Thursday, April 26, 2018

SPA Spurts:The Finally Finished Dot and Dash Quilt

This quilt just happened to get finally finished.  I started it in March while misbehaving when I was supposed to be working from my project lists and QALs so I guess you can say this would be considered a DREAMi project. But truly it's a beyond DREAMi project since I was originally distracted to make another Staggered Strips and Squares Quilt with shades of teals, pinks, grays, colors that was inspired by Patchwork N Play's Delilah Quilt and low-volume fabrics.  The strips were die-cut and ready to be sewn together but before I started, I happened to be putting away some fabrics and came upon the Spa Green Quilters Linen fabric which I had forgotten I bought a mere six months ago.
I knew I had to dump one DREAMi project to work on this new DREAMi project because I had the perfect pattern which has been in my head to use the Spa Green fabric with the 2.5" strips already cut--Dot and Dash from Christa Watson's latest book Piece and Quilt with Precuts book which I used to participate in her Squiggle QAL.  There are quite a few "I wanna make" patterns in her book and the Dot and Dash quilt was the one I really wanted to make since it uses 2.5" which is my favorite precut size and I can die cut strips myself.  All I needed to do was to die-cut the Spa Green fabric into 2.5" strips.
This quilt was seemingly done during spurts of time found in between other projects I had going on and the blocks were all sewn by the time we left for our getaway last week.  Even though I needed to catch up with the 30 Quilts Blocks in 30 Days QAL when I came home, I wanted a change of quilt pace which didn't involve Kaffe Fassett fabrics or a QAL (since the start of 2018, I've made four quilts with Fassett fabrics and have participated or am participating in four QALs.)  What started as a quilt being made during spurts of time found became a mad dash to the finally finished line.  The top was finished this past Sunday, the basting and quilting started on Monday and the quilting and binding was completed late Tuesday (after I had lunch and a nice shopping spree with my partner in quilt crime, Carol, at my favorite quilt shop where I bought the binding for this quilt and 28 fat quarters and yardage also wanted to come home with me too.)  This rarely happens, no, not my fabric binge buying which happens more often that I like to admit, but a quilt top made and then quilted and bound within the same week.  Usually once a top is made, it's on quilting standby for more than a week but maybe less than ten years, standard quilt making procedures for me.   So yay for me for doing the totally unexpected this week.
I decided to add a little pizzaz (for me) to the machine quilting by adding a meandering, wavy line in between the straight lines. Since the fabrics are somewhat on the calm and quiet side, like a Spa, I wanted the quilting to show up so I used Connecting Threads Essential Thread in Parchment.  Since the Quilters Linen was a more tightly woven fabric, I used a Microtex Sharp Needle and the quilting went smooth and fast. I do a lot of straight line quilting,  so I did quilt it using the same method Christa does in her book by starting the quilting on one side (instead of the center of the quilt) and quilting it to the other side. I can say I've done it this way on my last four quilts and the distortion at the ends of the rows is minimal unlike when I start the quilting in the center.
Here are some closeups showing the mash of fun prints which included Meows, Mushrooms and a Mermaid print.  I wish I included more peachy/pink prints (this quilt may look a little too calm) but when I do make the other quilt which I was intending to make before Spa Spurts, I will definitely be using more peachy/pinky, which is a nice accent color for the teals and grays.
I've been saving my precious yardage of SUCH Design's 108" wide backing of Newsprint in Spackle for just the right quilt which I already used some strips for the front so I was happy to finally use it and the binding is a wonderful dark blue/green print from the Cotton + Steel Basics Collection.
I was hoping to take a nice photo outside but the wind once again reminded us that it wanted to be included.  I thought for sure we left it back in Myrtle Beach. It sure was nice, though, to see the sun making an appearance during these past few days and I wouldn't mind if it still stuck around, just lose that wind.

Now that I've enjoyed this brief change of quilt pace, I'm ready to work on finishing up the 30 Quilt Blocks QAL and putting the quilt together so I can be ready for MMM Quilts Adult Plus Playtime  QAL which started this week. And I was planning on giving the Fassett Fabric Stash a rest but my son has requested a quilt made with Shot Cottons since he loves my Postcard from Sweden Quilt and I can't say No to him (most of the time) or another Kaffe Fassett project.

Linking up with:  My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday Crazy Mom Quilts, Finish It Up FridayConfessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop FridayBusy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday

23 comments :

  1. This is so beautiful! I love the fabrics you used!

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  2. It is perfect! I love the colors! The quilting is perfect for it, too. One of these days I'll make a dot-dot-dash quilt ...

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  3. Gorgeous fabrics and what a lovely quick quilt it makes, you did work hard on this one. Wide back fabrics are so good to work with, great choice.

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  4. Rose, what a great finish! So fast, too. I love that spa green color. And the backing is just wonderful. My Dot n Dash quilt is cut out and calling my name. I have two t-shirt quilts, as in graduation gifts, that I have to finish first.

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  5. I do love this one Rose. May need to add this to my list. I’ve been wanting to find tha backing and hoard some too. Great quick finish too.

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  6. Great finish Rose! That Spa green is perfect as a neutral! And the quilting is a great contrast to the rectangular shape of your blocks!

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  7. I really like that green fabric in your quilt. I had to go look at the pattern. Color really makes a difference! Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Hi Rose,
    This quilt is just gorgeous! I just LOVE the Spa Green linen - oh, I just want to reach out and touch it. Your quilting looks great on this, and that backing!! Perfect. A great finish for today, and it was just in the cards to be made if it came together so quickly. Happy Friday!
    ~smile~ Roseanne

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  9. What a fun quilt. Now you make me want to stop everything and make it. No, I can't. Not right now. I'm so glad you didn't come home empty handed after shopping. I would've been disappointed, and a bit worried. Lovely colors in the quilt, Rose! You sure whipped that up in no time!

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  10. Spa green is a lovely background! I can see it was a Dreami project! Beautiful finish!

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  11. Love this! that curvey quilting is perfect this one--and that color is beautiful super job!! ;)))
    hugs, Julierose

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  12. Another great quilt! So funny you stopped one DREAMi to finish another. I do love the background and the quilting - and can't wait to see what you do with the purchases....always more to buy!

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  13. love the Spa Green, i have fabrics close to those in my stash, i started cutting it up to make another Cascade pattern, but I like this better. I will be receiving my first bundle of Kaffe and will have to come back for some inspiration.

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  14. OO, ahhh, very nice! I love the calm colors. That green linen is a wonderful background, and your wavy lines are just right for the quilting. I can almost smell the aromatherapy oils as I step into the massage room at the spa...

    But darn it, now I have another pattern that I want to make! Every time I visit your blog, my list of "gotta make that one" quilts grows! :)

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  15. That spa green is so beautiful with those prints. I think you have made perfect choices. I need to make this one too!

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  16. I love it! What a beautiful reason to stop everything and start a new project! I love the green and low volume prints together and if you look at the pattern just right, it looks like a lot of exclamation points!!! I'm trying to learn to use non-traditional colors for backgrounds and this quilt definitely pushes me to see how wonderfully that can work out.

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  17. It's lovely! I really like the green. The wavy lines look fantastic. Interesting that you start on one side and work your way across the whole quilt. I had always been taught/told to start in the middle, but now I'm thinking I'll try the other and see how I like it.

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  18. That spa green quilters linen is perfect for the background of this quilt. It's a great pattern for the 2 1/2 " strips. I tend to not like precuts because I often find that they aren't cut well, but I guess if you are using the die cutter the precuts are good quality. I love that you put that qualifying maybe in front of the ten years in the sentence about quilting. That's exactly how quilting happens at my house as well.

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  19. You had me laughing out loud all the way through this post! Interrupt a DrEAMi to do another DrEAMi! That's hysterical! I said to Diann she wins the RSC quilter of the month for yellow, but YOU my dear with the quilter of the month for DrEAMi! What is that prize you wonder? Oh more squirrels...think you're doing a great job of accumulating fabric! You are a machine with four Kaffe quilts and four QALs and only four months in to 2018! I think you win the 444 award too! I love reading your posts. :-) Thanks for linking up and being SUCH a wonderful DrEAMi-er. (forgot you bought that linen, LOL, and quilted within a week less than 10 years - what a hoot, and so me too...

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  20. Wow, you're quilt is dreamy! I have Christa Watson's book, and your quilt convinced me that this is a project worth making. :)

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  21. Love this quilt. Now I'll have to make one too! Love your colors and quilting. Thanks for posting.

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  22. Love your choice of fabric for this quilt and the wavy line quilting.

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  23. Love your blog - where have you been all my life? Or where have I been? Love your patterns/tutes! I'm going to use my GO! Cutter to cut more strips and make some donation quilts. Thanks, so much, for all this wonderful information.

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I appreciate your comments but due to traveling and my ineptitude with typing on either my iPhone or iPad, my response may be somewhat delayed. Thank You for your understanding.