Stats
- Size: 71″ x 98″
- Weight: 6lb 6oz
- Time: ~51 hrs
- Design: 4hrs
- Cutting: 8hrs
- Piecing: 26hrs
- Quilting: 10.5hrs
- Binding: 3hrs
- Cost: ~$330
- Quilting fabric: $200
- Backing and binding fabric: $75
- Batting: $30
- Temp spray adhesive: $20
- Thread: $10
- Fabric:
- 19 different quilting fabrics
- ~700 pieces of fabric
Inspiration
I’d been itching to make a very bright neon quilt for months but couldn’t put my finger on the right design. After a trip to the Skagit Tulip fields, I finally got the inspiration to get a roll on the design!
See my other post on the tulip festival for more photo inspiration.
Materials
- Pattern: Sew Kind of Wonderful Urban Beads
- Quick Curve ruler
- Batting: Quilter’s Dream Wool
- Temp spray adhesive: Odif 505 fabric
I’ve settled on using wool batting since it has the best balance of loft to see the quilting design, warmth, and ease of use for when you’re working with such a large size. I quilted inside the horizontal rows with different designs to emphasize the length, like looking down a long row of tulips. It was partly out of necessity, too–I couldn’t easily do an all-over quilt design on a home sewing machine.
The piecing stage wasn’t too bad at all. I used the Quick Curve Ruler and a pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful, which I also used to create our king-size medallion quilt. Curves can be a quilter’s biggest fear, but the pattern is quite forgiving in how much wiggle room you have to square up your blocks at the end.
Quilt management on a home sewing machine for a quilt this large and heavy is a skill unto itself. I ended up getting quilt clips to help with fabric containment. This is also the reason why I couldn’t do more intricate designs than row-by-row quilting. I found it easier to start with the quilt hefted over my shoulder and to work pushing the quilt up through the machine and on to the table.
Finish!
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