Friday, October 21, 2011

finish it up Friday, week 2

Welcome to week 2 of finish it up Friday! I hope you have been motivated to finish up something this week. I want to thank everyone who linked up last week. It was fun to visit and see all your beautiful finishes. Keep up the good work!
I was able to put the last few stitches in the binding of my Machine Quilting Sampler this week. It was quite exciting, especially since I bound this one and a half times. I wasn't happy with the mitered corners (or non-mitered corners, as it were) the first time around, so I ripped out my stitches (a whole lot of stitches!!) and did the binding all over. Now it's much better, and it's complete. Hurray! (Sometimes it's a huge pain in the hinder to be a perfectionist!)
This quilt is my class sample for the retreat I'm teaching at in a few weeks. I quilted each square individually with a different quilting design and then joined them with a quilt as you go method. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!!!!
The backs are all different prints, which made things a bit tricky when it came to layout time. Not only did the prints need to be evenly distributed, so did the solids on the front. Just a bit of shuffling and it was good to go. What a relief!
It measures 64" x 80".

I had a bunch of questions in previous posts asking how to join the blocks together. I'm not ready to share that information here on the blog yet, as it wouldn't be fair to the students that are taking the class. And to be honest, it takes a whole lot of prep time to get a class planned out (not to mention getting the sample done), so I'm planning on teaching this class several more times. Thanks for your understanding!

Now, how about you? Are you ready to link up with your finish for the week? Please link to a specific post (not just your blog address) from the past week so we can see what you finished! Thanks for joining in! :)

84 comments:

Debbie said...

This quilt is really fun and obviously takes some skill getting it all together correctly. Nicely done!

Amy H said...

I love this quilt! It's two in one! :-D

Three Birds Inspired said...

Can't wait to see how you put it all together!

Elena said...

Love this quilt, really nice.
But nothing finished to show this week :-(
Anyway, it was so fun to receive so many people from America in my blog last week! Thanks for all, Amanda.
I hope next week I'll be here with an UFO at last erady to be used.
Elena

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful! Oh, how I wish I live close by to take this class. I don't suppose you would come to Canada to teach one would you?
Brenda

Francis Paul said...

what a gorgeous quilt! I love the colors:-)

trish said...

Your quilts are gorgeous!! :o) You did a beautiful job. :o)
Have a nice weekend.
Sincerely, Trish

Connie said...

Love how you made this beautiful quilt -- it is definitely something I have to try as quilting is the most difficult part of the process for me. Sure do wish I could be at your retreat, but it is a little too far for me to travel. I'm looking forward to learning how you put this one together.

elizabeth said...

What a lovely quilt, front and back : )

Michele said...

Stunning finish! It was fun to see your progress. Your students will have a blast in class.

Hannah said...

As usual, Amanda, this is fantastic! I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I saw the individual, solid blocks, but you've turned into one pretty quilt! And, I love the patterned back/other side too.

Helby said...

Gorgeous! Great job.

tarabu said...

Wow, it's Friday Again? Already? Yeah, I got nothing. Don't get me wront, a whole lot was accomplished this week, just not actually finished!

Anita said...

This is brilliant!! I love it so much!!

audreypawdrey said...

It turned out great! I can't wait to learn how to do it, and I have zip to show for this week-none of my quilt homework or anything else. I am buckling down this next week!

Nat said...

Beautiful.

Denise :) said...

What a beautiful quilt -- a lovely finish! :)

Annalia said...

Coolest thing ever.

Mama Urchin said...

I can't wait to make a similar quilt!

Becky said...

What a beautiful quilt! Perfect for fall or anytime!

Rebecca said...

Your quilt is beautiful! Great job on all the different quilting designs!

Svetlana said...

Love the quilt! Looks fabulous!!!

Angela Nash said...

I'm on a pink/orange/yellow kick and I LOVE LOVE this! And I think it would be super fun to make.

The way you joined the blocks looks fabulous. Wish I was closer and could join your class! I was just telling my friend how I learned to FMQ by reading your blog and watching your video two years ago. I can only imagine how much more you could teach in person :)

Zaankali said...

I absolutely love this! The colors are great and I love being able to do different quilting techniques in every square.
Beautiful!

Julia said...

i LOVE the grey in between! It looks fabulous!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That is a beautiful quilt. The colors are wonderful!

Kristen said...

It looks wonderful and would make a great sampler quilt! I love the lemon fabric! I need to practice that free motion. Thanks for being even willing to post how to's for us in blog-land. They take lots of work! I look forward to the tips. :)

Heather Maun said...

I am so in love with this quilt -it is one of my favorites that I have seen you post on your blog so far. So vibrant, so beautiful. Those able to take your class are lucky indeed!

Sew Create It - Jane said...

I posted and linked about my Friday finish...

I love yours...so pretty!

Di~ said...

AmandaJean! I love this quilt! You've done a superb job on it. Be proud! Wow.

Lauren said...

Absolutely love this one! I took a quilt-as-you-go class when we lived in Alaska, and it was great. I was not as clever as you were with you fabric choices though. This is really beautiful, I am wishing I had a bigger version for my bed!

Textile-tally said...

I love this quilt! Can you tell me if you know of a good tutorial on how to 'quilt as you go'? I don't know how to join the quilted squares together.

Sarah Craig said...

Beautiful quilt, Amanda Jean! I love the colorblock front - very cool!! I may need to look into something like this for my king-size bed - because I am not looking forward to quilting something that big in one piece!!

Thimbleanna said...

Wow CrazyMom -- that's an AMAZING sample -- you Rock! My finish it up was that stupid wall -- it involved placing blocks, does that count???

Anonymous said...

I like the quilt, it's bold and beautiful all in one. I also like the other side.

Thanks for the share! :)

Andrea, the little collector said...

Lovely quilt...lovely writing...lovely to talk to you. Have a wonderful weekend!

Alli said...

Your quilt is fantastic! It looks lovely in the pictures, but I bet it's even better in person. :)

Heather said...

Just beautiful! I've recently started to get a bit more experimental with my machine quilting... wish I could take your class. Sounds like so much fun!

Karen said...

Love your quilt! Such a beauty!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

It looks amazing!! I will be sticking around to solve the mystery of how it's put together, when you're ready of course!
I so want to touch that quilt, it's just calling to be stroked )

Bluebell Ridge Handworks said...

Your machine quilted sampler turned out lovely! And, hooray for you to explain how much works goes into preparing for a class and that not all things can be shared freely.

Shawn said...

Oh my gosh, I love it Amanda, that's my kind of quilt!!! Can't wait to hear about your technique and see all your fun quilting!! Any classes on the east coast please....

Live a Colorful Life said...

Ack! I want to be there for your weekend SOOOO much. This quilt is amazing!! Wow. Speechless...

Erica said...

This is amazing. The thin gray sashing and binding really pulls the whole thing together for me!

Melodee said...

Oh my gosh, it is so amazing. I am so excited about making this one.

Tara said...

The quilt is amazing!!! Even better than I had imagined! Cannot wait to see you! Less than three weeks! Egads, I'd better get busy!!!

Kate said...

oh my goodness - i was waiting for this. it is amazing!!!! i, too, wish i lived closer to take this class. it is awesome!!!!

Michelle @ the quilted tortoise said...

I LOVE it, just gorgeous! My issue with free motion is that my small samples always come out ok, but when I try a large quilt it's never really good enough - so this type of quilt is perfect!

Maybe after you've done some more classes you could release it as a pattern with detailed instructions for us to buy from you?

Carmen said...

LOVE IT! I still can't figure out how you did it, which makes me super happy that I get to find out. I'm so excited for our retreat!

Anonymous said...

Hey AJ, stunning as always....

If other quilters really want to learn Quilt as You Go, they can just google it. Just off the top of my head I can think of 3 ways to do it.

Regards

Angella from Australia

bethanndodd said...

I am in love with your quilt!!! You are so very talented...great finish!!! I am all linked up...thanks so much for hosting!
Hope your weekend brings you great memories. Smiles~beth

Studio V said...

Very pretty! Love the colors.

Anonymous said...

Lovely. Love the colors!

Rene' said...

You've really outdone yourself this time and that's saying something!!! Thanks for the linky and motivating to finish a project. Last week I had a finish but no time to blog. This time I was determined to participate and have spent the last four hours with blogging issues....ugh! Finally got it posted but with issues .... Enjoy your weekend!

Kama said...

This is an awesome quilt!! I love it!!! :)

rubber matting said...

I created so many quilts but never used white colour. But after visiting your post, I got the idea of using white colours and various polka circle in background fabric, which is wonderful and looks very attractive.

Mary said...

This is gorgeous! That is a REAL compliment from me. As a rule of thumb I pretty much hate anything yellow/gold.

I can't wait to see how you joined them. I have always wanted to try The Cotton Method but have never broke down and bought the book.

Good luck with your class and thanks for the opportunity to link with you.

heather said...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this quilt. hope you have a class like this in town!! i'll take it!!! :)

Terriaw said...

Wow, what a stunning quilt! Such a great idea to piece together your quilting sample squares. I love how cool those solids look with the thin grey sashing, creating a neat effect. Wish I could take your class!

I finished a couple sewing projects last week, but haven't blogged about them yet. A set of makeup bags, a couple storage cubes, and some fabric trays to hold doodads.

BJ said...

Sob! I wanna take the class! Are you coming to Saskatchewan Canada anytime soon? LOL! I would say there is no back to that quilt! 2 fronts! yummy!

quirky granola girl said...

what a beautiful finish, my dear. i can't wait for a Wisconsin workshop ;)

Denice said...

I LOVE this quilt! Love the color combination of the front and the back. It looks like perfection to me.

Candace: said...

I love this quilt! It is completely reversible, and I so wish I could take your class to learn to make it. Great job on this finished quilt!

Darcy said...

You know if you decided to sell your patterns (or teach an online course) for one of your lovely projects like this one I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one THRILLED to take it! :) just a thought. LOVE this beautiful quilt!

Lady Jane said...

That's a really nice quilt. So simple - love the idea. And the Autumn colours are so warming. Well done!

Pam L. said...

My new favorite - inspiration plus. I pinned it to Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/pin/370166672/)and I bet you'll be an inspiration to many of us aspiring FMQ'ers. Thank you so much for sharing.

Mrsblocko said...

I can't wait to see how this quilt comes together. It looks like the perfect way to practice free motion quilting. (Which I sorely need practice doing!)

Anonymous said...

Hi
I was just wondering if you foundation piece any quilts to get them so exact? I can never get mine so exact unless using foundation piecing.
Thanks
Sarah

Soile Kivinen said...

I can figure out many things but that quilt is a question mark. But i totally love the simplicity of it.

Bonnie said...

Hi Amanda Jean, I love this one too, and like someone else commented, doing the quilting in small doses doesn't seem so overwhelming. Makes me sad that I won't be available to be there even as a dishwasher this time! Hope you all have a wonderful time together!

Cecilia said...

great work. Inspiring!

Clair said...

I never realized the back was like the front when you showed it to me. Cool! I should make one in primary colors.

Christine L said...

Thanks for the motivation of Finish it Friday and your quilts are all so pretty! Love your work!

randi--i have to say said...

i was so glad to receive your email and to take a look at this quilt! the quilt squares are so simple and quick, and i know i can get them done before the retreat. yeah!

looking forward to meeting you and learning some new skills!

amy smart said...

This quilt is just beyond amazing. I love it so much.

And good luck with your class preparation. Teaching can be a lot of work - at least the first time you teach a particular class. You will be wonderful.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely quilt. I found lots of "quilt as you go" examples on the internet and on u-tube, but nothing could compare to having the opportunity to take a class with you. Like others, I sure wish you were nearby!
Brenda

SarahZ said...

What a neat quilt! Am happy to have discovered your blog...I believe I will try to tackle machine quilting...your tutorials and finished quilts are very motivating! Thank you!!!!!

Laurel09 said...

I am a beginner quilter, and I have recently gone back and read many of your old posts. I think your blog is amazing. You explain things so clearly that you make things that I wouldn't think I could tackle seem very appraochable! Right now I am doing a zig-zag quilt based on your no-triangles pattern, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I have only quilted in the ditch or other straight-line quilting techniques at this point, though. Next I want to tackle free motion machine quilting. This sampler quilt (or maybe one with some simpler machine quilting patterns) seems very approachable to me... if only I could figure out how you piece it! I would happily buy instructions/pattern from your website. I recognize how much work you're putting in here and would love to support you and also learn how to make this quilt!

sulu-design said...

Wow. This one, the community quilt in blue and green, and Mary's quilt are all killing me. So, so good, Amanda Jean! I love the ones that are so perfectly simple-looking.

Brandie said...

I love this quilt so much that it has inspired me to make a similar one. Love the colors and all the texture! If only I could figure out how to join them ;) I would pay to love to have a class just for this in my area!

Mama Pea said...

Love this!!! I would love to get the class from you sometime. How about in July? Haha!

Anonymous said...

I would love to take a class from you on the QAYG. I love your quilt. Have you ever posted how you get the blocks joined up or do you have a pattern for sale? I am in Scotland so your class is not possible for me but I would certainly buy the pattern. crlwilkie@aol.com

mamakaren said...

I love love this quilt. where are your classes? will there be an online class or tutorial? I would pay for the instructions for joining the blocks!!!my email is khauser3@yahoo.com You are a wonder!

deb said...

I love this quilt and have never made one. This looks easy enough for an intermediate seamstress. I have a regular sewing machine. It isn't an embroidery/quilting machine. Can I do quilting with this? And also, when is your next class and how do I sign up>
Thanks!
Sew What! By Debbie