I quilted it in a spiral starting from the centre (inspiration here). I just used my walking foot and varied the spacing from 1/4" to 1" apart. I made a silly mistake. I quilted it in an anti-clockwise direction. I wasn't even thinking. But when I'd done about 10 circles I realised that instead of it getting easier to feed the quilt through as I got towards the edges, it was getting harder. I was having to put more and more of the quilt through the throat of the machine. By then it was too late, I just had to keep going, but if you try this type of quilting make sure you go clockwise! (push the quilt through the throat, instead of pulling it through). Even though I made it more difficult than it had to be I really love how the quilting turned out. I was panicking a bit halfway through (as I often do), but it all came together nicely.
I backed it with Umbrella Print's Floating Wild Grasses, and it's beautifully soft. I hear that Amy and Carly are working on a few more designs on quilting weight cotton and I can't wait to see what they come up with next (I might try to stop by there soon to see if they'll give me a sneak peak :))
Their Raindrops fabric is perfect for binding!
Thanks to my fabulous (and very speedy) pattern testers, the pattern is available from my downloadable patterns page (20% off for the next few days). It has instructions for 6 sizes. And good news - Umbrella Prints have put together some fabulous deals on kits in their store.
I might give away some pdf patterns to a few random commenters too. Just make sure there's a way for me to contact you.
The nice thing about this quilt is that you can show off really special fabrics without it costing a fortune. I'm tempted to make a bigger one just for me. Can you believe I haven't made myself a quilt yet?!
55 comments:
Lovely quilt....I love the floating squares thing. I made the same mistake quilting spirals, in the wrong direction once too.....it's a mistake you only make once, right??
I love this! Perfect design for your small special pieces! Good tip about the quilting! ;0p
It's a lovely quilt and a clever design especially when you have only small amount of fabric you'd like to use in a quilt.
Kate!! Make sure that the very next quilt you make is for you - right???!
Absolutely gorgeous, as ever. That circle quilting is divine - must give it a go soon!
I love it!! The design is really lovely. I especially love the quilting!
very fresh and sweet. Love it.
It's a gorgeous quilt! No offense, but I love to hear that you still make small mistakes, it gives me hope that my seam ripper and I won't always be attached!
Kate, I love it! What a brilliant way to show off a small amount of some beautiful prints. I'm thinking it would look lovely using a shot cotton for the back ground too.
Wow, I'm loving this one, Kate!!
So striking! Love the simplicity of the top with the fantastic quilting. What a WOW combo!
Oooo, I LOVE this one Kate!! Really fun and modern and a great way to focus on fun prints!!!
Love the pattern. It is a great way to use small amounts of a favourite fabric. You need to make a quilt for you!
The quilting looks great.
Nice and fresh. Perfect! :)
Wow - this is so unique, love the idea! Might need to make a "chance of rain pillow" :)
Just wonderful...I just finished the hand quilting on mine tonight. Its a great pattern!
Another great quilt design- but I shouldn't be surprised, seeing it's you! I love this quilt, and the next quilt you make should definitely be for you!!! I've already got my eye out for some special fabric to make one of these for myself..... ;-)
Really, really pretty! Good job on the circle quilting too.
I've tried that once or twice and haven't got it down pat yet.
Fabulous! A great way to use a small amount of prints for a huge impact!
great quilt and even greater quilting!
Your quilting on this just puts it over the top! The backing and binding are perfect, too. Love it!
This would be a perfect pattern for my Far, Far Away fabrics. Your quilting is a perfect addition to an already stunning quilt.
Thank you for making such beautiful quilts!! I love the modernism and simplicity of them. I've already made two Dandelion Windows and they both turned out beautiful! Can't wait to try this one out!
It's a real beauty, Kate! Such gorgeous fabrics (you used my favourite colours together) and I love the quilting.
Can't believe you haven't made yourself a quilt yet!?!? You should go for it. This design would totally rock in a larger quilt.
This is a beautiful quilt. And I really think you should make one for yourself.
I love it, Kate! And yes, definitely time to make one for yourself! But hard to pick just ONE fabric line, eh? Better make yourself a few ;)
This is just too cute - and I love the spiral quilting...makes me want to start one right now :-) I love how you can use some hoarded fabrics and only have to use a little bit but it looks so cute!
love this, found you from pinterest. :)such a great way to use bits of favorites, I'll definitely have to try it!
The quilting turned out beautifully! Thanks for the tip on turning it clockwise too. I am currently gathering ideas for how to quilt my first quilt on my home machine, and its great to see the level of success that is possible. Thanks for sharing!
This is beautiful! I cannot even imagine quilting that giant spiral, though! Phew! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness, this is such a pretty quilt! I think it might be perfect for the little Japanese charm swap fabrics I have in my stash.
What a great idea. I've been collecting some Liberty prints and am not sure how to use them but I think this would be a good pattern. I've only ever done spiral quilting on coasters so it's amazing how you can do it on a quilt.
I love this quilt. It is so modern and I can only imagine how different it would look with different fabrics. It would be perfect for a boy or girl fabric.
Beautiful! I love the look of the spiral quilting too!
This is such a beautiful quilt, gorgeous fabric & a pared back style - LOVE it!
I, too, had admired the staggered border on your FFA quilt and I love the concept realized in a whole quilt. This is one I would love to make.
Gorgeous! I especially love the binding on this one.
Wow, what a great quilt! And I love the spiral quilting you did!
I have these fabrics here waiting to make a quilt with - I really love your pattern!!!
This is beautiful - I really like the whirlpool effect the quilting gives it!
I have also enjoyed the idea of spiral quilting like the one you referenced and the one it was inspired by. The red raindrops are great, but I really like the little green elephants. Nicely done.
Thanks ever so much for the hint about quilting in clockwise direction. I'm brand-new to machine quilting, and appreciate specific, practical advice like this more than I can say.
wordygirl at earthlink dot net
Its gorgeous! The quilting looks fabulous. Yeah I can imagine how painful it was moving the quilt round while you quilted. I bet you are glad you kept going as I imagine you might have wandered what you were thinking.
It's really beautiful. I can picture the fabrics I would use already.
I love how all your designs are modern. I'm all for showing off the fabrics used and so aren't so keen on smaller pieced quilts. The circular quilting really adds a new dimension. It reminds me of lilies in a lily pond. You were very brave to do the circular quilting. On a larger quilt this would be the trickiest part I think.
Love the simplicity of this quilt and you can use those special small pieces that you have left over. The Raindrops sets it off beautifully. Great idea for a baby quilt (or a big one for you!)
This new quilt is cute, cute. Thanks for the major tip on quilting circles. I'm just finishing your Square in a Square quilt, so I'll be needing a new project .... and pattern!
gorgeous kate! you are one clever cookie :) xx
Love how those squares are just floating, fab finish as always. The spiral quilting really makes it :-)
Lovely new pattern and the spiral quilting design looks fantastic! I have the Dandelion Windows pattern and am looking forward to making that quilt. I've just launched a new blog and have had some trouble leaving comments on other sites, so I hope this one works. Love your blog and thank you for sharing your talent and creativity!
Nola @ surelystitching.blogspot.com
How pretty! I love the spiral quilting, too. :)
The Quilting is amazing on this quilt kate.. Looks awesome. Your so clever... Miss you xx
I have some perfect fabric in mind for this pattern. I love how the fabric is the focus of the quilt, but you don't have to spend a fortune buying yards and yards of the focus fabric!
knielsen@charter.net
Wow! I love this quilt! The 2 simple patterns together make a big impact! Great job!
Having just finished machine quilting a twin size in parallel lines, I love your spiral. Wow! And what a great way to use small scraps of favorite fabrics.
cojocar_alison@asdk12.org
(And is that a border terrier in some of your photos?)
I just love the circle quilting on this one!
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