics if you wanted to wash it at home. I plan on using those yo-yos for a doll quilt for my daughter, so they can still be used and loved.



The final quilt is 56 yo-yos across by 56 yo-yos down with the yo-yos being approximately 1-5/8 inches across. It is 90" square, which I think makes it a queen size quilt. It has 3, 156 yo-yos!


Honestly, if I had known eight years ago that it would take so long, I don't know that I would have started it, but I am so glad that I did!




21 comments:

Kristen said...

Super beautiful quilt! Way to go on this finish!

coreymom40 said...

That's beautiful..

Red Pepper Quilts - Rita Hodge said...

Amazing! You're perseverance with this hand stitched project paid off, it is stunning.

A quilt full of wonderful memories.

Katie B said...

Amazing! I love that it has traveled so much. I love your photos too! What will you do with it?

Angela N. said...

at our last frmqg meeting there was a lady who had an antique yo-yo quilt... amazing to see all the hard work you did!!

Melissa said...

This is ridiculously fabulous. I'm with you, though. If you told me it would take 8 years to finish a quilt, I'd put down the fabric and walk away. :)
Great finish. It looks incredible.

Tara said...

It turned out beautiful, Audrey!

SewAmy said...

an amazing amount of work! And it is gorgeous!

Stephanie D said...

So ambitious! And so gorgeous!

Samantha said...

that is simply stunning! congrats on the finish!

Anonymous said...

This is exquisite! You should be justifiably proud of the results. Congratulations.

Karen said...

Beautiful quilt, and wow! great pictures!!

Sandra said...

Hi,
I'm a new follower. I'm blown away by your yo-yo quilt. We have a lady in our guild that made one, but hers was only half the size of yours. It truly is a work of art. And so many memories of all the places it travelled to. also I love the postage stamp quilt, always wanted to do one.......maybe if i get my stack of ufo's finished.....
Inspired!
Sandra

Twinfibers said...

It's gorgeous!!!! Congratulations on finishing it, it's truly a beautiful piece of art!

Lynette said...

OH my goodness! Your Yo-Yo quilt is GORGEOUS!! Love it. :D

(hello from Florida - surfing quilt bloggers)

Lydia Gillespie said...

I just stumbled across your blog when I googled postage stamp quilts, and I wanted to say that your work is amazing and inspiring! I'm cutting up my scrap stash right now, and your quilts give me so many exciting ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Lady Rosien said...

Oh, my! I saw this quilt at our last meeting in Monument but your pictures are just so lovely!!! It is truly a work of art. I am the new member who said your yo yo quilt belongs in a museum. Indeed, if I were you I would approach the DAM to donate it. I know you probably love it in your arms, but can you IMAGINE it on a wall at the DAM!!!!! It is just so stunning. I can understand how proud you are.

quirky granola girl said...

this is so gorgeous! way to go, Audrey.

i have a question, though. is there open space between the curves of the yo-yo's? like a lacy afghan? or maybe it has a backing? or maybe it just looks like flat circles on the back? i'm sorry if i sound like an idiot, but i just don't understand yo-yo quilts yet. thanks for your help :)

jmday said...

Amazing! I'm about to embark on the YoYo quest... Precisely because I can travel with it. I don't think I'll make it quite that big, though! Congrats!

Amanda Jean said...

oh. my. goodness.

amazing, Audrey. this is a beautiful piece. congrats on finishing such a monumental quilt!!!

Lisa said...

Holy smokes! I just stumbled into your blog this afternoon (via SewAmy) and WOW! I'm so glad I did or I might never have seen your gorgeous yo-yo quilt! This is really astounding, you did a beautiful job. I have a small pile of yoyo's building up (you're right they are excellent for traveling project), but I don't know quite what I'll do with them yet...

Anyhoo, I couldn't leave your blog without telling you how lovely this is. Have a great weekend!
Lisa