Monday, June 25, 2012

Wonky Square Rings Quilt Complete!


Wonky Square Rings is complete! HIP HOP HOORAY! :D * confetti * (Picture onslaught ahead!)


I should call this my “learning” quilt. I feel like what I've learned while making this quilt is worth more than the finished product itself!

 
This quilt started as a way to save some money, because the fabrics I started with for this were from a quilt top I purchased for a few dollars in an antique store.


The block design came out of a need to sew, to sew anything, to just sit down at my machine and put fabrics together with thread. Eventually all of the blocks were completed and the top was finished.


In this post I talked about how I realized I didn't like all that white (the finished product may have changed my mind - I'm on the fence now!). I talked about not buying cheap fabrics just because what I really wanted was out of stock. If you read through the comments section, you'll see I got some great feedback from you guys! Thank you! That was some of the best feedback I've gotten from a blog post. Really cool! :)

 
You might have noticed that I went ahead and did the quilting like I had planned – straight lines with turns intersecting each other. I love quilting this way. My brain really took to this method fast – I thought it was much easier than stippling/meandering. My brain gets really confused when I stipple – I feel like a crazy person! My hands go one way and my brain wants to go another. With this straight line intersecting method I knew exactly where to go, no weird miscommunication going on in my body, lol. 


The biggest tip I have for someone who wants to give this quilting method a shot is to slow down, actually almost stop, when you come to a turning point. At first this will seem awkward, but after a while (5 or 10 minutes) it comes naturally, you just do it and barely even think about it.

By the way, anyone want to take a guess at how many calories quilting burns?? I don't know the answer, but judging by the way I felt it's significant! I was getting sweaty in areas that shouldn't have been getting sweaty, LOL. Yikes..


I had my doubts about this quilt until the quilting was done and the binding was on. I think those two things really made the quilt come together. But I think I say that with every quilt I make!

One more thing I learned? Make my quilts bigger!! I keep thinking 50”-60” is enough, but it's not. I really like to lay on the couch and have lots of quilt on me and my fiance. :)


Speaking of my fiance... we went for a cruise down to Lake Michigan – it's about a 10 minute drive from our home. He stopped and held my quilt for the photos and then we kept going until we got to this little tiny beach at the end of the road...


And we watched the sunset. :) (Yes, this is a terrible sunset picture, but you get the idea, hehe.)
 

Thank you guys so much for all your input along the way - it's always interesting to hear what tips you guys have and the encouragement makes the process so much fun. :)

I'm going to link up with Canoe Ridge Creations for Sew Modern Monday.Thank you for coming over!

23 comments:

  1. I really like that quilt and especially the way you sort of built it as you went along, but managed to put some plan into it too. Red White and Blue always work together. I don't make big quilts simply because it is so hard to manouver it through the sewing machine to quilt, besides my dh and I have been together so long that one quilt for each of us is okay, if you know what i mean... hahahaha
    Great Job!

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  2. Hey Bethany - it is fantastic! The quilting is great! I also like how you have the one block with all reds - I don't think I noticed that before. Oh, and those are some awesome pics!

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  3. It is fantastic! I really love it! I just got a large chunk of red, white and blue 8" squares from a swap and this quilt is prefect for them :) You did a beautiful job :)
    Funny about the stipple vs the straight... my brain LOVES the meander... ;)

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  4. i lovelovelove this quilt! each block is fantastic and your quilting is great xo

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  5. i LOVE this quilt!! each wonky square is uniqe, i love that! the quilting is great, too. i've never tried anything like this... i think my brain prefers stippling, but i should mix it up once in a while!

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  6. It looks great! I'm really impressed with your quilting, especially for your first time with that design. I'm guessing you used FMQ, or it would have taken you 90 years to do all that turning of the quilt. Reading your post and some of the comments, I wonder if people's brains really just work differently on this point-- you say that square loops seem natural to you, and I had a quilting teacher who swore by loops instead of stippling. But to me, stippling is much more natural to me! It's really interesting to see how people very definitely have an opinion on which is easier!

    Looks like you found a perfect little beach! We made it to Lake Michigan twice while I was in Grand Rapids. The first time was like gale force winds, so that was sad. The second time, we waited out a thunderstorm, then went, and had the entire beach to ourselves! It was amazing. You're so lucky to live that close to it!

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  7. It came out beautifully Bethany! Sometimes we don't realize how much we love a project until it's DONE! And I agree, 50-60" isn't big enough for snuggling. The two that I've made specifically for our livingroom are both on the small side, and just don't get used, which is a bit disappointing but I know in the future to make those sorts of quilts almost twin size.

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  8. Great to see the finished quilt - love how it turned out. Particularly like that the squares are different sizes as well as being wonky - that's really pleasing to my eye and breaks the whole thing up well. Fab job :)

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  9. The end result is wonderful - I can't wait to go back and read through your journey. I've wanted to try the style of quilting you used and can take all the tips I can find. congrats on your finish

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  10. This looks amazing - love the quilting!

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  11. Beautiful! Love the sunset also

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  12. Love your quilt what a great find with that fabric. I have been quilting awhile and have a large stash but would much prefer the new "pretty" fabric. But really once you cut it up and sew they really turn out beautiful...Really enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Hi Bethany - your quilt turned out fantastic. I love all the white - it gives the eye a place to rest and stops a quilt from being too busy. I really like the way you quilted this, too. I am going to have to try that. I make smaller quilts, too, but I am still "learning" and I figure it is better to try new things on a smaller scale :)

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  14. Wow, I REALLY like this quilt. It is so interesting and crisp. I love the classic colors... and all the white is fantastic in my opinion! Your photos are gorgeous. Found your link on Plum and June.

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  15. Your quilt is amazing - it really stands out. Thanks for writing about the quilting - I'll have to give it a try. It looks great.

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  16. Hi Bethany, I already told you I love this quilt but I've dropped by again to pass on the Liebster Award to you. You can find out more via the post I've put on my blog http://madebychrissied.blogspot.com/2012/06/liebster-award-big-thank-you-and-pass.html. Congrats, I think you do great stuff, Chrissie :D

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  17. So cute! I just love this little quilt and want to drop everything to make one.

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  18. Gorgeous! I love how this turned out, the quilting is fantastic! I love how you turned fabric from an older quilt into a modern quilt!

    I always have doubts (sometimes a creative breakdown LOL) before the quilting/binding process too, but it always comes together in the end! I know what you mean about having a lot of quilt to snuggle under, I have found around twin size to be the perfect couch size...of course I have been to scared to tackle anything bigger :D.

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  19. Love the red white and blue fabrics you have used.

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  20. Congrats you totally nailed the quilting! FMQ makes SO much more sense with this design than a walking foot. Glad you were able to do it!

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  21. Stopping over from Lily's Quilts...I really like this quilt! Where do you live in Michigan? I'm in Holland.

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  22. I love how the colors look together! I think the quilting adds a lot of texture to the white. I always think my quilts need to be bigger, too, but then I'd never get around to making all the quilts I have in mind!

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