Wednesday, April 24, 2019

An April Finish Ready for Fall

Somehow this quilt speaks to me of fall, maybe it's the caramel background of the outer borders, or more likely the deeper shades used in the baskets.  At any rate the last stitch in the binding happened around 9:00 a.m. this morning, quickly followed by a little camera session.  Warning - photo heavy post follows!

First a quick trip to the guest bed to check for any unsnipped thread ends, etc. and a rather uninspired first photo.

A few of my favorite baskets.



Sun is shining, wind is blowing, time for some outdoor photos. Ahh, the green-green grass of spring!


The quilt is from a pattern in Fons and Porter's Fat Quarter Friendly book.  Theirs was called French Country Strippy.

I ditch quilted the vertical seams and perimeter of the basket blocks on the Janome, and then hand quilted the remainder with Gutermann thread.  After washing it measures 96 x 78-1/2 inches.


The back, nothing fancy, just slabs of leftover fabric.


Completing this quilt was my One Monthly Goal for April, and I'm happily linking this finish with Patty at Elm Street Quilts as well as Wendy's Peacock Party.

In the photo that follows you can see a red bird feeder on the post in the background.  Until last week there was a suet finder attached to said post.  One evening between dusk and 11 p.m. we had an unseen large black visitor who pulled the post nearly all the way to the ground, took the split rail fence behind it apart, and then made off into the woods with the suet feeder.  This was after completely destroying another feeder in the front yard.


We're thinking it was a return visit from this culprit who also loves niger seed feeders set out for our summer goldfinch residents.

24 comments:

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh this quilt is simply stunning! I love everything about it. I can't get enough of strippy quilts anyway, but this one is extra special. Your hand quilting adds texture and beauty. And, I don't know how bears can be so cute and destructive at the same time!!

Marly said...

This is lovely; your fabric choices are perfect especially as it's so unusual to see any shade of brown in a quilt nowadays. I like using brown, but have never given it a prominent place in a quilt. It's time I changed that!

Cathy said...

I love the baskets and love the fabrics; therefore I must love the quilt! Congrats on that fantastic finish!

We have lots and lots of culprits around here but thankfully none of them look like that!! Yikes!

Karen in Breezy Point said...

What a beautiful finish—love strippy quilts! We’ve lost a few feeders to those kind of visitors too and have given up on sunflower seeds—bear and raccoon crack, I think—lol!

Janet O. said...

This is an absolute beauty!! And your hand quilting takes it over the top. Beautiful, cozy colors and such pretty border print designs.
My goodness, that is a scary visitor. Our culprits are much smaller and either wear a bandits mask or smell really bad (raccoons and skunks).

FlourishingPalms said...

Goodness, but you do lovely work. Hand quilting too... very impressive. I'm always intimidated to think of the TIME it takes to hand quilt, especially a quilt as large as this one! Good for you to finish, and get outdoors for some good photos. Amazing to hear that perhaps a bear has been after your feeder. That's a bit unnerving. And here I am, dealing with some tiny critter who is eating the lovely purple blooms off my recently-planted "Blue My Mind" perennial. Guess I'll take that over a bear, thank you!

Laura said...

This is a beautiful quilt!I love it!
I have also had a bear bend the pole that held my bird feeder in half, so she could make off with the seed. The bears hang out in the fruit trees, too. I had a young one spend an afternoon in the crabapple tree one year. Ha, ha!

Hill Top Post said...

Why, I can' imagine a friend would do such a thing! :) I do kind of like the critter though, even if he does tear the place apart! I love love the quilt. I love browns, so I think you got this one right! What a beautiful outdoor picture!

Debbie said...

Oh my....be still my heart! It is beautiful! I drooled all over your photos to see the quilting....perfect hand quilting and then all the machine work. That must have been intense to maneuver the quilt on the Janome. But the results are fantastic. Your bandit bear is just a bit too friendly I think. Glad the damage was fixable.

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Love the colors and such a beauty!

Pat said...

A beautiful finish on your quilt - love the colors and I can see why you are thinking Autumn...the fabrics are so warm - what a classic design too - strippy quilts are always so striking. Your grass is certainly much more green than ours...the snow cover just left. What a delight to see the bear too...though he was probably naughty at the bird feeder. We usually see our first bear visitors in May...so fun to watch as we keep a respectful distant.

QuiltGranma said...

Absolutely LOVE your strippy quilt! So beautiful! Time to CELEBRATE, and start another quilt! giggle! Isn't that the way it is? Wondering what you will tackle next!

---"Love" said...

Your quilt is incredibly beautiful! Do watch out for those bears! ---Love"

Kyle said...

I love every thing about your strippy basket quilt, the colors, your fabric choices and the wonderful striped border prints. Congrats on another wonderful finish. It's finding a great striped border that can be the challenge. Your suet snatcher seem rather bold. I was noticing the size of his back foot!

Needled Mom said...

Your basket quilt is absolutely gorgeous. That bear does not appear to be an invited guest. Yikes!

Patty said...

Your quilt is beautiful. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish! (That unwanted visitor looks a bit scary!)

Barb said...

what a gorgeous quilt and yes so perfect for fall. The setting print is just perfect to set it off beauitfully.
sorry about your bird feeder damage :(
he didn't mean to.....he just wanted a treat.

Barbara said...

I love your basket strippy with all those fabulous fabrics! It's a beautiful April finish. My goodness! That black bear is quite the sight. He knows exactly where to go for food :)

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

That is quite the heirloom quilt! Beautiful. And that bear, wow!!!

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

What a beautiful quilt! Great outdoor photos too. Mmmm, a bear? so close?

Anonymous said...

A really gorgeous quilt! (I appreciate photo-heavy posts.) Ugh about the damaged feeder and fence. I’ve never lived in bear country, so this visitor seems quite intimidating to me.

Created by Kathi said...

Love your quilty finish... hope your visitor doesn't return... could be scary for sure! Kathi

Quilting Babcia said...

Start another quilt? Don't you mean two or three, lol?

Nancy said...

I love how you've arranged the basket blocks to become a strippy quilt. The colors and fabrics in the baskets are beautiful and I think you've chosen beautiful fabrics for the side setting triangles (is that what they're called?) and for the alternating strips. All in all, a gorgeous quilt.
I wish I lived in a place where bears visited my yard! I love the photo showing his back left paw raised as he pads away.