Friday, February 8, 2019

A Finally Finish: Thirties Tart

Since I started quilting over twenty years ago, I always had a project using 30's fabrics.  I posted about my love for 30's fabrics in my last Throwback Thursday post.  In this post, I briefly mentioned my, then, current project "Thirties Tart" which I started last September.
I was inspired to make this quilt after seeing Shannon's (The Fleming Nine) Sweetart Pattern and I knew it would be perfect for a modern 30's quilt made with my stash of Judie Rothermel's Around the World with Aunt Grace fabric.  I bought this fat quarter bundle back in 2005 and for the past few years have been anxious for this stash to be finally used.  I really love the black and white print, it's so modern looking and I'm glad I purchased three yards of it back then.
As mentioned in my Throwback Thirties post, I made a slight change with the Sweetart block layout since I wanted to showcase the 30's prints more than the bright, happy green fabric.
Shannon's Sweetart Quilt had the most exquisite quilting and there was no way I could duplicate it so I thought about doing my usual straight line quilting but didn't think it would work.  Instead, I decided I would QAYG each of the 30 blocks.  I've done several QAYG quilts and there are several good tutorials available online.  I used a 40wt Black Aurifil thread because I really wanted the quilting to show.  You can see that the blocks were not quilted at least 1/2" from the edge of the blocks to save this area for when the backing is added.
After the blocks were quilted, I trimmed each block the same size of 12". 
The blocks were sewn together with a 1/4" seam, although 3/8" is recommended but I didn't because it would have affected the look of the blocks.  The next time I will use a 3/8" seam since it will make pressing the seams open easier.  Also, when pressing the seams, I recommend setting your iron to medium heat or whatever the highest setting the batting will take. I really wasn't looking forward to sewing the blocks together but thanks to pinning the blocks together, which I usually don't do, they sewed together nicely.  It also helped that there were no block seams to line up.
Remember the 1/2" space I left on each side of the blocks?  With the big red arrows pointing, you see on the left photo, how the quilt top looked before the backing was added and once it was, the quilting matched.  The nice thing about the QAYG method, you only need to quilt the block seams once the backing is added.  I don't know why I don't do this more often, seeing that it's a great way to use up the scrap batting.  On a table runner  I QAYG, one of the corners did pucker after it was washed but that could have been caused by me not pressing the top and backing together well.  Before I pin basted the Thirties Tart top and backing together, I made sure to press them well together. Also I would not quilt 1/2" on the vertical edges until it is done first on the horizontal edges to avoid puckering.
I really like how the quilt drapes and the backing feels soft and snuggly agains the body.  Lucky me for also purchasing enough of the light floral print from the Trip Around the World With Aunt Grace line for the backing. Even though batting is sewn with the seams, the extra thickness is visually and tactilely almost unnoticeable.  One tutorial I've seen, suggested trimming the corners after the blocks are joined to reduce bulk but I didn't.
I chose to bind the quilt with the same black fabric in the quilt and thankfully remembered where I stored it after looking for it for ten minutes.  I hate when this happens.  For a brief moment I thought about sewing the binding down by hand because after all my other 30's quilts had hand sewn binding but then I remembered that this is my first made modern 30's quilt in which all of the patches were die cut and I did modern quilting via QAYG, so, of course the binding could be sewn down by my sewing machine.
Sorry for the limited photos of the finished quilt.  This is the time of year when it's really hard to take good photos of your quilts outside.  Here in my part of the Midwest, we had two ice storms and rain this week.  Today, the sun did make an appearance but it came with 30+mph winds.  Really it would have been perfect if it was a bright, sunny summer day and the Thirties Tart quilts was hung over a white fence.  Since that wasn't a possibility, I did photo editing again (this time not using a Bison nor an Elk as a prop) with a quilt over my yellow bike when it was brand new just to give me a visual of what a wonderful Summer quilt this is and hope that warm weather is coming soon.

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation NTT

14 comments :

  1. I love the quilt on the bicycle!!! You've got such a mind for being able to see things and then make what you see in your head. I do think you could quilt it like I did, especially if you did it as a quilt as you go since all my designs were in lines.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful quilt, and your pictures are lovely! The green is such a nice pop of color and this looks like such a Spring quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really like your quilt, very pretty and summery.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You've been busy creating another beautiful quilt. I love the combination of the 30's prints and the pop of green! Before I read your description of the photo on the bike, I was wondering how you managed to get green grass when I'm buried in snow over here! Haha. A great finish, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Rose! I just love your quilt and your pretty yellow bike! What fun pattern this is, and QAYG made the whole project pretty easy for you to quilt, right? I really love all of your fabrics but that bright green reminds me of the Spring grass. Like that found in an Easter basket, nestling jelly beans. It won't be long and Spring is here! I hope some Micah time is upcoming for you, and I'm really happy you shared this great finish with us. ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  6. That’s such a great green Rose! Offset with the back makes this design sparkle! 💚

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great quilt, and great photos! The green combines beautifully with your 30's fabrics!

    ReplyDelete
  8. SO you use a solid backing and then just quilt in the "seams"to hold it all together? I rather like this approach. You are so clever editing the bike and quilt to get that look of summer grass!!! love everything about your smart thirties tart!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the quilt, but I am fascinated by the way you put it together. The QAYG method I am familiar with has fabric covered seams on the back or front depending on what the quilter wanted to emphasize. It always looked tedious to me. I like your way better. I did a double take of your cool bike photo. At first I was wondering how you managed to get an outdoor photo in this horrid weather we’ve had. Then I thought you went to an indoor mall or something. Of course, then I read about your sneaky photo manip! Neat. That bike is delightful, photoshopped quilt or not.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sweet quilt and I'm impressed with your photo editing. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said! The bike made a perfect backdrop.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! This is fantastic! It is "almost" the potholder method, but I think this might be a bit more difficult. I just love all those 30's prints!! I was worried that I hadn't see n you post for a while, but I just realized I missed your last one for some reason.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That photo on the bicycle is phenomenal!!! Love this, especially the green!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's very chic and modern, which works surprisingly well with 30s fabrics! There's something about the bold black grid, I think. Thanks for sharing your tips and techniques about the QAYG on this one, too. Congrats on a great finish, Rose!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lovely quilt Rose, and the pic is a masterpiece. I’ve never done QAYG before, I like your version, you make it look so easy, although I’m sure it’s not.

    ReplyDelete

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.