Tuesday 8 April 2014

Blowing Bubbles

The hexies are finished and I've named it 'Blowing Bubbles' but am open to other name suggestions. Feel free to be more creative than me. I won't be offended because I'm sat here smiling, liking what the end result looks like - no matter what it is called.


If I am going to suck up the courage and put a quilt in a small show then I am happy I made this for that specific purpose.

It's not huge - measuring in at 49" x 53". There are approximately 500 1.5" hexies, or partial hexies in it. In terms of hexie quilts I don't think that is a huge amount. But for me it was enough. I didn't grow bored with basting and hand sewing them until just before the end. Obviously you will not see me making a bed sized hexie quilt in the near future. That would be pushing my boredom threshold a little too much!


As with many of my quilts, the idea for this pattern just popped into my head one day when I was playing with some hexie graph paper. it grew into a quilt from that original doodle. If you haven't read the continuing saga of creation, it is hand pieced then machine quilted in a swirly snail pattern in each LV hexie. The blue hexies were hand quilted with perle in threads that I had as close a match to each blue. This does render the hand quilting slightly invisible though. Oh well.

I love the LV, in the way it gives a uniform(ish) background but as you look up close it provides more and more colour and lots of whimsical detail.


I tried to do an ombre effect with the binding but it doesn't show up in these photos so well. I used the blues that were used for the 'bubbles' and then went into LV fabrics but tried to stick with LV with blues in them.

So, one hanging sleeve to attach and then it gets popped in the post and the next time I will see it it will be hanging with a great deal of other quilts for company and my heart will be leaping out its chest to see it there.


I haven't written my Q2 FAL post yet but I am putting this on that list. The hanging sleeve will have to to count as the finishing bit. There is not way it is falling between the gap of the two quarters!

Susan

36 comments:

  1. It kind of reminds me of the inside of a Nautilus shell.

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  2. I guess my boredom threshold is higher than yours. I have gone beyond 500 and am still happy to baste.

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  3. I think a show quilt demands a long-winded pretentious name, like dogs at Crufts do!!
    'The thoughts in my mind are like the bubbles in your bathwater' or something xxx

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  4. Fair game adding it into Q2. It's not finished yet! Susan, it's absolutely brilliant. Amazing design, fab choice in fabrics and the binding is the (Melrose) icing on the cake. Now that's gorgeous icing.

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  5. Turned out fabulous!! I like the name, too :)

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  6. Looks great, love the LV background another thing to add to my "stuff to try" list! Good luck with the show.

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  7. Very pretty. Love how the darker colous stand out.

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  8. Lol, well done! Although are you and Kerry trying to kill me with the awful songs today?!

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  9. Looks great, well done on the finish!

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  10. This is just beautiful Susan! However, I do have a question ... Why is Hadley's bath water full of bubbles?? ;-)

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  11. well done, I have never seen a quilt look so three dimensional before

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  12. It's brilliant! All I can think of are 'Snail Trails!' - not as nice as blowing bubbles! Jxo

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  13. Oh Susan it's wonderful! It looks so fantastic and so very many hours of hard work too, which have all paid off. You must be thrilled. Keep us posted with how it gets on at the quilt show.

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  14. I think the swirly snail quilting pattern you chose is absolutely brilliant, I never seen that before on a hexie quilt. I love the effect and l agree with Helenjean, it does kinda look three dimensional. Very clever...:)

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  15. Love, love, love! And now I've got that song going around and around in my head: I'm forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air...
    Do you know it, is it in your head now too? ;-)
    Anyway, back to the topic: your quilt is just beautiful and indeed you should be proud.
    Have a happy day,
    Xx

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  16. Oh well done, yey! I think the name works really well too.

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  17. So much patience, I would have gotten bored after the first 50! Congratulations, it's beautiful

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  18. Excellent. People should never underestimate the work involved in sewing hexies. I have a 1.5" one unfinished from years ago and crazily still went on and sewed over 1000 1" hexies into a lap quilt the other summer!

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  19. Susan that is one fantastic looking quilt, and I love the quilting! Were your hands not in bits by the end? GORGEOUS!

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  20. Susan this is just beautiful. Yo should be so very proud of yourself. And I hope those judges give you the recognition you deserve!
    E xx

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  21. Oh my gosh, this is a BEAUTY!!!

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  22. Absolutely stunning, Susan, I real heirloom quilt!

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  23. Brilliant! Well done my friend.

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  24. I love it! It looks so good! You put a lot of work into this one, so enjoy every cozy snuggle with it!

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  25. It's absolutely gorgeous - well done, you clever old stick! I hope the next time I see a photo of it it's got a lovely rosette attached to it!

    P.S. That song is now also stuck in my head but slightly changed: 'I'm forever...sewing hexies'!

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  26. Blowing Bubbles is a great name for this quilt. I really like the way it all works together. Good luck with the show. xx

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  27. So, so beautiful! Absolutely stunning. When I read 500 hexagons I will not ever make a quilt even that size ... not thinking about bed size!

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  28. Wow Susan this is just fabulous! Don't know how you had the patience for all that hand piecing but it looks amazing and the quilting is fab too.

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  29. It is not finished until that sleeve it on it, I'm sure. It is fantastic and rightly belongs in a show.

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  30. It is lovely and once again I have to tell you that choosing the snails design for quilting was perfect. I love how the quilt is full of swirly movement, but at the same time, due to LV fabrics and the blues looks quite calm.

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  31. I absolutely love this, and you're far more patient than me, I'd have given up long ago :-) I'm sure it'll look amazing on display :-)

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  32. I think Blowing Bubbles is a very pretty and apt name. Stick with it!

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  33. And take lots of photos tomorrow!

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