Tuesday, January 22, 2013

An Exciting Stage




So what was my last post about? The photo was a pile of cut threads and frayed threads from this above. Now if you look below.....




....you will begin to see what I'm talking about. As some of you guessed, I've been busy with an ongoing sewing project - a quilt to be specific. This is one of four sections I have been slowly working away over many months. I have cut and meticulously sewn 2100 small pieces of fabric together to construct a total of 700 little fabric blocks for my Flying Geese Quilt. 

496 of these blocks, as well as some end blocks, have now been carefully arranged and sew together, along their short sides, into 32 rows. I made four sections of eight rows each - just like the one above so they could easily be stored on a coat hanger.

You can follow the story of this quilt from it's beginning in May 2011 if you click on "Flying Geese Quilt" in the label cloud on the right.




Yesterday I sewed the four sections together in order to complete the centre panel of the quilt. This morning I finished cutting all the thread tails and removing the loose fabric threads (another pile of colourful threads).




Then I pressed the panel, stood back and admired the result....sigh...




Now if you have read carefully or if you are a quilter, you'll be wondering about the other 200 flying geese blocks - right? Right! Well, they are for the border of the quilt. They have also been precisely sewn together, along their long edges, into four rows, now trimmed and pressed, awaiting the final construction.




It feels fantastic to have finally completed these sections. Now I need to cut and add the large setting triangles and sew all these components together to finish the quilt top, then the back needs to be pieced,  all layers basted together and work out how I'm actually going to quilt this large quilt on my little old Janome.....

The time and space required to do all this will be a challenge as our school/homeschool summer holidays are nearly over and I sew on our dining/schooling table - but where there's a will there's bound to be a way. Hopefully it won't be another four months until I can give you the next update.



NB This quilt design is called "North By North East" as found in the book "Quilting From Little Things" by Sarah Fielke. Sarah is a wonderful Australian quilt designer, quilt maker, hand quilter and author. You can see some of her book in my original post about this quilt here.
Sarah's website.


Sharing at Sneak Peek Friday.

46 comments:

joy said...

Wow! Lots of work and patience, but awesome outcome:)

Seeing Each Day said...

I can't begin to express my admiration for your work over this - all those little pieces, my goodness. I'm so impressed with the colour combination too. I'm glad your so pleased too, as you should be. Wow....

tinajo said...

Wowsers - looks beautiful! :-)

flowersandhome said...

This looks so beautiful and colourful Karen! A work to be very proud of. I used to quilt many many years ago. Didn't have a sewing machinge then though, so did it all by hand. It took me a long time and probably wasn't as accurate as your impeccable work but I loved making those quilts, made them from old clothes and old sheets as well, so it was a bit like the very beginning of quiltmaking. Still haven't found a shop around here that sells the right fabric for quilting. Did see a lot of beautiful fabric on the internet though and I do own a sewing machine by now but it's not at all my best friend ;) Probably because I never really learned how to sew and use a sewing machine. Who knows, maybe seeing your work will inspire me to do some quilting again.
Can't wait to see it all finished!
Bye,
Marian

Cinzia said...

Quanto lavoro, quanta pazienza ed abilità, bravissima!
Cinzia

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Marian,
There is great satisfaction in creating something which is both beautiful and useful - as you no doubt know. Using rotary cutters and quilters' rulers along with a few books/internet help makes the job much easier - as does a sewing machine too. There are so many easy yet beautiful patterns available too.

Two years ago I made a quilt of hexagons for my mother's 70th birthday, all hand sewn. It's nice to have some handwork which can be done anywhere, even while away from home. http://piecesofcontentment.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/it-is-finished.html

Karen

Jenni C's said...

wow it is beautiful, i love the pattern you have chosen, i cant wait to see it finished..

Fun60 said...

What a project. A real work of art. You certainly must need a lot os space to lay it all out and then put it together.

Astridka said...

I like it! Those colours!
Sincerely
Astrid

Rosemary Aubut said...

Simply gorgeous and priceless! Many of my quilts have turned into pillows, I know the work involved! You are an incredibly talented and patient lady!

Giga said...

Podziwiam Cię. Ta praca wymagała cierpliwości, czasu i umiejętności. Efekt jest wspaniały. Jeszcze troszkę, ale już chyba łatwiejszej pracy i będzie gotowa. Pozdrawiam cieplutko.
I admire you. This work required the patience, time and skill. The effect is stunning. Just a little bit, but it's probably easier work and will be ready. Regards warm.

diane b said...

That is an amazing piece of work. You must have so much patience.

Cristina Ferreira said...

Muito bonito este teu trabalho, muito colorido, gosto.

Beijos

Sylvia K said...

An amazing and beautiful piece of work indeed!! Outstanding! Such a wonderful quilt and memories you have created and one that will be always be treasured by your family!

Lisa said...

Oh my goodness, it looks absolutely amazing! The kind of quilt that I could look at for hours with all the wonderful patterns and colors! What a work of art! Can't wait to see the finished product.
It is also a wonderful illustration of how when all the little parts of the body of Christ come together in unity the result is a thing of beauty.

Gail Dixon said...

My goodness you have been a busy little bee. I don't quilt, but my former boss's wife did, so I know how much work goes into these things. It's a labor of love. Well done! You created a masterpiece.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

These are absolutely beautiful!!!

Kim Stevens said...

Well how inspiring is this!! I'm really so impressed...and it's just beautiful, the colors and patters all perfect!!

Jan said...

Amazing that you have time for quilting, Karen. It is so beautiful, a heirloom in the making.
Many Blessings.

sarahfielke said...

I'm so glad you've enjoyed making my quilt, you've done a lovely job. For anyone interested, the quilt is called North by North East and it's in my book, Quilting From Little Things.

Unknown said...

Looks lovely so far- you have far more patience than I do!

Unknown said...

This is so beautiful! What patience you must have!
I've started making a quilt for the very first time. I'm just doing a simple one for my first go, just lots of lovely colourful squares sewn together.
Maybe one day I'll be able to do something like you've done!
xx

geanina said...

looks beautiful!! :)

Nikki said...

Karen, you are certainly a lady of many talents. Your quilt looks amazing. What a beautiful project.

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine cutting and sewing so many little pieces. It must be very rewarding to finally see large pieces! This is so colorful, Pieces of Sunshine is a good name for it.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Great suggestion Patti. I chose colours so as the quilt would look like a treasure chest of jewels, spilling open and glistening in the sunlight. Maybe I should call it Sunlit Treasures.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

I have missed what you have been up too. I see you have been quite busy, where do you find the time. THIS will truly be another one of your masterpieces. You have such dedication and see each project to it completion. I am amazed.

Jeanne said...

This is absolutely gorgeous and know you must be so happy to have gotten to this point where you can enjoy the beauty of your creation! Love it!

Lisa Gordon said...

This is beautiful, and you are AMAZING!
I love the wonderfully cheerful colors.

Gillian Olson said...

An impressive project, I hope you get that last bit done. I have a huge log cabin quilt about 3/4's done carefully wrapped up somewhere. It does tend to be an out of sight out of mind kind of thing.

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness girly.. This looks amazing. I am so glad your shared this with us. I just LOVE it..

Hugs~

Anonymous said...

Your handy work is beautiful, Karen.

You have the patience of a saint- artistic eye and talent of a pro at everything you undertake.

shopgirl said...

Wow! Fantastic! I can't believe the amount of time and patience is needed to make this quilt. I love making things but I know that I wouldn't have the patience for this. It's lovely to watch your work in process.

Cheers!
http://rambleswithreese.blogspot.com

mariondejong said...

Really amazing, I wish I had your patience, it will be beautiful!
Best regards, Marion

Rosemary said...

I am in awe of the thought process, creative energy, persistence and planning that goes in to a project of this size. Wow!

NatureFootstep said...

wow, I´m impressed. :)

Magia da Inês said...


¸.•°♡♡
Super lindo e colorido!

Boa quarta-feira!
Beijinhos.
¸.•°♡♡彡

Marijke said...

You are really an artist Karen, what your eyes see your hands can make. It's an beautiful artwork.
Have a wonderful day

Georgianna said...

I am SO impressed!! The colors are an absolute joy to behold – congratulations on such a gorgeous creation!

Hope your year is off to a wonderful start. :)

G

Dave said...

By golly Karen, that quilt work is infinitely complex. I wish you all the will in the world to complete the intricate job. It's looking great! - Dave

Unknown said...

Very meticulous piece of work. The choice of fabrics is harmonious and pretty. Well done.

Tricia said...

Wow! That looks so gorgeous...and a lot of work!

Dorothy said...

A true work of art! I'm so impressed.
That's something I can only dream of achieving myself. I'm going to send a quilting friend over to see this right now! xx

Judy Royal Glenn said...

Beautiful!

Cherry Warrick said...

Linking up after you at In the Studio - what a beautiful quilt, and what a lot of patience and perseverance you have! It sounds like you have a lot of fun creating something so beautiful ...

Jennifer {Studio JRU} said...

Oh wow... this is amazing and so beautiful! Makes me want to be a quilter. ;) Love the pretty, happy colors and I love how you also used fabric that was mostly white... makes those colors just pop more. I love it!

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