Friday 18 May 2012


Amy's Creative Side


It's that time of year again folks. Time to go out and admire everyone's lovely quilting creations. Amy's Creative Side hosts this Quilt Festival twice a year and it is a real joy to have a look at the inspiration out there from all over the world. 

In the autumn I entered my Wonky Stars quilt into the festival. This time around I have to put my Stained Colourful in because each and every day it gets used and loved. It is the best thing I ever made - besides my two girls - ever! Even better than chocolate flapjacks and they are pretty darn good.



If this is your first time to my blog and you have never seen this quilt before, then I used my friend Sarah's tutorial which can be found on Narcoleptic in a Cupboard. The tutorial is fabulous and designed to use eleven fat quarters. I chose to go my own way though.

I hauled out my fabric stash, and using Sarah's block instructions I cut 144 different fabrics for the quilt. I did not think about the individual placement of each fabric within the quilt. I am far too shot away to ever have worked that out. I would still be sat there dithering.

No, I just cut and hoped for the best. And the best did happen. Well, in my eyes at least. Almost every fabric here has been hoarded in my stash waiting for 'that right quilt'. Some were quite small pieces that I received in scrappy swaps that I wanted to use in a way that they would not be lost in the over all pattern. I now sit there on the sofa at nights with this over me and happily wallow in all these fabrics.


I used Kona Snow for the narrow sashing, and for the back as well. I knocked together five more blocks for the back and spent more time pondering their placement than I did working out where to put the 144 fabrics on the front!


I stippled it in a a big lose stipple to keep it soft and snuggly. Made a scrappy binding and that was it. I finally made a quilt that was for me and no one else but me. Sure I let the girls use it once in a while, but I do spend more time telling them to get their grubby little paws off and having heart palpitations when they bring food near it. If someone is going to get a big smear of chocolate on it then it will have to be me.


If this was your first visit to my blog, thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit. I'll be doing my best to have a look at everyone else's quilts over the next week. Enjoy the quilt festival!

Susan

82 comments:

  1. This is such a lovely cheerful quilt Susan! And what a nice way to cherish all that special fabric. I love your back too!

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  2. Came over here from the Quilt Festival to see this quilt up close. I love it - what a perfect sampler quilt. I can just imagine snuggling under it noticing a different favourite fabric every time. Great idea. I want one now...going to check out my stash!!

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  3. You know how much I love this quilt...so pretty and bright! I can certainly understand why it it so loved!

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  4. Oh I love Bloggers Quilt Festival - a list of lovely quilt to go and drool over! This is awesome and you are rightly proud, love your point about dithering I really relate to that, just get on and sew!

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  5. I love seeing this beautiful quilt! It is a perfect choice for the festival.

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  6. What a gorgeous quilt. It's Sunshine!!

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  7. Lovely lovely summery quilt :o) Are you bringing it to #fqlongon2012?

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  8. Sorry... was in twitter mode... I meant the retreat!

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  9. What a great way to showcase favorite fabrics! I love the back!

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  10. And I spelt the hashtag wrong. What a doob.

    lol.

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  11. Ooh, I love those bright colors!

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  12. Great quilt, love all the different fabrisc. The back is just as wonderful as the front :)

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  13. This i just fabulous and I feel like I want to go and make one for myself. Just wrote this before and either you have comment moderation on or blogger is eating my comments!

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  14. I love this festival and the chance to see some fantastic quilts ! This is fabulous Susan - the fabrics all pay so nicely together

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  15. This is so beautiful, and thank you for the link to the tutorial! I'm so inspired to make one, too!

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  16. This is such a lovely quilt! I love the colors...it is a very happy quilt!

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  17. Such a fun bright quilt! I love how you make the back just as lovely as the front.

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  18. Love your colourful tiles and the back is just as brilliant as the front!!

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  19. Really pretty! I love what you did with the back.

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  20. Ahh! I love it! I love quilts that have lots of different fabrics in them, and I love the scrappy binding. It's just gorgeous!

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  21. I love this quilt too! And had to chuckle about your comment spending so much time placing the back...I do that too ..haha!
    ps.greeting from Canada!

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  22. It is obvious that you enjoy this lovely quilt, both in the making and the keeping:)

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  23. Tis an absolutely freakin awesome quilt, I love it to bits!

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  24. so bright and happy! Beautiful!

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  25. Man I love all those prints and colors...so cheerful!!

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  26. I love it!!!! I just hope my version is half as nice...

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  27. I enjoyed the visit and plan to stay;)!

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  28. This quilt just makes me smile. To read of the joy and pride you feel for your "baby" is very uplifting. Whoot, whoot, for sure!

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  29. What a beautiful collection of fabrics. The pattern you chose shows them off so nicely. So pretty!

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  30. It's really beautiful! Happy May long weekend (even though over there, it's just a regular one. :-)

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  31. Love this quilt! Visiting from the Quilt Festival.

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  32. How very pretty. I'm glad you had a chance to let go and create and it turned out so lovely.

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  33. must go over and take a look-your stained looks amazing. Need to get mine done too!

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  34. Your quilt is a delight. Thanks for sharing it.

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  35. I love your version of Stained, it is so pretty!

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  36. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh you know I love this one!!!!

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  37. Such a pretty quilt, and thanks for linking to the tutorial for it. Glad I found your blog!

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  38. Perfect for the festival Susan - really gorgeous.

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  39. I love the modern design!

    Margaret
    http://quiltsoflove.blogspot.com/

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  40. What a great quilt to showcase your favourite fabrics!! It's so colourful and happy!

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  41. I love your stained colourful, such a happy mix of fabrics! Glad you're still guarding it with your life where chocolate's concerned though lol

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  42. A perfect choice! Love seeing this one again (and that blue sky- now I remember what it looks like!). Jxo

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  43. I love this quilt Susan! Front, back, and binding!

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  44. great front, but I LOVE the back!!

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  45. I love true scrappy, mixed up, unplanned quilts like this. Random really does work out some time. Enjoy YOUR quilt (every quilter should get at least one, right?)

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  46. Such a pretty quilt! This is a wonderful idea for showcasing those fabrics that you love. I too have a pile of swap fabrics that I'm keeping for something special...

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  47. Such a bright and colourful quilt Susan!

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  48. I just love this quilt .. what a great quilt to put in the quilt festival.

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  49. I love your Stained!! So beautiful and perfect for summer :)

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  50. I know I've said it before, but I really love this quilt. I hope to have amassed enough favourite fabric scraps one day to have a go at a quilt like this as it really is the perfect use of them.

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  51. Great quilt! I'm going to put that on my to-do list!! I love the front AND BACK! Great work!

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  52. Love this quilt Susan - so glad you chose this particular one for the feestival - I've been pulling fabrics to make one for myself out of 1930's fabrics. Thanks for the inspiration - your blog is great!!!

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  53. this is so pretty. i am going to have to go see the tutorial

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  54. wonderfully vibrant quilt! fun to use those treasured and loved fabrics--have recently been doing that with a red/white/black quilt i'm doing and it brings such joy. thanks for sharing your beautiful quilt and the story. have a great day

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  55. So pretty! I love the colors and how it came together!

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  56. Oh it is gorgeous!! Meanwhile back to those chocolate flapjacks...

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  57. Love it! There's some gorgeous fabric in this - definitely doesn't go with chocolate fingerprints!

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  58. Beautiful Quilt! Love the scrappy look.

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  59. Gorgeous quilt! What a great way to showcase your fabric collection or scraps.

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  60. Great quilt! So cheerful and happy. I'm so glad you shared this.

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  61. What a gorgeous quilt. Thank you for sharing it with us. Your quilt looks so summery and fresh and crisp. Awesome.

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  62. What a great quilt !! Love how all those colors create such a cheerful quilt together.

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  63. Such a wonderful quilt - the colours are so bright and cheerful, they remind me of dolly mixtures.

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  64. Oh, I *love* it!! Is so fresh and bright and happy! I'm squirrelling this idea away for some of my cherished bits that I can't bear to give up--thank you for the inspiration!!

    Hazle
    suntred02 at aol.com

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  65. I saw this the first time and you know I fell in love. I have one of these on my list of quilts to make. It's gorgeous.

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  66. This quilt is really beautiful! I love how colorful and happy it is!

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  67. Wonderful! I adore the colors, and I love that you used all different fabrics. Love, love, love. Maybe you should stick to white chocolate... ;D

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  68. Really really lovely! So bright and cheerful - the backing is great too!

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  69. So scrappy and wonderful!!! I love this! Thank you for the link to the design-- and for sharing your quilt's story. The fact that it is all yours makes it extra special, for sure!

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  70. Aha, I figured it out - your quilts are heart-warmers :)
    I just look at the Stained Colourful (or Wonky Stars) and feel happier.

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  71. This is a Happy Quilt and I love quilts that make me smile when I look at them.

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  72. Love the fabrics, your quilt looks beautiful!

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  73. Beautiful and happy quilt. Congrats!

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  74. A bright and cheerful quilt! Well done!

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  75. When I saw the thumbnail of this quilt it caught my eye. So bright and happy! Love the back as much as the front!

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  76. What a great pop of color! So many great fabrics in one quilt. Looks like a great scrap quilt that I'm going to have to bookmark!

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  77. I love it!! Fabulous job! Thanks for sharing the link to the tute you (sorta) used, I'll have to check it out

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  78. looks great! I love scrappy quilts

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  79. I too would tell everyone to stay clear of my quilt - especially if they had dirty hands! lol. It is just the happiest quilt and looks very cuddly. Nice going.

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  80. Susan, I was jealous when I read about you working on this quilt, and I'm jealous of your finished achievement. This quilt is just stunning! So gorgeous!

    Enjoy your vaca, by the way!!

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