IT'S DONE!!! I'm so, so, so happy with how this quilt turned out! I started collecting fabrics for this quilt during the Fall of 2010, so it's been a long time coming! This quilt is based around Heather Ross's last fabric line with Free Spirit, Mendocino. The colors and the whimsical mermaids are too much for me, I love them so much! I knew I wanted to feature the mermaids so I ended up deciding on scrappy log cabins with the mermaid prints as the centers.
There are eight Underwater Sister prints and four Presentation Mermaid prints, so I made twenty-four log cabin blocks, featuring each print twice. Each block varied in size, so putting it all together was a whole other adventure! I added strips to make each block 18" tall, then used strips between each block to make each row 96" wide. It was time consuming, but worth it!
I used the entire Mendocino line along with tons and tons of other fabrics in coordinating colors. At one point the fabrics for this quilt were being kept in a overflowing laundry basket, to give you an idea of the number of different fabrics in this quilt. I LOVE mixing fabrics from different collections and I think that's part of why I love this quilt so much.
Since this quilt is giant at 96"x108", I knew it needed a special long arming treatment. I knew I wanted bubble quilting from pretty early on, and I'm so happy with how it turned out! It was quilted by Lindsay of Eileen Quilts! She did a fantastic job, and was patient and willing to help me make the right decisions on thread, density and design. Thank you for taking such good care of my quilt, Lindsay!
If you're thinking of getting one of your quilts professionally quilted, I encourage you to check out Lindsay's website! She was a real pleasure to work with! :)
Some close-up shots of the quilting! :)
For the back, I wanted to feature the Giant Octopi prints and some of the coordinating prints too. Since the back had to be so big, I used solids to finish up the sides!
It's bound up in my current binding fabric of choice, voile! This time I used Pastry Line in Saffron by Anna Maria Horner. It's so soft and it's the perfect color of gold-yellow!
In the interest of full disclosure, there was a little mishap yesterday when I washed it. Even though I used two Shout Color Catchers, I still had some color bleeding. It felt like the marker disaster all over again! I tried a few different things, including vinegar + detergent, Oxi-clean, and Oxi-clean Max Force spray. I think the spray helped the most. It isn't 100% gone, but it is much better than it was (in the above photo!). I'm not sure what I could have done differently to prevent this (apart from pre-washing all the fabrics). I may try using Synthapol when I wash my smaller Mendocino quilt. I'm okay with where it's at now, but there were definitely a lot of tears in the last 24 hours! Why is it always the favorite quilts that this happens to!?
I think I can safely say that this is my favorite thing I've ever made. I have been referring to it as my dream quilt, and it couldn't be more true. I think we can also safely say we need a bigger bed! Knowing how much I would end up loving this quilt, I wanted to ensure that we'll never "outgrow it". So, it may look pretty weird on our double bed, but will look great one day on a queen or king with no problems! :)
For more photos of the finished quilt, the quilt-in-progress, blocks and fabrics, see here.
Happy Quilting!
It's so so so beautiful Jeni!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jeni, it looks fantastic!! Congrats on finishing it! :D
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, it really is stunning. I just adore how you have featured the mermaids in each square. The colours are just gorgeous. I can see why this is your fav quilt.
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely beautiful, I love the neat backing. The photo of it on your bed shows it off so well, and gives a better impression of the scale of the project.
ReplyDeleteIt's just wonderful, so worth cutting in to your precious stash!!!
ReplyDeleteIt looks absolutely fab, and love the quilting
ReplyDeleteIt is just perfect. I am so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteI think it looks FAB on the double bed! I love how far it hangs over :)
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful and the bubbles are just perfect. Don't fret about the bleeding.
ReplyDeleteI'm so envious of your Mendocino stash right now... quilt looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful quilt!
ReplyDeleteI really think this must be the loveliest quilt I've ever seen- it is just perfect!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! There's a lot of love in that quilt. Enjoy your hard work!
ReplyDeleteYes, the pic on the bed slammed the scale home for me and made me shed a tear of compassion. You did the Best in Show Quilt for many shows, Jeni B. Way Wonderful, blue ribbon winner !~!~ Amazing, Exquisite. Well-Crafted and perfectly made. Thanks for sharing it with us. No matter what bed it graces--it'll do it Justice in Craftsmanship.
ReplyDeletebeautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteI know with the colour catchers that the more chance of bleeding- the more i use. I also use more than 2 on a large quilt. just an FYI for next time.
Very beautiful! I LOVE your quilt. The log cabin block was a perfect choice.
ReplyDeleteI made two bunnies out of chenile for my girls for Easter, I am so pleased with how they came out, thank you so much for the pattern. I traced it onto interfacing so I can use it over and over. I think it will make perfect baby gifts out of any sort of fabric.
Love your blog, Happy Easter!
I love it! The picture of it on your bed just took my breath away. One day I'll finish a project of that size... gorgeous colours and piecing and I love the bubble quilting.
ReplyDeleteSO pretty, congratulations! I'm struggling with the quilting part of my own 70" x 105" quilt right now, and telling myself this is the LAST TIME I try to machine quilt something this big myself. Who knew you could piece a quilt nice and straight, and then QUILT it into something crooked?! Grrr...
ReplyDeleteLove all the bubble quilting!! I know you are really proud of it!
ReplyDeleteWow it's amazing. I just love it.
ReplyDeleteWow! Just gorgeous. Glad you got most of the bleed out.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely dreamy...love it!!!
ReplyDeleteFabulous quilt. I love all the colours together, a bit like the 'image block' next to my name. It is a quilt I made for my niece for her 21st birthday. I made it in my all time favourite collection by Anna Maria Horner, 'Chocolate Lollipop'. I love how all the colours mix. It was hard to give away, but she loves it as much as I do. I did however pre-wash all the fabrics, something I always do when using bold colour, because I don't think I would cope with bleeding. I understand and share your tears!
ReplyDeleteYou should be so proud of yourself. Well done and Happy Easter.
congratulations! she is a beauty. :) you did a wonderful job...i love all the fabrics and colors.
ReplyDeleteHelloooo Gorgeousss! Jeni that quilt is utterly fantastic! I'm feeling some inspiration coming on :)
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is FABULOUS. I LOVE mermaids and I LOVE all the colors you used in your scrappy quilt. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous!!! The colors are amazing!!! I'm so sorry you had trouble with it bleeding though :(
ReplyDeleteabsolutely beautiful!! All those colors are just perfect together!! So sorry about the fabric bleeding...and you're right, it always seems to happen to the things we love the most. Hopefully it will just continue to fade over time!
ReplyDeleteLove the quilt! bummer on the bleeding!
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing, Jeni! So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThis is stunning. Congratulations and Happy Easter.
ReplyDeleteThis is by far the most exquisitely, stunning quilt I have ever seen! Actually think
ReplyDeleteit looks lovely on your double bed. :) You did great!
WOW
ReplyDeleteAmazing! You did such a great job putting this one together.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous! :-). It looks beautiful and the fabrics are great together. Definitely a wonderful quilt!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on this finish! What a great labor of love!
ReplyDeleteSew beautiful. Great job. The best quilts take the longest.
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect! i spent so much time in Mendocino (one of my favorite get-aways when i was younger) and this looks exactly like i would havefound in the art stores there. just beautiful (and making me homesick :-) )
ReplyDeleteThis is just gorgeous! I'm working on my "dream quilt" as well. I just finished the top Friday, and I'm dying to get into the handquilting phase. Its humongus, but like you, I wanted it to fit any bed I will ever have, so I went big. I'm in the quilting phase which probably will take the rest of the month, but it will be so worth it! I just adore the colors in your quilt, and I'm so happy you love it!
ReplyDeleteWonderful!!! It looks Amazing on your bed!!!! Happy, happy for you :)
ReplyDeleteJen, your quilt is beautiful!! Absolutely fun happy breath-taking gorgeous!! :) I always wash my finished quilts in Retayne first, then wash usual. It is the BEST!! It 'sets' the colors so you never have to worry about them running/bleeding. I've never had a problem because of it. Seriously, you should try it. It is the best! Love your blog! Thanks for being your creativity with us!! Hugs, Ruth Wright :)
ReplyDeleteJeni this is my favorite quilt ever I think! I love it so much! The colors, the Mendocino prints, the mix of other fabrics, the quilting, all of it! I'm sorry about the bleeding, glad you got most of it out! It looks great on your bed and I'm sure it will look even better when you get a bigger one :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!! Good on you for thinking ahead and making it big enough for a queen or king bed! I have a quilt that was made for my double bed and we now have a queen so I can't use it anymore. It broke my heart when I realized we wouldn't be able to use it. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous, Jeni! The bubbles perfectly complement those fabrics!
ReplyDeleteOh so wonderful! It looks amazing! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteomg - this quilt is just awesome!!
ReplyDeletei love all the great fabric combinations, everything goes together so well.
mendocino is my favorite fabric line ever, unfortunately i discovered it too late :(.
so now i'm trying to collect as much as i can to start my own mermaids-dream-quilt!
congratulations, what an amazing labour of love. Seeing the pic of the quilt on your bed really shows the scale and work involved. What an achievement.
ReplyDeleteLove this quilt!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI have made quilts for both my girls (and am currently making 2 Heather Ross quilts for my 3rd, due in June). My second split her mouth one day and it continued to bleed a little that night... all over her quilt. And only on the white part. I TOTALLY understand your tears!
ReplyDeleteI love this quilt! I wish I had enough of my Heather Ross to make a big quilt for my bed, but after two quilts, I'm forced to move on to pillows, burb cloths and maybe some appliqued onesies...
What an amazing eye for mixing fabrics! Beautiful! Enjoy snuggling under this puppy. You've earned it. :)
ReplyDelete