Thursday 24 July 2014

Welcome delight (Michael Miller Challenge)

This last week I've focused on finishing off a cot quilt using the Michael Miller challenge fabrics. This quilt will be a gift for my good friend Sam, who is expecting her first child this summer. Sam and I spent some years studying together while we were at University on the NSW North Coast. Sam and I were often lured away from studies by a call to surf and swim on the beautiful beaches around Ballina and Byron. Aaaah..... those were the days!

I hoped to make a pretty and fun quilt to welcome Sam's new baby to the world and I like the fresh and clean look of finished quilt.



I made simple circles using drunkards path curve templates and have pieced them together with some Kona white fabric. There wasn't a lot of fabric to play with for the Michael Miller challenge but together with some green and turquoise solids, I've used every single inch (well close to it!) to make the circles and binding.




For the quilting, i drew on some outward spirals from the centre of each circle at 1/2 inch intervals (well, i drew them by eye, so as close to 1/2 inch as i could tell!) using a water erasable pen and connected them up to the neighbouring circle. This took a bit of planning so that i'd only have the one continuous quilting line and i could end off under the binding for a super secure finish. There were a few places between spirals that needed separate quilting, and in these cases i tied knots and buried the threads so it would look tidy. I was tempted to use a variety of thread colours but ended up using a blue/grey Aurifil thread to quilt all.





For the binding i used the remaining Michael Miller fabrics and have backed the quilt using a lovely Monaluna organic fabric. This is the first time i've completed a quilt where i hadn't pre-washed my fabrics, and i do like the crinkled finish that it gives after washing it. I'm not sure i'd like such a crinkly look on all quilts, but i do like it here!


So Sammy, i do hope this will keep your precious little baby cosy and that you'll thrive and enjoy all the adventures you have ahead of you as you welcome your delight to the world.

Linking up with:
- Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday
- Gemma for I Quilt Thursday at Pretty Bobbins and
- Lorna for Lets Bee Social


20 comments:

  1. Beach balls to remind you of Ballina and Byron? Lovely!

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  2. its really lovely. I love the quilting especially - the circles intersect so perfectly and add an extra dimension of interest :-)

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  3. I like the quilting - like ripples on the surface of water that start to interact with one another. Beautiful gift for your friend!

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  4. visiting from crazy mum quilts. I love the simplicity of the patching and the quilting is stunning!!

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  5. Gorgeous quilt top and quilting. I am sure your friend will be thrilled with it and the new baby will spend endless hours snuggled underneath it.

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  6. Your quilting is amazing! Beautiful quilt. And I love the scrappy binding.

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  7. What a lovely gift - I agree the scrappy binding is great and the quilting is cool.

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  8. Looks great. I love circles and this kind of quilting. You also found great spots for taking pics. Pure eye candy.

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  9. What a great quilt and wonderful quilting !

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  10. Very sleek and modern, I love it!

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  11. Love the clean look, the challenge created some very pretty items. Congrats on your finished quilt

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  12. Love the clean look, the challenge created some very pretty items. Congrats on your finished quilt

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  13. Congratulations on such a beautiful finish! Such a fresh and modern design. Love that scrappy binding, too. And such great pictures. Well done!

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  14. Wow! So fun and such great fabrics

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  15. I didn't pre-wash for my MM challenge quilt either... I was too nervous with those little pieces of challenge fabric (since I knew I couldn't get any more!) Love how yours turned out. It's been so much fun seeing what everyone has been making!

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  16. Your quilting is so fabulous, I'm jealous - oh I meant to say inspired. On my bucket list of techniques to try and learn. Fun photo shoot as well. I used every spec of my fabric and then "borrowed" some from a friend.

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  17. I love your spiral quilting. Takes a simple modern design to a new level.

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  18. I love that fussy cut petal!! Your quilting is so perfect for the circles.

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  19. I love the quilt. Such a great baby quilt! Your circles are perfect.

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Wahoo.....I'm always stoked to receive comments so thanks so much for taking the time.

Wishing you many happy quilting hours!