Friday, March 16, 2012

finishing touches/inspiration

I am sure that I am not alone when I say that the finishing touches are the most tedious parts of making a quilt! I have been working on this for months, a traditional log cabin pattern. Finally I am seeing the end, it is so close I can almost feel this soft blanket on my bed... However there are those pesky little finishing touches that are so necessary to making a quilt last and structurally well crafted. 


I am using a traditional tying method to complete the quilt, I love doing it this way because it maintains that hand-finish, considering that this is all machine sewn. I use a soft pearl cotton to tie everything off, it is very strong, and wears well with all of the other cotton on the quilt. 



So until it is finished I will be tying away... and having this monster take over the studio table, ironing board, and chairs so that it stays flat-ish and off the floor. I have a huge pet peeve when it comes to making something dirty before it is finished. It could be the OCD in me, but it just seems so wrong to let this soft new cotton get dirty. Usually when I work on a project this long I am ready to put it away and never look at it again, (or at least for a few months). 
That's what happened to my circle quilt, it was hidden for almost a year until I was ready to look at it again. This one is different though, I am still in love with the color combo and the log pattern, I almost want to make another one with different fabrics (on a smaller scale). 


Now that I am almost at the end of this project I think it is fair to share what made me fall in love with this color combination and inspired the pattern. Below is the picture from a magazine, if memory serves me it was from "Beautiful Home" but it was about two years ago so I am not sure. I loved the textures in the frames so neatly put on the wall, but did not want so much on my walls. That is where the quilt came from. My bedroom is a cool true-grey color and I think the pairing will be such a soft and nice place to retreat to. The book "Modern Log Cabin Quilting" by Susan Beal, was also a great source for the technique and a look at other log cabin patterns. I followed the traditional method but came up with my own design inspired by this page torn out of a magazine and the book. 



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