Saturday 31 August 2013

Carolina Lily completed


On a queen sized bed
Now just to show you what I did in the final stages (probably are lots of better ways to do this mind you!)...

Here it is with the quilting just finished, ready to trim, bind and wash:



I can tell you I felt a little bit worried as I shoved it in my front loading washing machine with a dose of wool wash and turned on the full wash cycle. I wanted to be sure to remove all that pen and I wanted high spin so it would not be too wet afterwards. I added several white colour catchers and here they are afterwards - must have picked up all the orange pen colour!

After the wash it was good incredibly fantastic to see that all the pen marks had disappeared. 

I wanted to square the quilt up before letting it dry on the timber floor for a couple of days. I always hope this will avoid any distortion that could happen if I just hang a new quilt on the line to dry. The squaring just involved pulling the corners and sides a little - so the diagonal corner and parallel side measurements were much the same.  Here it is drying:

Once it was dry I went over it checking for any loosened applique and threads to trim. I found four small lifts in the border vine where the applique thread (a fine silk thread) had come loose. Easily fixed and not bad at all considering the quilt is all hand applique and the poor thing has been dragged this way and that under the sewing machine and then given a few hefty spins in the washing machine. It is a fairly fragile thread - might have been better with something stronger. See the loose applique below?


Checking the back of the quilt here: 

Hanging it on the wall for some photos:




Well that was quite a task for me to quilt on my domestic machine. But I am really happy ( and so relieved) it has turned out with the look and feel I wanted - as close as I could  manage to the traditional hand-quilted look I love. Time for a little happy dance? Thanks for all your encouragement along the way. 

I am wondering if I am game enough now to tackle quilting my Burnt quilt - the finished top has been sitting waiting for quite a while... It is a big quilt (bigger than the Carolina Lily) but, without all that applique, may be easier to quilt. Perhaps a break from quilting first though!
 Remember this?


Something lovely is happening in the garden - signs of Spring! Do you recall that in June I planted a "tulip lasagne" in a pot? It thinks Spring is coming too.


43 comments:

  1. watching you do this on your home machine is making me think more and more that I have to practice also and try harder - I will never catch up if I only hand quilt! your quilt looks wonderful.

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  2. Your Carolina lily quilt turned out so lovely! Bravo to you for quilting it yourself - your machine work is amazing, and you saved a boatload of money!

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  3. What a spectacular quilt! And your quilting is just perfect!

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  4. More than a happy dance - A long graceful waltz is in order!! Your Carolina Lily is gorgeous and you must be over the moon with how it turned out. Beautiful work!!!


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  5. Admire your quilting. It's wonderful.

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  6. WOW I am speechless--doesn't happen often!!!

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  7. Your quilt is absolutely stunning! Love it!

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  8. You did a fantastic job !!!
    Greetz from the Netherlands :)

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  9. the quilt is just amazing from the appliqué to the quilting , incredible. I am in awe that you did this on your home machine.
    soooo impressed. Makes me want to practice my machine quilting :)
    take a break before you start quilting the next heirloom quilt! your Burndt quilt is just so beautiful
    Kathie

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  10. Oh WOW Hilda your CarolinaLily is just so beautiful, you must be so thrilled - and relieved, it must have been very scary putting it into the washing machine. Smart lady to use the colour catchers. A well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

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  11. Forgot to say how perfect it looks on that white iron (brass?) bed and I'm looking forward to seeing the tulip lasagne bloom :)

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  12. The Quilt is so beautiful.
    And your quilting is amazing.

    Have a nice weekend, Manuela

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  13. Absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations. I'm extremely envious!!!

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  14. It's gorgeous Hilda. I love the look of the quilting, and I am so happy all the pen came out so well. I think your shoulda have earned a little rest! Well done.

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  15. You have done an amazing job. This quilt is gorgeous and it has been so much fun to follow along with you progress. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Congratulations on you finish. The back is just as pretty as the front.
    I live it on the bed too.
    Wonderful tulips!

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  17. A spectacular quilt and so beautifully quilted - you must be very proud. Take care.

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  18. Your quilt is absolutely gorgeous! I love that pattern and you did a beautiful job on it.

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  19. Wow--this will be an heirloom for your family for sure! I can't wait to see what you do with your Burnt Quilt!

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  20. Your quilt is absolutely breathtaking. What a beautiful heirloom. I'm so glad you used those color catchers. I was worried about the marking pens. I've enjoyed watching your journey.

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  21. If you weren't so far away I would come right over and give you a big pat on the back for a job well done. Your Carolina Lily is spectacular (love the shot of the back). I am so impressed with your workmanship!

    If your readers get to vote for what you do next I'm all in favour of quilting the Burnt quilt. It is GORGEOUS and I would love to see what you and your machine can do with that one!

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  22. So beautiful on the wrought iron bed! Well done! It's a beauty!

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  23. Wow, wow, wow!! It looks incredible! The trapunto worked out really well - the wreaths stand out beautifully with all your gorgeous applique. I just love it! It looks wonderful on your bed. It has all the crinkle and fabulous quilting of an antique quilt. I can't wait to see what's next :0)

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  24. Sensational quilt Hilda! Congratulations on such an amazing job on the quilting too, it's a real stunner. It would look wonderful hanging in a show for all to admire. What was the thread you used for the quilting?

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  25. I forgot to say how gorgeous the burnt quilt is, your a real inspiration.

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  26. Every time I look at your Carolina Lily quilt, I feel happy! Thank you for sharing your talents and letting us look over your shoulder as you produced this stunning quilt.

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  27. Hilda, It turned out spectacular! I am so impressed with your machine quilting, and how fast you made this quilt, with all the wonderful hand applique. The back of it, is as stunning as the front. It's like you got a whole cloth and applique quilt all in one. Isn't it a wonderful feeling to have it behind you. If it were in my house I would walk by it daily and have to rub my hand over it! Great job!

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  28. Congratulations on an amazing finish!! This has to be one of the most beautiful quilts ever. All your wonderful applique and then the trupunto and perfect machine quilting done on a domestic machine. No wonder you are doing a happy dance!! Your Burnt Quilt is another beauty that I have no doubt that you can tackle and do an amazing job of the quilting. I've been enjoying signs of spring too, I'm looking forward to seeing what colour your tulips are.

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  29. congratulations! You've made real heirloom! I looks so lovely and I love the iron bed.
    Your burnt quilt is lovely too -
    can't wait to see the tulips!

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  30. Truly wonderful! I've been following your work and I am always delighted with your good taste, loved your Patchwork of crosses quilt and this one is also awesome. Congratulations! SILMARA from Brazil http://quilters-studio.blogspot.com.br/

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  31. Bravo! I hope you're patting yourself on the back for a job well done. I am as happy as you are that all your hard work paid off, this quilt is a treasure. One of the most amazing quilts I've ever seen online, truly.

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  32. Not much more I can add - I am in awe that you did such a beautiful job on the machine, it looks perfect!

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  33. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!! You must be delighted with the result of all that hard work (physically pushing and pulling it through a domestic machine),congratulations.

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  34. So beautiful and the quilting is amazing! Congratulations on a job well done.

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  35. I have loved seeing your progression on this quilt. You have sped right along on it and now have a beautiful heirloom!! Congratulations!!

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  36. wow~!~ the quilting on this beautiful quilt is absolutely gorgeous~!!!!~
    happy dance indeed. if it were me i'd still be dancing~!

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  37. Some quilts just leave me with my mouth open in awe and wonderment. Yours is on that list. Thank you. What an inspiration!

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  38. This turned out so wonderful (Will you adopt me?). I also like color catcher sheets when washing these quilts. I have a few UFOs I am going to quilt on my domestic machine.

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  39. Your Carolina Lily is beautiful!

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  40. Your quilt is just stunning! You did a very beautiful job of appliqueing and quilting this beauty...you should be very proud.

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  41. I taught my MIL to quilt before she retired and that is one of the patterns she chose to quilt by hand and it was so lovely. She did such fine hand work. I was thrilled to receive one of those quilt. Her daughter got most of her handy work but now most of it is in her grandson’s (my son) home as it should be.

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  42. Beautiful quilt! I absolutely love the border.

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  43. Beautiful quilt! I absolutely love the border.

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