Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Whit's End..

So I'm back to an end of the month rush to finish a quilt.  That can only mean that Sinta and Sherri have started Another Year of Schnibbles again.  I have so much fun making these little quilts, but I always seem to be working up to the last minute.  This month though I was determined to not only make it, but also get it quilted.  No more Schnibble UFO's!

Sinta and Sherri picked the Little Bite pattern 'Whit' by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. this time.  It's like a Schnibbles quilt except that it uses 2 mini charm packs instead of the regular charm packs.  (For those of you not up on the lingo, a mini charm pack is made up of 2 1/2" squares while a charm pack has 5" squares.)  Unless they're really on sale, I tend not to buy mini charm packs.  Because for about the price of two of them, I can get a regular charm pack and cut it down myself which nets me the equivalent of 4 mini charm packs.  Despite having a drawer full of charm packs I could have used for this  (          bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb            b <- my cat just typed this), I ended up going shopping.  I bought a charm pack of Best Day Ever by April Rosenthal.  She's a new to me designer, but I just love this line of fabric.  So bright and cheerful!

I used a charm pack of Best Day Ever and cut it into 4 mini charm packs.
I had trouble deciding which version of Whit to make, but settled on the top version initially.  After making all those flying geese (that finish at 1" x 2"), the quilt went together very quickly.


Although I like this version, I thought it needed more.  So I added some more flying geese, around 100 or so.


I have to share this candid of Sam I got while trying to photograph the quilt...


I thought I could quilt it fairly quickly.  I was only planning to do some straight line quilting.  But as usual, once I started, I kept adding to it.  Instead of just quilting around each block, I ended up quilting around each of the flying geese.  Then I decided the sashing needed something.  Then the borders needed more, etc, etc...


It's almost impossible to see the quilting in the pictures because of the white background.  It's only slightly more visible on the backing.  However, it shows up really well in person so I'm feeling like it's worth the extra effort.


I came very close to finishing this quilt this month, the only thing remaining is the binding.  I'll get that done in the next day or two.  Although the number of tiny flying geese in this quilt seemed daunting, once they were made, the rest of the quilt went together very quickly.  And now that the weather is turning colder, looking at this cheerful quilt just makes me smile.  My husband says the colors remind him of Christmas.  I completely disagree.  To me, they remind me of spring.  Is it crazy to be so looking forward to spring before winter has even come? 'Cause I really am.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” 
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)


15 comments:

  1. What a cute quilt! It doesn't look like Christmas to me, either - with the pinwheels and colors it makes me think of summer. I love that fabric line - I need to be on the lookout for some of that. I'm with you on wishing for spring already! They keep telling us this winter will be a lot like last winter, and I just can't face that yet. It may be a good winter for quilting again.

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  2. Your pattern and fabrics make this one sooooo cheerful. I just love it. You made a lot of flying geese for this project! The geese border really adds a nice touch. Sam seems to have claimed this one.

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  3. Gorgeous quilting!!! I also really like the additional border. The colors are really bright and cheerful--just the thing for the cold, dark winter.

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  4. Beautiful! I just love the extra border you added to your Whit!

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  5. Your border sets off your quilt perfectly. Great job!!

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  6. THat is very pretty. I love the bright colors with the white!

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  7. Did this end up around 33" square? I had also initially picked out Best.Day.Ever charm pack, but I went with two mini charms of Miss Kate that I had. I love your result! I, too, want to add more to mine to get it to be larger and a bit more intriguing. Yours really inspired me as well. Well done and always love a gratuitous cat picture! Jennifer Gwyn

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  8. First - I love the photo-bombing by Sam! I love that stretch... it seems to be saying "mine".

    As for your quilt - gorgeous! The added border is spectacular - perfect! Truly, everything about this is perfection. Awesome job! :-)

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  9. Love this little quilt, Dee esp the additional border---reat decision on your part :0)

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  10. Yours was my favorite in the parade! I love the flying geese floating around the center! It's fabulous! You are a flying geese making machine! LOL! Sam is great!!! I never met a kitty that wasn't a quilty kitty!! :-)

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  11. Seriously, you amaze me with your skill and eye for color.

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  12. Super cute quilt! I love the extra flying geese around the border. I totally agree with you that this quilt looks like spring - reminds me of jelly beans!

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  13. Love this quilt! and the extra effort to add that border puts it over the top!

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  14. Beautiful...I love the additional flying geese border! Great job!

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  15. What a great little quilt! Flying geese are one of my most favorite units to make!

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