Monday, August 5, 2013

Grandma’s Star Finished

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I spent the last couple of days quilting my Grandma’s Star quilt and happy report it is now done!   This quilt block was made using the Grandma’s Star quilting templates from Matilda’s OwnDesley sent the templates in our last gift exchange and after some encouragement from her to give them a try I started to piece a block.   The Y seams were a challenge but once I finished the first block they soon became addicting and I ended up with 12 blocks .  Warning, this post has a lot of pictures!  :)

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I was struggling with the quilting designs so wrote a post on the MQR forum asking from some design help. Received some wonderful suggestions but it was Donna’s drawing of how to quilt the blocks that got me headed in the right direction.  She suggested the pebbles in the triangles and in the center of the star, as well as the straight lines in the background of each block.  From there I decided to put rays in the setting triangles, SID all the blocks and added a Angela Walter’s Pebble/Swirl design in the outer border to add a softer element to the design and tie into the pebbles that are in the blocks.

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  The quilt is made with all batik fabrics, Dream Blend batting and Invisifil white thread.  The backing is a Kona White and I love how the quilting shows up on the back!

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I have to say that this is the first time I tried the pebble design between the two lines and it is much harder than it looks.   I usually just pebble as background fill so trying to keep them a consistent size and between the lines was a real challenge.   I’m glad I tried this first one on my own quilt or I would have been doing a lot of picking.  They improved as I worked on the quilt but I now have a greater appreciation for quilters that use this design often.

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37 comments:

  1. Wow wow wow - actually way beyond wow!!!

    Love it

    Linda

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  2. I loved seeing the blocks, your fabric Choice is wonderful. Seeing now the quilting is just stunning, such a great work! Thanks for all the pictures you shared with us.
    Saskia

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  3. Beautiful Kathy... love star quilts...lol....so how many photos.....are we in a challenge...lol....??

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  4. Wow... this is gorgeous and really brings the quilt top alive. I love the border treatment with a mix or swirls and pebbles. You did an amazing job on this one!

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  5. Fab quilting Kathy! Spot on for this quilt. Remember if you can't see it from a running horse it's not there!

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  6. Great quilting Kathy. I love the way you have done the border, I would have thought it would have been too dense, but clearly I'm wrong in my thinking!! It really frames the quilt beautifully.

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  7. Stunning results! You made wonderful choices!

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  8. Beautiful quilting Kathy. Your customers will all be wanting their quilts to be quilted like this now!

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  9. The start quilt is stunning! Fabulous quilting

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  10. just gorgeous-the pieced top and your quilting too! I just did pebbles inside two lines and agree-that was a challenge

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  11. Quilting pebbles makes me crazy; I don't think doing it on a longarm would be any better than doing it on my treadles, either.
    Your quilt is wonderful; your quilting is stunning. Absolutely delightful!

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  12. Kathy: This Grandma's Stars quilt is absolutely beautiful! Wow! What a great idea to do hexagonal star quilting. And pebbling -- wow! How did you mark this quilt for quilting?

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  13. Oh, looks like I am commenting right after another Lorna! I will have to visit her too!

    Just beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. The design just pops and the quilting is amazing. Great finish, Kathy!

    Hope you don't mind if I share it with a link back on my facebook page at http://facebook.com/sewfreshquilts.

    Lorna:)

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  14. This is beautiful. I love these blocks, and your quilting sets them off so perfectly. I especially like the border blocks with the radiating lines. It is so so nice! Great quilting designs that work so well with your blocks.

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  15. beautiful and stunning are just the first words that come to mind ... wonderful job Kathy!!

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  16. Absolutely Gorgeous Kathy-both the design and the amazing quilting. I love pebbles but boy do they take lots of practice.

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  17. Gorgeous Job. Beautiful quilt. As with anything, practice makes perfect and pretty soon you will be loving the little pebbles. So what are the plans for the quilt? Are you keeping it?? I would :-)

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  18. this is just stunning Kathy! Well done!! Beautiful quilt!

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  19. The finished quilt is AWESOME. The quilting has a real wow factor. There's a lot more straight lines and pebbles than usual. Love it. Great job, Kathy

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  20. Just gorgeous! What an amazing job you did.

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  21. Gorgeous!! Wow!! Beautiful!! Love it!!

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  22. Fantabulous!!!! The back is just as stunning as the top!!!

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  23. That quilting is amazing! The pebbling adds something special, I think. I like how the geometric lines and pebbling in the main part are tied together with the swirls in the border. Love it!

    beaniekins84(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. Hey Kath! Super duper job! I love pebbles, there is just something about them that really adds to almost any design. I haven't used them in such a uniform manner yet though and I'll bet it takes some doing to have them so even. I love your border with the swirls and pebbles, so fun! As always, love your work, my friend! :-)

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  25. Oh my goodness - This is so pretty, Kathy! I really love the play of the giant hexi-stars in the quilting with the pointier stars of the piecing. Very nice effect, and the pleasing contrast of the pebbles and swirls lets all the angle work shine without feeling abrasive. Gotta remember that strategy. Beautiful job. :)

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  26. Wow! Absolutely stunning quilt! Love the front and back! A real piece of art...

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  27. just so gorgeous - the quilt and the quilting - love it!

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  28. WOW, love your quilting. You did a great job, love the pebbles and the lines really set off the quilt. love the fans? along the edge, how did you do that?

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  29. I love the star blocks and the added pattern from the quilting. It looks terrific. the border suits it well, especially with the smaller border fabric. I love the back of my quilts quite often too.

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  30. beautiful! just the right amount of quilting to set off your pretty quilt. those pebbles are tricky, aren't they? What length of stitch do you use when doing that type of detail - do you have a stitch regulator? do you sit or stand when quilting?
    Thanks!

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  31. Pam, yes my long arm is stitch regulated and I like to use 10 stitches per inch. I always stand when I quilt except when I have to rip out stitches, then I sit on a tall stool.

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  32. I had to come and look at this again, because it's just so stunning. :)

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