Saturday, October 27, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival October 2012



It's time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy from Amy's Creative Side.   There's so much eye candy out there I go into sensory overload.

My name is Shay and I suffer from PCS. (Pattern Challenge Syndrome) I read instructions and they always looks like they're written in gibberish. So my usual modus operandi for quilting is that I eyeball a quilt I like and decide in my own head how it makes sense for me put it together. Then I cross my fingers, warn my husband that things are going to get scary so he can leave the house for a few hours, days,  weeks,  whatever , lay in a supply of endless swear words and jump in where angels fear to tread. 

But when I saw this pattern, I desperately wanted to make the quilt and I had no idea how it was done. So I realised I was going to have to suck it up and learn to read Cantonese, or Aramaic or whatever language it was written in because I was totally in love. And love can triumph over anything. Even language barriers. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered that the pattern for Merry Go Round was written in honest to goodness English. Bless you Sandy Klop.  You're my hero.

This quilt was full of firsts. First quilt from a pattern, first try at angled binding (I could have taught a few sailors some new swear words during that part of the process) and the first time I ever used Batik fabrics. Don't let anyone tell you they're grandma and horrible because they aren't.

Because a pile of seemingly Grandma Batik strips managed to morph into this.



I love finding the perfect backing on sale for 4 bucks a metre. 



 I picked something soft and curvy for the quilting as a contrast to all those angles and sent it out to my quilting fairy so she could really make it shine.  By the time I got to the quilting stage I was packing death that if I touched it with my machine I'd ruin it forever.  The quilting fairy used rainbow coloured variegated thread to match the colours in the quilt.  


This is my most favourite quilt ever.... 


Vital Stats:
Quilt Name: Merry Go Round 
Size:  74 inches by 80 inches 
Quilting: By Sharon Parkinson at Patchwork on Parade 
Special Techniques: Angled binding, AND I used a pattern! 
Best Category :Favorite ROYGBIV Quilt

A huge shout out to Amy for hosting and to everyone who is stopping by from BQF. Its lovely to have you visit. Please feel free to have a sticky beak around while you're here. I'm off to take a squizz at what everyone else is showing off !



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45 comments:

  1. MargOctober 27, 2012 at 9:07 PM

    Oooh I love this quilt, it reminds me so much of you.
    I'm really glad you chose this quilt for the festival as it really was a labor of love and has turned out perfectly.

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  2. MargOctober 27, 2012 at 9:08 PM

    oooh and I think it's the first time in forever that I'm first to comment!!!!!

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  3. KrisOctober 27, 2012 at 9:31 PM

    It's huge woman! And gorgeous! I think it's my favourite too.

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  4. diplofamOctober 27, 2012 at 10:05 PM

    It's beautiful. I love bright colors.

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  5. BarbOctober 27, 2012 at 10:11 PM

    beautiful quilt!!
    Your angled binding is really terrific.
    great photos!

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  6. Michelle RidgwayOctober 27, 2012 at 10:14 PM

    You are a legend and your quilt is beautiful. Well done.

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  7. KateOctober 27, 2012 at 11:54 PM

    Awesome job on it! Very bright and rainbow-y - and I agree, batiks are GREAT for that. And angled binding? You go, you!

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  8. Canadian AbroadOctober 27, 2012 at 11:57 PM

    It's an amazing quilt but the lazy person in me keeps thinking that binding must have been a bitch to attach. Love it all and who knew batiks could look so good?!

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  9. CindyOctober 28, 2012 at 1:01 AM

    Oh Shay!!! This is GORGEOUS!! Are you just not incredibly proud of yourself?? Actually...I'm dying to know the new swear words. I could use a few on some of the projects I've worked on. LOL Job well done my friend!! xoxo

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  10. Dianne NealeOctober 28, 2012 at 2:53 AM

    Ok say maybe we give batiks a reprieve - under certain circumstances! A fantastic quilt, which looks particularly good wrapped around.... You?

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  11. ElizabethOctober 28, 2012 at 3:15 AM

    I loved this quilt from the moment you first showed it! It is so bright and beautiful! You did a great job on it and I think it is perfect for the blogger's quilt festival!

    Also, I love that last picture of you with the quilt. The lighting is amazing.

    xo -E

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  12. TerriOctober 28, 2012 at 3:40 AM

    Love this quilt! The colors are wonderful, and the quilting is just right. Good choice for the Blog Hop!
    Hugs

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  13. MarleneOctober 28, 2012 at 5:24 AM

    I have been sitting here laughing at reading your post-great description of the process and I can just picture the journey.
    It's a great quilt and love the picture of you with thequilt.



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  14. melissaOctober 28, 2012 at 7:29 AM

    I can see why its your favourite...its beautiful! Great job Shay, Enjoy the festival! x

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  15. Sue SAOctober 28, 2012 at 7:39 AM

    Just a tip...Tricia's is another 10 min drive from the Wayville showgrounds and she has a whole wall of batiks!! Its a gorgous quilt, I lost alot of time yesterday looking at the Quilts and the ones I was attracted to were the rainbow coloured ones! Ha probably because mine is still a WIP. Hmmm very impressed as I do not like Batiks, so you have changed my mind about that! Congratulations this quilt is wonderful...so going to use a pattern again? That alone impresses me, I have to follow patterns, my brain is not wired for maths. Happy quilting.

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  16. CitricSugarOctober 28, 2012 at 7:48 AM

    Beautiful! Love the quilting!

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  17. IrinaOctober 28, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    I love it and I'll put it on my list!!! (if you don't mind...)

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  18. CarlaOctober 28, 2012 at 8:37 AM

    Your quilt is delicious!!

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  19. RachaeldaisyOctober 28, 2012 at 12:37 PM

    Yay!! I love this quilt!!! I can see why its your most favourite quilt!!

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  20. TazzieOctober 28, 2012 at 12:57 PM

    Just gorgeous Shay, a triumph on so many levels! Hope you're having a great weekend.
    *hugs*
    Tazzie
    :-)

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  21. theaOctober 28, 2012 at 3:04 PM

    Love this quilt. You did a fantastic job!

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  22. MisteaOctober 28, 2012 at 4:41 PM

    Beautiful and perfect for spring with all those bright shades.
    Looking gorgeous in the garden!
    Enjoy

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  23. HelsieOctober 28, 2012 at 8:34 PM

    Well done you clever girl. It's bright and colourful just like its maker. I'm very impressed with the binding - that looks very time consuming and quite difficult.
    Cheers

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  24. Kirsten's CookingOctober 28, 2012 at 9:59 PM

    Beautiful! I love the backing, the colors, and the quilting! Great job:)

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  25. Quilting BabciaOctober 29, 2012 at 12:40 AM

    Beautiful quilt - aren't you glad you persevered!
    Pat (#127)

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  26. Teje KarjalainenOctober 29, 2012 at 12:56 AM

    Hi! Your quilt is fantastic! I really love the pattern and colours! x Teje

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  27. ShevvyOctober 29, 2012 at 4:23 AM

    This is a lovely colourful quilt. I'm glad you enjoy it so much.

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  28. KateOctober 29, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    Gorgeous quilt! You have made so many beautiful quilts that it would be hard to pick one favorite, but this would be ranks way up there.

    Beautiful pictures too. Who is the model in the last one?

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  29. UnknownOctober 29, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    Wow Shay you are so crazy talented! I can not believe your other quilts haven't been from a pattern - they're amazing.
    I love this quilt. It is just about the most perfect quilt EVER!

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  30. audreyOctober 29, 2012 at 12:31 PM

    So funny! I'm terrible at reading patterns too, so I usually re-write them into something only I can understand. Gorgeous quilt!

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  31. DebOctober 29, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    It's amazingly colorful!!! I love it! Thanks for stopping by to visit my quilt, too.

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  32. LornaOctober 29, 2012 at 10:33 PM

    Shay! WOW! What a stunningly beautiful quilt. Love the grandma batiks. (Okay, I'll bite... what are grandma batiks?) And your sense of humour in describing this quilt is awesome.

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  33. KristieOctober 30, 2012 at 12:35 AM

    This is a goody. Love it! Happy to hear you overcame your PCS to make it happen.

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  34. www.randomthoughtsdoordi.comOctober 30, 2012 at 12:55 AM

    This is so pretty. But who would not love a quilt that combines the color wheel of colors and hexagons? You should win just for that binding technique! Good luck.

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  35. Simply SandyOctober 30, 2012 at 12:37 PM

    My favorite quilt of all of those in this festival. Just fantastic in everyway! Love it!

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  36. JitkaOctober 30, 2012 at 6:31 PM

    Very nice colors!

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  37. Amy, a redeemed sheepOctober 30, 2012 at 10:39 PM

    *big grin* I REALLY love your version!! Isn't it a great quilt! I will be making another one. =)

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  38. AnonymousOctober 31, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    Looks amazing! I love all the colours and the way you've put them together.

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  39. CelineOctober 31, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Your quilt is absolutely gorgeous. Well done!

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  40. Jenny WrenOctober 31, 2012 at 1:23 PM

    Hi Shay - I'm laughing at your Aussie humor! Thank you for sharing your challenge! It was worth the effort cause it is tops mate! And now you can do anything!
    Quilt on!

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  41. CynthiaNovember 1, 2012 at 12:37 AM

    What a pretty quilt! So bright and fun! Love the zig zag edges too! Great job!

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  42. DollyNovember 3, 2012 at 11:06 AM

    I was about to cast my vote for my absolute favorite on the linky page, and I was sure that I was going to vote for #61 SewKindOfWonderful's awesome quilting.

    But her colors are not my favorite, and when I spied your quilt again on my way to vote, I just had to take another look.

    Yep, this is the one for me !
    I hope you win something........I also voted for yours as my favorite roy..... whatever that was.

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  43. Heidi GrohsNovember 4, 2012 at 4:22 PM

    First off, I did NOT guess this was made of batiks. Second, I love it, just love how bright it is!!!

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  44. CandaceNovember 5, 2012 at 1:44 AM

    I love this quilt. Congratulations on toughing out the binding. It is so effective!

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  45. Jindi's CottageDecember 1, 2012 at 6:41 PM

    Drool...I am in love with this quilt...it is absolutely gorgeous, stunning, awesome...well done...most impressed with the angled binding and using the pattern, impressive...
    (so seriously behind in the blog reading!)

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Thanks for taking the time to leave some comment love. Drop by and visit again sometime.