Thursday, May 17, 2012

Spring 2012 Bloggers Quilt Festival: Purple People Eater

Purple People Eaters

Welcome anybody clicking through from the wonderful Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I hope you'll check out some of my other quilts (you can see them by clicking the tabs above).

Some of you have probably seen this quilt before as I wrote several posts about it last fall, but I've decided it should be my Bloggers Quilt Festival Quilt for this year so here it is again.  The bright colors and geometric pattern are very me, and even though I started this many years ago (like maybe 2007?), I just finished it up a few months ago.




It was inspired by the floor in one of the (relatively) newer wings of the Seville Cathedral, but the central medallion pattern is a fairly common one in quilting and Norah McMeeking has also written a book that  features it.  I drafted the pattern and paper-pieced the center medallion, and then picked several traditional quilt blocks for the top and bottom borders.  I pieced them in purple-on-purple so they would add some visual interest but not detract from the center medallion.

I free-motion quilted it on my mother's Innova long-arm, and enjoyed doing lots of fun different fillers in the center medallion as well as some feathers in the pieced blocks and leaves on the border.  In a potentially ill-advised fit of whimsy, I FMQed octopuses in the corners around the medallion.





This quilt is far from technically perfect;  there are many non-matching points and much of the FMQ is terrible.  My mom will tell you I nearly (or actually) had a meltdown while working on the long arm and was about ready to toss the whole thing away.  But now, every time I look at this quilt it makes me happy.  I just love the pattern and the fabrics and the way it came together.  For some reason this quilt in particular reminds me that I really do love sewing and quilting and crafting.  I hadn't seen the quilt in a couple of months because I'd entered it in the Dallas Quilt Show (no ribbons) and it had been waiting at my sister's house for me to retrieve it.  When I got it home last weekend, I was just going to put it in the closet but upon unfolding it, I just fell in love all over again.  I decided to keep it out; it's a perfect throw size, good for cuddling on the sofa (although this isn't really throw weather), and I thought I'd share it with you guys!



For anyone wondering, my grandmother's rocking chair isn't usually in my front yard, but I love the look of everyone's natural outdoor quilt photos but I don't have a nearby park bench or scenic railing, so the rocking chair it is!

Many thanks to Amy for hosting the Spring Bloggers Quilt Festival, so many wonderful, inspiring things to see!


Amy's Creative Side

33 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful quilt. I've had that type of design on my wish list for some time. I love what you did with yours.

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  2. Beautiful design and I love your choice of fabric. It looks perfect to me.

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  3. Incredibly intricate and amazing quilting

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  4. Beautiful! Colors, design, quilting - it's got it all! And patience from you!! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. It's really gorgeous... It has a lovely dimensional quality. That shot of the quilting on the border makes the fabric look a little like silk.

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  6. WOW! This is amazing! Great design and great fabrics!

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  7. First, I love the outdoor photos you too, including Grandma's rocking chair! Second, the quilt is absolutely beautiful and you are your own worse critic. Finally, I LOVE the name for this quilt, it seems just perect.

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  8. Oh, wow! I love the picture of it spread out across the grass. And I love that you're using it and not keeping it boxed up as an heirloom.

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  9. those octopi are fantastic!

    Margaret
    http://quiltsoflove.blogspot.com/

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  10. What fun! Great use of color and shading. It's dimensions really shine! After finishing a really slow moving quilt, I too, am not so in love with it as I am when I've moved on to the next one! Love it!

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  11. It really is a giant purple people eater! This is a fun and happy quilt. You will get a ton of enjoyment from it I bet.

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  12. What a wonderful quilt - it's so 3D!! Beautiful quilting!!

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  13. A stunning quilt - there's been a lot of hard work in this masterpiece - love it - and those rich purple batiks (I'm salivating)

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  14. des couleurs originales superbe réalisation,félicitation

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  15. Beautiful quilt! I love the color.

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  16. how beautiful, love the purple and and quilting.

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  17. wow--that's just so beautiful. love anything in purple, so naturally drawn to it, but so fantastic. love the quilting, too. thanks for sharing and have a great day

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  18. Your quilt is stunning! I love it.

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  19. This quilt is just gorgeous...and I am definitely not a purple person. And, I had a rocking chair almost exactly like that one! Great idea! Outdoor photos are the best. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

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  20. still looks awesome! I love the geometric center...thing. (circle??)

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  21. Gorgeous quilt, lovely to see close up features.

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  22. Love it! The geometry of the centre paired with the quirky humour of the quilting is wonderful. Definitely not a quilt to be packed away out of sight. Thanks for sharing.

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  23. Thanks so much everybody for all the kind comments! I'm so glad you like the quilt!

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  24. Great job, love the purple and the design.

    Come see my entries 64 (repro. applique) and 85 (antique appliques).

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  25. Wow, that's stunning! I put the book on my Amazon wishlist, thank you for sharing!!

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  26. It's gorgeous!!! The quilting is fabulous as well.

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  27. Your quilt is beautiful, I love it draped on the rocking chair!

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  28. I love this! I'm a huge fan of purple and geometric! I think you might be my viewer's choice vote - it's awesome!

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  29. Wow! Beautiful!

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