Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Mini Swoon---OMG


February flew by like a shot.  It almost feels like I blinked and poof it was gone.  This month I decided to participate in Red Letter Quilts OMG Linky Party.  For my one monthly goal (sometimes that feels like all I can handle) I chose to make a Mini Swoon quilt with my left over Miss Kate fabrics.  So when our story left off earlier in the month,


Oliver was napping in my fabric tote and...


I had decided on my fabrics and neatly stored the rest away.  Of course I put everything up after he had finished his nap.



Thanks to some planned out chain piecing and Netflix my blocks went together pretty quickly.


And in no time I had a completed flimsy.


Then I hit a brick wall.  My original plan was to do some all over simple quilting. You know I couldn't possibly do that, right?  I pulled out my Plexiglas and auditioned some simple line quilting.  Before I knew it I erased them, and lines and curves started going everywhere.  But I just couldn't settle on a design I loved.  This flimsy set on the table under glass for days.  

I love note from my daughter on her snow day
  Finally, I had an idea of where the quilting would be going...well except for those pesky sashings, so I decided to just jump right in and put some thread to fabric.

Don't let this mini quilt fool you, it contains an Aurifil cast of many characters.  Rule #1 of quilt club (okay maybe not rule one) you can never have too much Aurifil thread.  So without further ado, let me introduce you to...

I keep the threads I'm using in this ceramic dish so that Caroline Kitty Cat doesn't run off with them.  She realizes how much fun Aurifil thread is too. 
#2780 Dark Delft Blue, #1148 Light Jade, #2886 Light Avocado, #5011 Rope Beige, #5002 Medium Red, #2250 Red, and last but not least, #2021 Natural White.  Natural White has to be the star of the show. I go through more spools of it than anything.

Once I got into the groove of things with my dot to dot quilting skills (read more about it in a post here) the quilting inside my swoon blocks was completed.  It is so liberating to be able to create interesting designs with hardly any marking or none at all.

A peek from the back to see the dot to dot quilting.
 I chose two different quilting designs for the four blocks for a more balanced feel to the quilting.


Close up shots of the dot to dot designs from the front.


Okay, I kind of feel like maybe I just gave up and took the easy way out by adding the ribbon candy in the sashings.  I tend to just throw it in when I'm stuck.  It's always good to find a design that clicks in your head that you can fall back on.

So after using my favorite binding method (Susie's Magic Binding over at 52 Quilts) I could call my OMG complete.  One of my favorite things about making this quilt, is that I wasn't alone.  A few of my blogging friends decided to jump in and make one too.  I'm not exactly sure where everyone is in the process, but when they get them finished I can't wait to see them.  Have you ever participated in a sew along with friends?

Before we wrap things up, how about a few more pictures to swoon over?  Today the weather here was awful.  Dark billowing clouds, high winds and of course rain.  But right after I got home for about 20 minutes, the clouds parted, the sun came out super bright and the wind stopped just long enough for me to drop the dish rag, grab my camera and quilt, and bolt out the door.








I'm not quite done with my Swoon fix yet.  I'm thinking I might just have to have a normal size one as well.  But that will have to be sometime in the future.  Now it's time to focus on my OMG for March.  I'm thinking there are a few different ways it could go.  I hope you'll stop back and see what I decide on.



29 comments:

Sandra Walker said...

I confess I took my glasses off (which are progressive lenses egad) to get my nose right on the iPad screen to drool er examine your stunning quilting on this little quilt! I'm at the quilt design decision time myself,but the good news is I work well under pressure, which translates to just do it already if you want this puppy finished! I love your fabrics, LOVE your quilting designs, love that binding.

Empress Charlotte Handmades said...

Beautiful blocks and beautiful quilting!

smdc said...

Amazing!

Just Sew Sue said...

Beautifully pieced and quilted

Jayne said...

Tish this is gorgeous! I think the quilting is so amazing and inspiring! The thought of a mini swoon is appealing to me...I've never made one before! Dang it! I want to FMQ something now! Beautiful...what can I say? Okay, perfect!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Beautiful finish! I think the texture you added with the quilting is awesome. :)

Emily said...

It's beautiful! And I love the little note on your table--so cute! :)

Nancy J said...

I do like then back as well, super blocks, and magical quilting.And naturally, a feline companion to look it all over. Swoon as much as you like, this deserves heaps of it.

Stitchin At Home said...

OMG This is gorgeous. I don't even have the blocks together and you're all done. I guess I need to pull my socks up and get busy...

Lisa J. said...

This is a beautiful quilt with awesome quilting. Congrats on finishing your goal!

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

Ooh, la, la! Sooo pretty! I have the big swoon pattern - haven't made it yet but one day (year). I agree with having a fall back design - mine is figure 8 and l's and e's. This is gorgeous Tish!

Marlene said...

Gorgeous. Great finish and your quilting is awesome

Lorna McMahon said...

Your mini Swoon turned out gorgeous and the quilting is beautiful, Tish! And the photos are simply Swoon worthy!

the zen quilter said...

I kind of understand your fixation with that Swoon block - it's so beautiful and versatile. I don't think the sashing quilting is anything but perfect, by the way! This is a real beauty, Tish - love it. (And my cats sleep in the darnedest places, too - including the neck of my sewing machine!)

Paige said...

You did not take the easy way out on the ribbon candy quilting in the sashing. It was the first quilting I noticed! I haven't yet made a swoon block, much less a mini! Beautiful finish!

Vicki in MN said...

Tish, it is just adorable! I don't consider ribbon candy an easy way out. Yes it is easy to do but it always seems to just set things off in the right way.

Moneik said...

Love your mini swoon! I made mine out of the scraps from my traditional sized swoon, so they match. I also added a little flange to give it the pop. Great job.

ClotheslineCottons said...

I love your mini - but Oliver really takes the cake. I often struggle with planning my quilting, and seeing your plexiglass was just such a genius a-ha! moment for me.

Preeti said...

Your swoon mini is beautiful and your quilting makes it definitely swoon-worthy.
The love note from your daughter had to be the best.
Preeti.
http://sewpreetiquilts.blogspot.com

Heide said...

What a beautiful little quilt! Love how your blocks pop. I need to get this pattern for my list. The note your daughter left you is so sweet.

Johanna said...

I have yet to make a swoon block! It is on my list though. I absolutely love your quilting. I need to work outside my comfort zone so I can make some progress. Your daughter is a sweetie:)

Chantal said...

Congratulations on this goooorrrrgeous little Swoon Quilt. I love the quilting you did and that last picture is so awesome. Just love it! ;^)

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Congratulations on finishing your goal. The quilting is awesome. I haven't made a Swoon yet. Guess I should go find a pattern and give it a try.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

Way to meet your goal! The quilting is so awesome and certainly worth the wait while you decided what to do. So swoon worthy!

Judy@Quilt Paradigm said...

Congrats on an absolutely gorgeous Swoon mini, Tish!! Sometimes it takes a bit for the quilt to speak about the quilting but waiting it out definitely worked! As for the ribbon candy and falling back on something you know - I do it all the time, did it just yesterday ;) Nothing wrong with using a fantastic design that you do well over and over!

Heidi said...

Wow, your swoon-quilting is amazing!
Lovely finish Tish!!

Quilter Kathy said...

Amazing! I am working on a full size Swoon this month :)

KaHolly said...

So very sweet! Love the quilting, especially! What size is this mini?

Karen in Breezy Point said...

Very cute quilt--love your quilting on it too!

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