Well, Well. My little blog says it’s been ten days since I’ve posted! That hardly seems possible, but I guess I’ve just been really busy. I’ve been finishing up a few things around here and the Steampunk Quilt is FINALLY finished. YAY!!!
It’s been so hard to get decent pictures of this quilt. It was beautiful outside yesterday, but it was really windy and sunny. Bright sunlight and wind don’t make for the best pictures. So, for a full-quilt shot, I resorted to taping the quilt to our bookcase (thus the shiny spots at the top of the quilt). I cropped the quilt so that the bookcase wouldn’t be distracting and the bits of binding peeking in make the quilt look crooked. It’s not though — it’s beautifully square (70″ x 70″), but tape-hanging tends to distort things a bit.
In case you’ve been living under a quilting rock (ha!), this quilt is from a pattern by the fabulous Jen Kingwell. I machine quilted all the sashing strips in the ditch and then I big-stitch quilted circles in each block. I would have finished the quilting about two weeks ago, but about half-way through, I decided that each block needed more quilting, so I went back and quilted the outside edge of each “propeller” and then around the center circle of each block. As luck would have it, I just happened to have the same color of Aurifil thread in two different weights in my stash. I used color #2000 in 50 weight for the machine quilting and the same color in 12 weight for the hand quilting. They both worked perfectly.
The quilt is backed with a fun big polka dot and the binding is a black and whited zigzag print.
Here are a few of my favorite blocks. I think that little half-bee block is my very favorite. I love it combined with the yellow Sweetwater print of flowers that remind me of bee wings. And, I might be a little partial to the block with the “A” in the middle. (Looking at this picture, it appears that I’m also partial to those red polkadots LOL.)
The fall colors have been so pretty this past week and I was disappointed that more of my outside pictures didn’t turn out.
Besides, I had a little trouble with a lion in the park. He tried to eat the Steampunk, but then, just like Scruff when he eats a ribbon, he threw it back up.
As you can probably tell, Steampunk has been washed and he’s all krinkly and cozy now. When Brigitte and I picked the colors for this quilt at spring quilt market, I didn’t realize it, but the colors will go perfectly in our family room.
I love it when that happens!
I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. I’m off to try and wrangle a few leaves. Leaf-raking is the job that won’t die this year — some years they all come down together, but this year, they’re dragging it out. I’ve contemplated ignoring them altogether in the hopes that the wind will blow them down the street, but that’s probably not a good-neighbor idea. ;-D
XOXO,
Anna
What a great vibrant quilt!! You must be so pleased with it! Congratulations!
love this quilt! I also like how you combined machine quilting with big stitch hand quilting – this is an idea I will probably start to use on some of my quilts as I move to combine the two methods giving my fingers a little bit of a break
This is absolutely amazing. Love the color scheme.
Hi Thimbleanna, I’ve just found your blog this week and I’m really enjoying reading through your posts and seeing your beautiful creations. This quilt is so gorgeous and really different. I love the colors and the design, as well as the combination of stitch methods. I’m a novice quilter myself but I enjoy doing some hand-quilting.
Lovely quilt Anna…….I wish I could make a quilt, but I think I would need to move you in for a few weeks to help out!
Love me some steampunk! It looks fantastic. If you want to read some steampunk, try China Meiville. Weird, but cool. :-)
Your Steampunk looks fantastic, I really like the color combination and the hidden gems like the bees.
HI, your Steampunk look fantastic! Following your progress on this quilt made me want to purchase this pattern, and so I did! Got it in the mail last week!
It turned out beautiful!
The quilt is gorgeous, Anna. Fab-u-lous! :o)
Anna, I adore the quilt!!!!! It is beautiful, you must be so glad it is finished. xoxo
You’re so funny. My neighbors leaves blew in my yard. I think you should share…just a little bit. It evens out in the end. Ha Ha. I love your Steampunk quilt. It’s cheery and bright and goes wonderfully with your sofa. If you should tire of it I’d know a place where it would be more than welcome. I think it might be my favorite of all of your quilts. I bet you are glad to be finished.
Okay. You’ve done it again. We pick a quilt, you make it and I don’t. Don’t breakup with me just yet, there’s still a little hope for me. Just a little. Love your quilt. Makes me realize though that I need more texty newsprinty lettery fabric. I guess I can start with what I have.
I’m very happy you found a spot that your quilt goes. It would have been better though, if the place you chose for its residence was MY sofa instead of yours.
Bravo Anna.
b.
Bravo! Your quilt turned out just beautiful!!!!!!
This is quilting PERFECTION from start to finish.
Love everything about this quilt from the color pallet to the backing and binding.
but wait – did you quilt with non-quilting thread? how is that?
congrats on a fabulous quilt Anna
I absolutely LOVE this quilt. I like the black scattered throughout. I’m with you, I like the yellow bee blocks too. You should be proud!
I love this quilt too! I’m sure you will enjoy it and it will keep you cozy this week when I hear ya’ll are supposed to get snow up your way ! Keep warm!
Wow – this is fabulous – another one to add to my one day list :)
Absolutely gorgeous!
What a beautiful quilt this turned into, Anna! Really, really great job on all parts of it, and glad it will be happy in your family room.
This is lovely, lovely and the crinkly goodness just adds to its charm!
Joyce
Glad you were able to get the quilt back from the lion. Seriously…I love your quilt!!!
Hey – I whooshed down a wormhole, surfacing briefly…silly lion! Love Love Loving the quilt in it’s crinkly goodness….and we ignore the leaves. We have something, perhaps (likely) growing in our backyard which results in leaves much bigger than my hands, approaching head size, amongst many others. My husband took a suddenly “green” turn with this yard and decided to give composting “au natural” a try…my neighbour has a vacuum (male = machine = tinkering constantly and free neighbourly leaf removal to avoid something else)…..we have had regular ridonkulous high winds, my leaves are likely in Quebec by now as front lawn composting from our perch at the top of the valley the village is in = “clean” ish (of leaves anyway) front yard…you enjoy your raking, we are getting your wind, I will take comfort in knowing they aren’t your leaves! Loving the skeletons!
Your Steam Punk quilt turned out so beautifully Anna!!
Love your little black lion behind the couch staring out of the window. Such a sweet detail in the picture!
Gorgeous, Anna! But, then, you always do lovely work. I bought this pattern from Jen at market just because of you. Now to get started. And, see, I haven’t really fallen off the face of the earth. Ha ha
That turned out VERY nice! Love the lion shot!
“Like Scruff when he eats a ribbon” = literal LOL-ing!!
Love your blog and the beautiful pix you share!
That’s my absolute favorite so far!
Fantastic quilt! Isn’t finishing a project just the BEST feeling?!?!? Love that it will be living in your family room.
It looks fabulous Anna!! So glad the lion gave the quilt back! Looks perfect in your room. (Now if only I’d started with you, mine would be finished too!!)
Miss Anna! That quilt is beautiful!!! I’m jealous! I may need to make that one for myself. ;p
It’s a great quilt and does look like it’s just waiting for someone to snuggle up under it and show it some quilt love. Nice work!
Oh Anna! My first thought when I opened your blog was WOW!! Your Gufupönkari (LOL a.k.a. Steampunk) looks amazing, I LOVE LOVE your colors and the motion your hand-quilting brings it, GORGEOUS!! :) – It’s a great feeling, finishing a quilt, congratulations :)
Absolutely beautiful, Anna, just beautiful! :)
Lovely photos showing this off Anna!! My pattern and templates have arrived but its way on the back burner, holidays around the corner and only one weekend left now that we’ll be home.
Anna, that quilt is beautiful! Thanks for sharing all those photos of it. What a great project.
oh so wonderful to be finished……………it looks great………love doing photo shoots with quilts…………..
OH. MY. I love your quilt! You are an inspiration!
Just catching up after my busy weekend! Steampunk looks fabulous – I love the colours!!
L O V E I T !
HA!! You have such a way with taking hilarious photos using all different kinds of props!! You keep us all entertained! By the way … your quilt is absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Oh my gosh; this is one beautiful quilt. I love it, everything, the colours the quilting and the pattern. And I must have been living under a rock as I wasn’t aware that this is one of Jen’s pattern. I’m a big fan of hers. And the Autumn colours a breathtaking by the way.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!!!!!!
This is by far my very favorite Thimbleanna project. I absolutely love this quilt. Everything about it. I would just sit and look at it and touch it all the time. You have inspired so many of us to buy the pattern and try to make one for ourselves. Thank heaven that we all have you to inspire and guide and entertain us!!! Thanks again Anna!
Anna! What an absolutely beautiful quilt. I love that it accidentally matches your living room. I also love the mix of hand and machine quilting. Such a beautiful finish!
All of your quilts are beautiful but this one tops them all! The colors, the movement….it really is such a beautiful quilt. You inspire so many people, including me. Thx for sharing the fruits of your labor.
Work of art…one of a kind really. It is perfect. I love the contrast of light and dark. And the photography is super fun. It is a great quilt. I don’t dare do this one…yet. The leaves are killing us here. Sunday dave got rid of a ton and I drove up yesterday and it is like we didn’t touch them. Oh well. I finally FINALLY admitted to myself. I do not like fall. And it is ok.
Wow! I love it!! I couldn’t begin to think about making something this complicated so I am totally in awe of anyone who can. I do know about colour though and I love the way you’ve handled the different hues here. Very well done m’dear, awesome job :)
Oh ….. so sweet! What a great feeling to have finished such a sweet quilt! Love how it turned out! Nice choice of fabrics! It seems all soft and cuddly …. well as long as it’s not radioactive ….. Thanks for sharing!
Anna! Love it! The colors, the quilting, everything!! Well done. You can bring it to show me when you come to visit next year if you can fit it in…….
It’s AWESOME!! Congrats on a wonderful finish!!
Beautiful!!