Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday Finish

It's always fun to have a finish to share on Friday! Patriotic 9 Patch (formerly QOV 9 Patch) is in the DONE! column for my October goals. I had planned to donate this one to Quilts of Valor but it ended up just shy of the minimum size so I will either donate it to Project Linus or keep it on hand for when a need arises. I really like this one so it might just end up living with me.
This quilt was started in 2008 with the leftover 2.5" strips from Patriotic Squares which was donated to Quilts of Valor. I'm such a fan of 9 patches so that was an easy choice and paired them up with the metallic star fabric.  When I ran out of patriotic fabrics I mixed in a few reds and lights to make enough blocks.
I found some gorgeous red,white & blue King Tut thread that I used for quilting. The color changed often and I tried to capture how pretty it turned out by adjusting the contrast a bit on the close-up. Originally I was going to quilt it crosswise too but I really liked the channel look so I laid it out on my cutting table to ponder while I worked on another quilt. I didn't change my mind so moved on to the binding stage.
I'd had a blue binding picked out but one of the things I liked about the top was how the reds were scattered throughout the 9 patches so I replaced it with a red instead. I think it was the right choice. The backing is a wide small dot print which shows off the variegated thread nicely.
I pulled my old cutting table out of the storage closet and set it at medium height to the left of my sewing table for additional support. This was suggested by a few of you after I quilted 9 Patch Swap last month and it made a huge difference in my quilting comfort.
My trio of Quilt Inspectors also approved! Usually they wander in and out one at a time so this cracked me up. Jax is in motion reacting to my attempt to get their attention... he is the people pleaser of the group.
One last thing... I will never tire of LOVING the thread cutter on Mr. Juki. Those teeny little tails just make wonder "How can it do that?".


What I Learned:
  • Trust my instincts... sometimes less quilting is more. It's OK to change plans midway.
  • Use more red!
  • It's worth it to set up the extra table when quilting a larger top.

I'm linking up to Feline Friday@sarah did it!TGIFF@Quilter in the ClosetCan I Get a Whoop Whoop@Confessions of a Fabric AddictLink A Finish Friday@Richard and Tanya QuiltsNeedle & Thread Thursday@My Quilt Infatuation and Finish it Friday@Crazy Mom Quilts.
October Finishes

22 comments:

  1. Beautiful!! I love it!!Hugs Bambi

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  2. Is there anything happier than a red/white/blue quilt? Your quilt makes me smile, and I think you made a good choice with your quilting. One more UFO down...you're a UFO finishing machine!

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  3. Cngratulations on this wonderful finish! Glad you decided on red for the binding! It is perfect for it!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

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  4. Your instincts were good. Red is my favorite color, and I love it in both my clothing and in my quilting. Red, white and blue is such a gorgeous color combo.

    And your 3 amigos do seem to approve!

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  5. I definitly agree with more table space for quilting - I LOVE my 4x6' table for just this reason. Ok, that and it gives the Quality Control Officers their own space. Glad to see yours approved - it's a great quilt, especially with red binding. LOL!

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  6. I just love it. I finished up a 9 patch recently and I feel wonderful having it checked off my list. That extra space for quilting is great. I'm sure it makes it much easier to manuver.

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  7. Lovely finish, Deb! I'm chuckling over the quilt inspectors. Looks like they take their jobs seriously. ;o)

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  8. Look at you go!!! I love the finishing touches on something that has been around to long and you are really doing a great job on your goals. Have a super fantastic weekend and I am glad you trio of inspectors approved. The fact that they all came in together to make sure they were all seeing the same thing, and seemed pleased - Bonus!! ;-)

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  9. Yeah what a great feeling! Love the color combinations! The kitties are too funny!

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  10. WOW! I have just got to try that tip of putting the table to the side for extra support. What a gorgeous red white and blue quilt.

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  11. Wonderful quilt and wonderful quilting!

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  12. What a beautiful quilt. I also think less quilting is better; you can still feel the softness of the fabric. Love all of your inspectors. Have a great weekend :)

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  13. Really beautiful quilt. Love the patriotic colors, and I definitely think the red binding was the right choice!

    Thanks so much for linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  14. That red, white and blue combo never disappoints - a lovely quilt. Your finishes amaze me - how many months until you get to start NEW stuff?

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  15. I too love using the variegated thread. Your finish came out great!!! I also noticed you have made impressive dent in your UFO countdown ! How awesome is that!

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  16. great finish! Love the thread. I pull out my card table when I am doing a bigger quilt. It really does help.

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  17. Great quilt. Love the red, white and blue. A lovely donation quilt or great to keep at home!

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  18. What a fabulous quilt. What a shame it couldn't be a quilt of Valour. I also really love the affect the starry blue has on the overall look. Great colour mix in the 9 patches. Another table to support the quilt is a good idea. They really are heavy and skew the quilting rows.

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  19. Wow! Just gorgeous! Beautiful finish.

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