Saturday, June 15, 2013

Finished: Sedimental Feeling (Feelin' Groovy)

So the last ten days have been a whirlwind.   Family events, lots of teaching, internet issues -  I won't bore you further but it seems that too often I end up with ten days worth of blog-reading to catch up on.

After starting, piecing and basting it in January, I finally finished this quilt last Saturday and relished the hand-binding time... And then it took me forever to find two people willing for even the briefest moment to hold it for pictures. I had to take them very quickly!!

I don't often do patterns anymore but I really liked this one when it first came out. It languished for a year or so, untouched.  And then there was a Groove-along last summer but budget and time kept me from joining up.  Plus, I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.

I ended up coming across a picture of rocks - a whitish-grey with rusty orange stripes through it - and the gears started turning.  The pattern looked like sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, layered and folded over time.  (At least to my mind anyway - I'm far from a geologist.)  I picked a bunch of neutrals and added my favourite - orange - to be kinda oxide-ish.

Wanting the quilting to be different for each colour, I scribbled a bunch of free-motion designs that had an abstract stone feel to them.  The grey has a pebbly, gravel texture to it.  The orange is more crystal-like and reminds me of quartz or potash.  The white is layered loops.  The brown I tried to make a little like shale - layered and broken.  And the natural I tried to make look like my inspiration - a solid coloured rock with bands of wavy colour running through it. I matched the thread to the fabrics but not to the sections.  Variegated brown on the orange, natural on the white, etc.

The back is composed of all the scraps and leftovers, plus a yard of teal to cover the shortfall.
Sorry for the dips along the top - cranky quilt holders! :-)

I didn't get a close-up but I did a semi-crazy thing and matched the binding to the top all the way around.

Sometimes, the binding on a quilt looks like a mini-border and breaks the visual of it.  Since I already knew how wide the sections were because of the pattern, I had the binding pieced before I even finished the quilt top.  The corners were tricky - as was accounting for quilting shrinkage - but I'm really please with how it turned out.

Haven't had a second to sew since.  Maybe on Monday.  Oh, and I have a surprise on Monday!  :-)  See you then!


32 comments:

  1. Wow - I impressed with your effort to match up the binding. The different FMQ designs give great texture.

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  2. Excellent! Well-done! And after I read about pebble quilting, I tried some, but mine just didn't look as good as yours--more practice is needed, that's for sure.

    I think you are probably very happy to have it all done--bravo!! (And fabulous job on that binding!)

    Elizabeth E.
    opquilt.com

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  3. Absolutely fantastic! I really wanted to bind mine like that but was too scared to mess up the maths :o) Your quilting is fab, love all the texture it's given.

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  4. This is so amazing! I just love everything about it - the quilting especially!

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  5. Oh my gosh!!! That quilt is amazing! I am totally in love with it!! I love how you came up with the colors and the quilting. Very creative! If you just don't have anywhere to put it I would be happy to give you my address. :)

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  6. That is fantabulous! Love everything about it-the colours the shapes, the differentiated quilting and the very clever binding-that's a fiddle faddle but so effective! Great!

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  7. Wow, what a great quilt! Love the colors, the orange/rust is great with those neutrals. And you have a second quilt with the back, very Gee's Bend. Great move with the "organic" quilting in each section (love the "bricks" in the black). And then you add matching binding to each section? Bravo!

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  8. This is brilliant Carly! The colour, texture and binding-- you outdid yourself : )

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  9. Fantastic! Love everything about this quilt, Carly. Great colour combo, love that pieced binding to match, cool pieced backing and your awesome quilting. A real beauty of a finish!

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  10. You are right ...it is very groovy!! Love the story behind it though. And the quilting is amazing! Fits in perfectly. You did a great job with the binding....there is no way on earth I would get all that to match up LOL!

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  11. Matching the binding ... I am speachless both at how effective and stunning it looks, but also at the amount of puzzling it out it must have taken!

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  12. Your visions for your quilts are always so amazing, and then you go and make them come true! What's with that!! lol!

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  13. Fantastic quilt! I love it. I'm not normally a huge fan of geometrics but I love yours. Maybe there's hope for me, lol! And the binding. Good for you for having the chops to match it up. Makes for a totally perfect quilt.

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  14. I love the colours you chose, and the binding is the perfect finish. Fabulous!!!

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  15. OMG I love it. the colours rock and the binding is inspired. Well done you!

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  16. Carly, I absolutely ADORE this quilt! And, I never would of thought about doing the binding the way you did it. Very clever. The quilting - perfect motifs. HIGH MARKS, girlfriend!

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  17. Wow, I am in awe of your binding. definitely crazy. But very worth it, the quilt looks really good.

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  18. Oh. My. God. I don't know where to start with this. First of all - it's my favourite thing you've done (since I've been reading your blog). Then - the binding - I blurted out 'Oh my God' when I realized how you matched the binding to the pattern. Good thing I wasn't in a busy coffee shop or something. Seriously - amazing. I love the quilting patterns you did and the colours are gorgeous!! Nice. Nice! NICE!

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  19. Mind is blown! Love love love this!!!

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  20. Carly, this is lovely!! I love the colors you chose and the way you quilted it is just perfect!! Almost makes me want to make this too. Almost;)

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  21. Wha.. wha...what????!!!??!! That is freaking amazing!!!!!! And the binding. Shut up!

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  22. Wow that is gorgeous! The colors are gorgeous and the quilting is great!
    Carol

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  23. Holy Cow, Carly! That's amazing!! I don't know how you find time to do all of them. Wish I could channel some of your energy!!

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  24. It is amazing! I had thought about making this quilt. I love the inspiration you used.

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  25. I love this, Carly, and love the back almost as much as the front! Colours are fantastic together ... your quilting choices are AWESOME! And the name ... bang on!!

    I, too, have trouble finding people who want to stand and hold my quilts (properly) for photo sessions. It makes me sad.

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  26. NO FREAKIN' WAY (re binding). I am awed and humbled! Look at me, everyone! I get to be in the same quilt guild as Carly! ; )

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  27. Wow, that's amazing work :-)
    Ajka

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  28. Lovely quilt! And lovely quilting! Glad you waited until inspiration struck as it is gorgeous. I hope you are keeping it!

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  29. WOW! Just beautiful, the curves, the colors, the quilting... and the back is another lovely composition. Looks amazing and very complicated, too. (said by somebody who is obviously scared of curves...) Congratulations!
    ; )

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  30. OK - this is my favorite Feeling Groovy that I've seen. I think I'm just going to have to follow you. ;D So fun to find you at Blogger's Quilt Festival.

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