Wednesday, July 17, 2013

W.I.P. Wednesday - Swoon Half Done

I'm practically jumping out of my skin with excitement!  Today I finished my Swoon quilt top!  And I'm almost finished the back.  Yeeee-hahhhhh!

Finished Swoon Quilt Top

I had planned on using the huge amount of scraps to make little stars or something tricky to go in the junctions between the blocks, but when I made a mock up, I just thought it took away from the main blocks, so I literally scrapped the scraps.  I was also planning on making 12 blocks, but after laying 10 finished blocks out on my lounge room floor, I adjusted my plan because it was so damn huge!  I did however want it to be bigger than the 80" that the pattern made - so I just made the sashing and borders 5" wide instead of the 2.5" as the pattern instructed.  This quilt top now measures a scrummy 90" square.  It's massive!

Finished Swoon Quilt Top

Another discovery made during this process was that my 1/4" foot for my Bernina is not entirely accurate.  I always knew it wasn't spot on, but these blocks were meant to be 24.5", and they came in just over 24".  Which meant I had to trim them down/square them to 24".  And this also then meant that I lost some points on my stars on the edges on the blocks.  But I really am not stressed about it - because it's MY QUILT!

Finished Swoon Quilt Top

Isn't she lovely?

My über technical mathematics for quilt back. #ihatemaths

As soon as I finished the quilt top this morning, I started working out what on earth I would do for the back.  I had bought some six yards of one Notting Hill print for the backing, but even with the two widths joined together, it was going to be around 13" too narrow, so I got to figuring out how to make up the width.  This is where the larger scraps from the cutting out of blocks came in handy.  And this is where my super technical mathematical diagram came in to play.  I'm so smart.  Not.

Anyway, the backing is almost done.  But you will have to wait until Friday for that reveal - because I will have a finished project!  Well, finished as far as I can - because this little big baby is being sent off to a long arm quilter.  The first time I've ever done that!  One of my lovely readers directed me to a Flickr group, where a long arm quilter was offering to quilt Swoon quilts for a cheaper rate.  Only problem - she was in New York!  So I scrolled through the comments and stumbled upon an Aussie quilter offering the same special offer!  And that's where this quilt is heading.

I'm still stuck on a design for the quilting.  I will be spending time over the next couple of days looking through the design catalogues and trying to come to some sort of decision - if you have any suggestions or ideas in terms of quilting - TELL ME!!!

I'm linking up with W.I.P. Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced - You can too!


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

22 comments:

  1. I would be jumping to, love it!

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  2. Omigoodness ... it's beautiful! Dare I say it ... yep I can't help myself ... "Swoon!"

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  3. It looks great! I'm starting to get tempted by this pattern after seeing so many different varieties ...

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  4. I love it. I am very slowly working on one myself. Post a picture when it gets back from the quilter for sure.

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  5. Your color choices are awesome! I am quilting my swoon as we speak. I found that something with curves was necessary for all the right angles on this quilt. Good luck!

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  6. still loving your blocks...my favorite of all those i have seen so far...i am going to work on one myself...i get it about how quilts just end up really large...sometimes we just can't stop ourselves

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  7. Beautiful! Love your wider sashing - it really gives those big blocks the perfect amount of breathing room.

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  8. Your swoon is simply stunning! So glad that you finished the top! I am half way of just finishing the top...and the thought of quilting the thing is giving me a nightmare!

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  9. Love it, But I think you can't help but love Swoon!!! I am working on a 90x90 top right now too, and needing creative way to make the backing work.....

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  10. wow, she is lovely indeed! It looks so fresh with these colors and the white background! Love it! Congrats on getting the top done!

    I am stopping by from the WIP hop, my post is here if you have time to stop by :) http://domesticdeficitdisorder.blogspot.com/2013/07/wip-july-17th-edition.html

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  11. yes, you should be jumping with excitement! she's awesome!!!

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  12. Oh how I love the swoon! Finished mine and working on the back! Can't wait to see yours!!! OK who on flicker in NY were offering the LA service? So cool right in my area! But, can't find it.

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    1. Hey, I just went to reply to you via email, but you are a no-reply-blogger :( So I hope you see this! The Flickr group is on this link http://www.flickr.com/groups/1904864@N22/ And it's a discussion named Long Arm Quilting Offer xx

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    2. OH THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It pays to keep checking your blog ;)

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  13. gorgeous swoon!! I absolutely love the colors. I hate ending up with tons and tons of scraps too, and I always try to piece them into a large block or wide strip to go on the backing. It's fun to not have to worry too much about a certain design on the backing. The front gets to be "proper" and the back gets to be like a confetti toss. You should try it! (you can check out my Carnaby Street x+ back for an example)

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  14. So beautiful - love the wider sashing too!

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  15. Absolutely gorgeous. I love the wider sashing, it looks perfect.

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  16. Love the swoon! I understand why you are excited! Woohoo!

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  17. It looks awesome. I love Swoon - I'm a novice, are they tricky to piece?

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  18. Wow that looks great - i've only just made my first block - I think I'll be longarming it too!

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  19. Looks fantastic. This quilt is still on my to list. I remember seeing a post on quilting tis quilt and the different options on her blog (name of designer). Fun finish for sure!

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  20. Nice Job! The top looks unbelievable and I'm sure the back will be great as well. Can't wait to see the finished product.

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Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment - I read each and every one of them! xx

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