Wednesday, August 30, 2017

A Finished Top (for which I have no name)

In my post a couple weeks ago I was pondering whether to add the appliqued leaves similar to what the inspiration quilt showed. Well, the top is now complete and the only leaves you'll see are the ones that float in and out of the printed block fabrics and the border. With the greatly expanded color palette it didn't seem to need the leaf overlay. This one is big, the completed top measuring 91x91 inches. When I first laid out the blocks it looked like this (after sewing horizontal rows of blocks randomly together).
OK, but too heavy on the dark blocks in the upper left

and the next day, after rearranging and/or reversing five of the rows, the final layout looked more like this.
A little better overall distribution of lights and darks without it looking totally calculated light-dark alternating, I think.

Then, I had this batik that I absolutely love, and had hoped from the get-go to use for the outer border.  And of course, the quilt was telling me it really wanted to have that dark blue narrow stop border too!  
Hmm, maybe too much of a good thing?  Drat, I Love this fabric!

In the end though, it seemed as though this would be the better combo, with my favored print ending up playing a minor but essential role as the binding.

So, after an awful lot of hemming and hawing, this is the the final quilt top, in all its wrinkled, crinkled glory.  It looks more rectangular in the photos since I wasn't able to get the camera high enough for a center shot, especially with our low ceilings.  It really is square!

I hope to find time to take it to the fellowship hall later in the week for layering and pinning, and get a start on machine quilting it by weekend. If all goes well and schedules don't get too disrupted that is.  The batiks in the top span the seasons, here are just a couple of my favorite blocks.



The batik tote was crammed full when I began stitching blocks, after finishing this 91x91 inch top it is still nearly full.  How does this happen??!





13 comments:

Dana Gaffney said...

That is really beautiful and I'm glad you left off the leaves, the fabric is gorgeous and doesn't need any help or distractions. If you figure out how we can use tons of scraps and still have almost the same amount, please let me know, I'd like to try it with my favorite yardages.

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

Oh, my! This is one stunning quilt, I am eager to see it quilted too. Bravo!! As far as it not making too much a dent in the bag of fabrics, I have that same problem here, it's a loaves and fishes miracle; we never run out.

Janet O. said...

It turned out lovely! Works beautifully without the leaves. As much as I love my CW repros, I do love a good romp in the batiks now and then, and this illustrates why. Nice border choices, too.
Your closing question is a mystery for the ages! :)

Debbie said...

Love it a lot! Have a name....A quilt for All Seasons! I see spring tones, fall and winter colors, and summer delights. Batiks just seem to do this...multiply and make up so beautiful. I love the optical illusions of this pattern and how the darks play against the lights.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

It looks awesome! Congrats on the finish and as big as it is, no leaves needed.

audrey said...

It's hard to name a quilt sometimes. Why don't they just name themselves and get it over with! lol This is absolutely lovely. Great work putting it together!

Lizzy D said...

I love all your choices! The light border looks so sophisticated and modern, as does using the simple squares w/out applique.
I wish my batiks would multiply like yours seem to!

lizly at gone to the beach lizzzz.d@gmail.com

Kyle said...

What a beautiful finish. Those batiks are lovely. It's funny how a quilt really does speak to us about border preferences, placement, and even a name. Scrap bins seem to show no mercy.

Needled Mom said...

That is just beautiful. Either border would have been perfect.

Ruth said...

The fabrics are just awesome and it's a wonderful quilt! I love it! The fabrics must reproduce when you're not looking.

Kaja said...

Nice job! I like your border solutions a lot, even if your favourite fabric missed out on a bigger role.

barbara woods bewtjw@gmail.com said...

that's beautiful!

Marta FF said...

Love your "quilt with no name" I have batiks but seems that I don't know what to do with them... so this log pattern is in my bucket list now!!!