Thursday, September 26, 2013

Scrappy Refractatorium Finish!

The sneak peek I shared with you all on Wednesday had lots of you waiting for the big reveal!  I was waiting too, and as soon as I returned from work Thursday morning, I cut the binding and got to work! So, without further ado, here she is.........  The Scrappy Refractatorium.......

Scrappy Refractatorium 

I am so utterly in love with this, I can't even describe it!  So much colour.  So much to look at.  My ten year old daughter says it looks like an optical illusion!

Scrappy Refractatorium 

Looking at it from different angles, gives you an entirely different view and you can see the shapes completely differently.

Scrappy Refractatorium - Aurifil #2692 

I deliberated a little over the quilting of this.  I didn't want to take anything away from the bold colours and black lines.  In the end, I decided to use 50wt Aurifil #2692 - aka black.  I traced my way through the black "web" and then pebbled myself silly all over the black border, or frame as I like to look at it.

Scrappy Refractatorium 

I also straight line quilted just inside the two centre squares of each block.

Scrappy Refractatorium - Aurifil #2692 

You can see the quilting from the back MUCH better!  One valuable lesson I learnt whilst doing this is that it is incredibly hard to quilt black on black.  It is also incredibly hard to get the fluff from the batting off black fabric!

I'd never hung a quilt in my life, so had to flick through Google for some ideas.  I ended up putting triangles on either side of the top, and I also put a little mini "sleeve" in the middle, in the hope it would stop it from sagging.  I managed to measure correctly, and headed to the hardware store, where they cut me some 19mm dowel to size.  Perfecto!  I also grabbed some clear "removable" hooks - which ended up being far from easily removed.  When I stuck the second one down, I realised it was not level, so following the instructions, I gently tried to remove it - only to take a patch of paint and plaster with it!  Aghhhhhhh!!!!  Thankfully when editing these photos I had the "retouch" option!  Sneaky!  

Scrappy Refractatorium

And lastly - a photo to show you how absolutely divine a quilt can look once hung on a wall!  I managed to get photos in between horrific rain and wind storms today, and look at that sunshine streaming in.  Bella the cat was chief stylist for the photo shoot - again.

If someone had of told me even a year ago that I would be hanging quilts in my house - I would have laughed myself silly!  And if that same someone had of told me my husband would be happy to have me hanging quilts in our house - I would have fallen over!  Not only does he love it, but all four of my children have Ooohed and Ahhed over its existence.  A wonderful thing tis quilting.....

In the details:  Nine blocks of the Refractatorium paper pieced pattern by Quilt Jane.  Eight of these blocks were made by none other than Gemma @ Pretty Bobbins, Kristy @ Quiet Play, Fiona @ Finding Fifth, Gina @ Party of Eight, Lara @ Luellabella, Jane, Marieka and Alyce @Blossom Heart Quilts.  The nine of us make up the Wombat Stew Paper Piecing Bee!

Finished size is 105cm x 105cm.  A multitude of beautiful fabrics were used in the construction, and I chose black homespun to make the border and backing.  Quilted using Aurifil #2692 50wt.

I'm linking up with Needle & Thread Thursday, T.G.I.F.F., Paper Piecing Party and Fabric Tuesday!  Covering all bases again this week - school holidays!  You can too!

I've also just linked up with Gemma's new "I Quilt" linky party!


Fresh Poppy Design


Paper Piecing Party


39 comments:

  1. Wow! That black certainly makes everything pop! And how lovely on the wall!!! And the quilting...! It's a win through and through. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Spectacular!!! Well worth the wait :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome! The wait was totally worth it ... I'm going to pin it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Man o man that is awesome! Such a lovely presentation too. Fits in that room perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a stunning quilt - these blocks are so much fun to make!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It looks really cool, like stained glass, or a kaleidoscope! Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this Melissa...and well done on doing the hanging job yourself as well...my skills in that department are sadly lacking.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful, stunning, fabulous! Plus a whole lot more! It makes a great wallhanging - very striking. I think you chose a great block for your first one with Wombat Stew! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my...this is absolutely beautiful! What a perfect spot to showcase your work.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oooh I'm loving that! It's fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  11. WOW Melissa! You quilt is just stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's beautiful! Congrats on a wonderful finish.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful Midge and such a pleasure to be part of!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is just a big WOW! Perfect in every way... I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Visually stunning; cool that your kids love it, too. That means they, too, have excellent taste!

    ReplyDelete
  16. oh. my. goodness. gracious!! This is absolutely stunning! It looks like stained glass, and the black sets off those colors perfectly!

    Thank you so much for linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love this quilt - yes a bit like stained glass - it would be great in balis too....got me thinking....

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you for participating in TGIFF ... the wallhanging is just beautiful! Great Job!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is such a amazing quilt!! Brilliant fabric choices, the black lines really set it off!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Absolutley stunning and it looks wonderful hanging where it is. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Over from Imagine Gnats--- This is just absolutely lovely! And thanks for the tips about hanging-- after seeing yours, I want to make one too!

    ReplyDelete
  22. A true work of art, Ms Midge! I love the last shot. It looks perfect on that wall. Just makes the room complete. What a fabulous focus! Congrats on a job very well done!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh, I LOVE it!!! So colorful and gorgeous!!! Way to go! :D

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow. Just beautiful! Love it hanging on the wall, too.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your Refractatorium quilt is so gorgeous!! Perfect with the furniture (and the cat!). :D

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow!!! That is a gorgeous quilt. Love!

    Jenn from Mellycoddle :).

    ReplyDelete

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

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...