Sunday, May 29, 2011

Pinwheel Pips Quilt finish



Another quilt done - that's 5 this year so far, not including the minis. Pretty good going for me, I'm really happy with that! So, without out further ado, here it is, Pinwheel Pips!


This quilt was made for my 3 year old daughter E. She loves dogs, scooters and swings, so the Sherbet Pips fabric was a perfect choice for her. She has asked every single day for a month if it was finished yet, so I was really pleased to hand it over to her today. It makes a perfect cape for Super Lady, her current favourite imaginary persona.....


I have mixed feelings about this quilt really. I enjoyed piecing it and I think my accuracy in cutting and piecing has improved hugely since earlier this year, and it shows here. When I was sewing together my rows of pinwheels, the vast majority of them matched up perfectly!

 

There are a few that didn't, they don't worry me too much, and one that was completely off that I had to unpick 6 or 7 times to get it remotely close. But overall I am happy with the piecing. My job is so stressful that I like not to stress about quilting, and everything lining up perfectly and tend to go with the flow once it looks ok, I know some quilters would hate this approach but it works for me!



I also did my first attempt at a pieced back - a very simple one. I used one leftover block, put some borders on it and pieced it in the centre of the backing. I did an ok job of matching it up, one side is perfect, the other is slightly off but the quilting through it looks ok, so I'm happy with that.


I quilted it on the diagonal lines, 3/8" on either side of them to give a double line. I found the quilting harder than I anticipated -I'm not sure if the seams were stretching a little, being on the bias (or is that my imagination, I would have thought they wouldn't move once the quilt top was sewn together) and even though I basted it with pins a little closer together than normal, it seemed to move around a little on me and I have a few puckers. It was hard to keep the lines dead straight at some of the intersections because of the bulk of the seams meeting even though I had done a lot of work to make them lie flat. This is the first time I've quilted something this lightly and I think I really do prefer the more densely quilted look, although I like the squashiness of this.


I used a flat sheet for the backing, having seen other quilters do this and I'm kind of regretting it already. I bought a sheet on sale and I know it was cheap, and its polycotton, but I threw it in the wash last night and its bobbled already. Now, I use polycotton sheets quite a bit here when I can't get cotton, and I've never, ever, had a sheet bobble on me before, no matter how little I paid for it or how much it was used or washed. So I'm pretty annoyed and feel its taken the sheen off my quilt :-( I even, in a mad moment this morning, considered unpicking the binding and the quilting and requilting it. Hmm. I'm actually still considering that one. I just put so much work into the quilt top that I'm a bit disappointed that I'm not totally loving the end result.

I bound it with the remaining half yard of Its a Hoot eggs fabric, the gray colour compliments the colours in the quilt really well I think.



But, looking on the positives, E absolutely loves it and I have a cushion/pillow to match it for her so its a lovely set for her to snuggle in watching DVDs, or to drag around the playroom for her games.


Quilt Stats:

Name: Pinwheel Pips
Made For: my daugher E
Fabric: Sherbet Pips half layer cake (won in a giveaway thanks to Kristie at OCD) and 1 additional yard
Batting: Warm & White
Size: 51" x 51"
Quilting: Straight line quilting on the diagonal seams
Pattern:  Simple pinwheels & border

This is another one to mark off my Summer Sewing list!  Yay!


I'm linking this up to {Sew} Modern Monday, Fabric Tuesday  and some other great blogs - check out my sidebar for a full list of links ------>>

35 comments:

sewhappiness said...

What a lovely sweet quilt you made:) I just love every little detail:) Your daughter looks darling with the quilt around her!!!
xo
Eleni

Tanyia said...

Love that! I love the back of it as well.

Canadian Abroad said...

Well I think it is fantastic and now am not sure I want to finish my Pips Pinwheels because I think I like yours better.

Just One More Thing said...

Just Gorgeous!! I agree the front and back of this quilt are lovely.

Kristie said...

I think it looks fabulous :-) Sorry about the sheet :(

Little Island Quilting said...

I totally agree with your comment about not stressing about points totally matching up. In my 'real' job everything has to be just so and to a deadline and for me, quilting has to be the antithesis of that. If points don't quite come together never mind. Great job.

Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane said...

I think it is lovely and I know you are thrilled that your daughter loves it. Sorry the sheet didn't work out as you had hoped. Your quilting lines look great. I spray baste and have tried pinning before several times too and I still get little puckers. They drive me crazy but I can't seem to do it without them. Oh well.
Well done Sarah!

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Yep, I agree, work (well sort of), and family are there to stress about, the quilting should be the relaxing 'escape'! Shame about the sheet - I think that it's just sod's law; but if little one is happy (and if she's anything like mine) then the quilt will be in for a rough ride and a few bobbles won't affect her enjoyment. It looks beautiful :)

Katie B said...

So sorry about the sheet! Thats frustrating. But if Super Lady is going to be dragging it around the house, at least you won't have to worry about her messing it up! I love what you did with the border, and the quilting shows off the pattern perfectly!

Leanne said...

I think it is beautiful. Sounds like you have a good attitude, just enjoy your quilting, it is for fun! I would not worry about the back, it is very pretty and will be well loved.

Manda said...

It looks well loved by your little one already! I'm sure she won't notice any bobbles. It looks beautiful - front and back!

flowerofshona said...

Wow that is something for me to aspire to doing one day !!! love it xxxx

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Awww, it sounds like it turned out just lovely!! It sure looks wonderful. Sorry to hear about the sheet - I haven't tried using sheets before, though I've thought about it many a time. Maybe after a few washings, all will be well? Don't rip it apart, I think it looks great :)

Inspiredbyfelix said...

Don't undo it! I've undone things before and cursed all the way through it, you don't want all that unpicking misery! It looks lovely and I'm sure in a couple of weeks when it's been properly used you won't notice..

Kirsten said...

This is such a cute quilt Sarah - and it sounds like it is just perfect for your daughter!

CityHouseStudio said...

This is beautiful, Sarah.
I sometimes use sheets for my quilt backing - sometimes it works great, and other times I'm disappointed, too. But it's such a nice, easy way to make a quilt backing!
Don't rip it apart - it's really lovely!

The Sunflower Patch said...

Oh My,such a gorgeous quilt! Your daughter will never notice any flaws,she will just love the fact that you made her a special quilt all her own :)
Don't pick/rip it out! I am the Queen of the seam ripper,it was the award the teacher gave me at the end of Home Economics class in high school! I use it a lot & hate every second of it!!!

Ashley said...

ooo it turned out beautiful!!!! I love it, sorry about the sheet. she will totally love it:)

Lynne said...

I think pretty much the same way you do - I don't want my hobbies to be stressful (sometimes they are but I don't want them to be)!

I'd be tempted to change the backing fabric too. (Not saying you should, just saying that I'd be tempted)

Last night I finished our second quilt (DD and I worked on them together) and I'm not happy about the way the fabric on the fron is too 'saggy' - but it's for my 15mo grandson so I'm trying not to worry too much!

Dawn said...

WOW...it looks fabulous... and now no more nagging by said 3yo...LOl... good for you! it sure is fresh and bright..love the fabric.....
Hugs Dawn x x x

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said...

oh, it turned out beautifully! Love that your daughter uses it as a cape! My daughter loves to play superhero with her blankies, she hasn't found a quilt for that purpose yet either. Not sure what to tell you about the sheet. I've used a sheet for backing on King size quilts because I'm too cheap to buy that much fabric. But, I never had problems with it. I used a low thread count sheet, I think 150 or 200? Anyway - if your daughter is going to be dragging this one around beating it up, I wouldn't worry to much. It's loved and it's beautiful!

Jessica Kelly said...

Aw, sorry to hear about your sheet issues! I think it looks perfect though, and like PPs if your daughter is going to use it to play superhero, then at least you dont have to to worry about her destroying it! I think it is perfect, great finish!

Anonymous said...

That is really beautiful quilt! I like to make a pillow to match, yours are so lovely together!

Lisa said...

just gorgeous! LOVE the fabric.
hugs
xo

Sara said...

Don't take it apart!! Love it!!! Walk away from it for a couple days and then come back, you will be smiling:):):):)

Kathleen said...

Your quilt is lovely! I love the design and colors. Great job. I am sure your daughter will treasure it!

AlwaysSewLove

~The Bargain Babe from *Zucchini Summer Blog* said...

Saw you at Quilt Story and had to click over to see the full quilt. It looks really good! I am sure your daughter will treasure it. :)

patchworkdelights said...

Gorgeous Sarah, well done!

Megan said...

Beautiful! Your quilting looks wonderful and I love, love, love those Pips! Thanks for linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday and have a great week!

Cindy said...

It's beautiful! Little E will absolutely love it. Well done, Sarah!

Cathy said...

really lovely! I am a huge fan of the way you pieced the back!

Debbie said...

Darling pips quilt!!

Fiona @ Poppy Makes said...

Ooooooh your quilt is beautiful! I found you from Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day

Christine said...

Love your quilt. The diagonal quilting suits it perfectly.

Melinda said...

Love it! I've done diagonal quilting before and I love how it accents the quilt. Yours is so sweet!