Thursday 13 July 2017

Ta-da : a Rainbow Finish at last!


You might remember I showed you this on the design wall last March?


It's my take on Rachel Hauser's Bottled Rainbow quilt.  I made it as a sample for a ticker tape workshop I was doing with the Cork and Dublin branches of the IPS,  I completed the centre section fairly fast to show the concepts and had orange, yellow/gold and chartreuse panels made.  Only this past weekend did I get around to finishing it and get it off the design wall and ticked off the to do list! Better late than never!


I quilted the little pieces directly on to the top and wadding and as Rachel suggested used a wide seam to sew the blocks together.  Pressed open it's not too bulky and all looks good from the front!


I did make a mistake in the backing fabric though!  I had just enough of this lovely music scale fabric from Ikea to cover the back and was looking for an excuse to use it really and didn't stop to think.


The pressed open seams can be seen through it!  Doh!  After sewing it down all the way around right sides together and turned it out like a bag I haven't the heart to un pick it all through the wadding so I am living with it! 


This is a quilt I made that served a specific purpose and will look lovely and bright in our living room throughout the winter months when the light is low in the sky so I can ignore the mistake and use it happily (and not look too closely at the back!)


As soon as I had it all sewn and stitched in the ditch to hold the backing to the quilt, I was eager to take a photo and call it done, so I dragged Gordon outside to hold it up for me.  He did question if there was enough light and I said - yes there's tons of it, come on and give me a hand!


Of course, he was right!  The setting sun did mean it was pretty dark and the dogs radar picked up it was evening walk time and they would not budge from the front gate.  Charly on alert, always guarding.  Maggie and Wilbur oblivious, trying to magically open the gate with their thoughts!


Maggie is bigger than Wilbur now at 1 year old.  She used to fit through those bars when we got her as a puppy!  She was the runt of the litter and smaller than her siblings and somehow now is on the tall side for a Basset.


Still low light and all, this one's done!  Onto the next UFO... after we walk dogs that is!

17 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the finish! In my head I'm thinking that if the seams really bother you, all you really need to do is unsew just a bit, flip it back the other way, and handsew (?) strips of batting over the pressed open seams. Still a lot of work, but it keeps the backing in tact...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a million Yvonne - that's a great suggestion - only thing that's stopping me is all the ditch stitching I did to hold the back to the quilt. Problem is solved for a small while anyway as mum has visitors over and has "borrowed" it for the spare bed!

      Delete
  2. It is lovely Ruth. Once you are snuggled under all that rainbow brightness on a dark, gloomy winter day you will forget all about those see-through seams on the back :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Fiona, I can't resist bright colours and rainbow brights have got to be the cheeriest!

      Delete
  3. It is lovely Ruth. Once you are snuggled under all that rainbow brightness on a dark, gloomy winter day you will forget all about those see-through seams on the back :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember Rachel's original from way back when, and your take is beautiful and fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Michelle, it has been on my to do list for ages and so glad the class gave me the reason and push to just make it. Barely made a dent in my scrap pile!

      Delete
  5. Lovely finish! Congrats on having it done!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This turned out beautifully Ruth! It really will brighten up a dark wintry evening. Congratulations on the finish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's been looking at me half done for so long it feels good to have it off the wall and off the list!

      Delete
  7. It doesn't actually look too bad , the back seams , but it's something for me to remember . I have never quilted and sewn the blocks as I went . Might try that sometime , easier on the shoulders ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's fun to try and if you are planning a big quilt it helps a lot. With these there is a lot of turning sewing down all around the shape so having smaller pieces that fit comfortable through the machine throat space makes it so much more fun and easy to manage!

      Delete
  8. It's gorgeous and yes will brighten those dark days and nights��

    ReplyDelete
  9. It looks lovely, Ruth! The backing fabric is wonderful. I am glad you used it, don't focus on the seams showing through it. The pups look adorable waiting for you to finish. I can't believe how big Maggie is now!

    -Soma

    -Soma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't get over how tall she is compared to 12 year old Wilbur! He's still heavier but she is catching up!

      Delete

Comments are most welcome! I reply by email or within the thread if you are a noreply blogger so check back. Thanks.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...