Thursday, September 20, 2012

Japanese x and + Scrappy Quilt- Done!


This is my favorite ever. I'm just gonna get that out of the way.

And what's with my downstairs neighbors putting up spiderwebs in the middle of September? Also gonna get that out of the way...




So this new-favorite-ever quilt is made up of 48 Japanese x and + blocks from Amy's great tutorial. I was also inspired a lot by Leila's gorgeous quilt. I started making them last December, just a few at a time, completely out of scraps leftover from other projects. Some of the scraps go back to when I first started sewing almost 5 years ago, long before I was quilting. I blogged about some of the blocks here and here



There are also scraps from every other quilt I've made, from every PR&P project, from stuff I used to sell on Etsy, and every other gift and toy I've made. It's pretty cool to watch my 3 year old Hendrix sit and point out all the fabrics he recognizes from things that are still used and played with around the house. I feel like it's a sewn journal of what I've done so far. 

It's also funny how you start to sentimentalize all the places your fabric comes from, even the online ones. Of course, a lot of this fabric came from Sewn Studio, which is pretty much the reason I started quilting and became any good at any kind of sewing. But the fabrics also come from great brick and mortar shops like Crimson Tate and Whipstitch, and my favorite online sources Fresh Modern Fabric, Hawthorne Threads, and Pink Castle





I'm very happy with the way my quilting turned out on this one. I've gone back to pin basting, after being a sprayer for a long time. I really do think it helped my straight line quilting turn out much better. Plus the quilt feels softer without the spray baste, and I'm glad to not buy any more cans of it. Yes, the process is a little longer, but I didn't really mind. Crawling around on the ground isn't the most fun either way.

I quilted 1/8" on either side of every seam that made up the +'s and x's. It took a long time, and lots of marking, but totally worth it. I also used Aurifil thread for the first time and I loved it. This was a whole lot of quilting and I only used 3/4 of the spool. I feel like I would have spent close to the same amount for several spools of Mettler. I may be and Auriful convert now as well.






The back is all pieces from my stash, and the border is Essex linen in leather, (thanks so much Rachael!) which is a kind of weird color on it's own, but looks great against these bold blocks. The binding is a Joel Dewberry Herringbone that was also in my stash. The only thing I bought for this quilt was the thread and batting.

I love how the design of the quilting forms those star shapes on the back. Also love how you can see the shapes of the blocks through the back when the light hits it. Perfect.




I usually start and finish quilts within a month or two, but I'm so glad I took the time to work on this throughout this year. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever made and it's all from leftovers. When I think about that, it really helps me not to splurge on the 187 great fabric lines that have come out recently. I just want to start on my next scrap quilt already!





It finished at 68" by 52" and it's getting lots of use on the couch already. What a great way to start fall. Thanks so much for indulging me by looking at 4 dozen pictures of it :)





56 comments:

  1. This is so gorgeous! It's so striking, you should be very proud!

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  2. It's beautiful! I can't wait to have enough scraps to make a scrappy quilt too : )

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  3. It's so beautiful! Love it. I also kind of love the mid-September spder web too though.....

    Danielle

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  4. this is so beautiful, well done.

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  5. This really is something special! I have swapped a bunch of these blocks but really need to just make more myself so I can finish up a quilt like this. What a great sense of satisfaction for you! ;-)

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  6. IT. IS. GORGEOUS! You did such a beautiful job, and I'm so happy you are in love with it. Your quilting is amazing. I am machine quilting retarded. Like its literally a handicap. What a stunner this is. :D

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  7. I love it so much. Everything about it, J! Hooray for a gigantic amazing crazy-awesome finish!! I agree; seeing the way the light hits it and shines through is awesome. And I love the way you quilted it, too! Love, love, love!

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  8. It's just gorgeous! Makes me want to start one :)

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  9. Oh my goodness this is beautiful!! What an amazing quilt to treasure...I love that you have so many memories packed into one quilt!!! and that you used up things that were already in your stash!!! AMAZING!

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  10. I H.a.v.e to make an X and Y quilt after seeing this one. Superb.

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  11. wow!!!! what a stunner!!! Love, love, love it!

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  12. It is perfect! Of course it is beautiful, but I love that it has little stories attached to all the fabrics, too. If I were to ever get into quilting, this is the kind I'd want to make.

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  13. that was not enough photos...i would keep scrolling through, it is that beautiful.

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  14. I love this! You did SUCH a great job!!! :)

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  15. I apologize if you have said this before, but did you quilt as you went or at the end? If at the end, do you have a long arm machine or did you manage with your regular sewing machine? And, what kind of batting did you use? I am old school, a handquilter, but I am finally having to convert to machine quilting due to rheumatoid arthritis. Your quilt is beautiful and I can't wait to make one of my own.

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  16. That is so freaking gorgeous. I'm going to come steal it. :)

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  17. Jessica, I love it lots, it is so warm and colorful and comfortable, and it keeps drawing your eye back to it. very thing a quilt should be.

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  18. I guess you know the comment is mom not dad.

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  19. oh this is so good. soooo goooood! i love that you used all scraps and it has so much personal sewing history behind it, because i'm sentimental like that. not too many photos, either. love how it looks like a stained glass window when the light shines through from behind.

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  20. PS are those the fightin' neighbors? did they use the faux cobwebs to hide their broken window???

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  21. This is so amazing Jessica! I love the border and the quilting!! It is just perfect!

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  22. i love it and i love that i have touched it! ;) xo you are amazing! xo

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  23. Jessica, So I was pretty much laughing at "your" spiderwebs in September. Thanks for getting that out of the way real soon... that they weren't yours. =)

    Congrats on finishing the quilt. You did a LOT of quilting. I just had some really good luck with quilting after spray basting so I don't have to start pin basting yet. nah, nah, nah, nah.

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  24. ok, this is pretty much the most perfect quilt ever. i'm trying to finish up mine and i'm thinking i'm going to copy your quilting.

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  25. really GORGEOUS. It looks like stained glass windows to me. I want to snuggle with it! It's so neat that you can look over all the fabrics and see your sewing history. Lately I have really been wanting to make some quilt blocks with scraps, but I'm a little intimidated and overwhelmed by trying to choose a design and execute it well :/
    I also really need to make a quilt top for some old concert tees to go on the back of, which will probably end up being a bed quilt for me and Tim. I'm dragging ass on that.....

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  26. Gorgeous and super inspiring. For now, I've mainly been making clothes for me and the kids, but now that I've been sewing for almost two years, my stash and scraps are building and it's like quilting is calling to me :) Beautiful to see what can be done (and I noticed the neighbor's web immediately in the pic - ha!).

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  27. That is seriously the most beautiful quilt!!! Wow :)

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  28. fabulous, beautiful quilt, it's a work of art! i can't even imagine what it must feel like to finish something of epic proportions like that. i hope you're sitting around with your feet up feeling super proud :)

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  29. I love how it turned out!! This is still one of my favorite quilts I've ever made and I had to give it away. I am planning on another for myself someday.

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  30. Absolutely gorgeous -- I'm slowly making these blocks and your quilt motivates me to keep going!

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  31. Soooo awesome! I love that it's a sewing journal with tons of memories attached - that's really incredible. Love the back too. Gorgeous work, as usual.

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  32. This is just beautiful. I don't think I'll ever be good enough to make something like this. It really is stunning. An heirloom :-)

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  33. I LOVE this Jessica!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

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  34. Wow, congratulations! I love everything about this quilt. Your quilting rocks!

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  35. It's fantastic!! A plus and x blocks quilt takes forever to make but isn't it SO worth it!!

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  36. That is amazing! I wish I had the patience! Also your neighbour's place looks rad!

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  37. You're killing me with your quilts, seriously! I don't have time to quilt! I love how all the scraps of fabric tell a story of an outfit or some other project you made. I always have wierd shapes of fabric left over from different projects and might take the next year or two to make myself a scrap quilt out of it. But my favorite is the way you quilted it. Love the double lines.

    Okay I am done praising now.

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  38. This is SO nice. I love that block!

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  39. It is absolutely stunning. Beautiful quilt!

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  40. this is gorgeous! the blocks are so scrappy! It gives us all hope with our little stack of x & + blocks ;)

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  41. I could have kept looking at even more pictures - it is so special and inspiring.

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  42. Very beautiful quilt! An amazing array of fabrics and such beautiful colors. Well done.

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  43. I love following your blog and love just about everything you post especially this quilt!! I love love it!! I am inspired to give it a try, maybe over winter... hum...
    I'll keep you posted if I do.
    Thanks!!

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  44. Very pretty X+ --your scraps sure look nice together!

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  45. i have to add my voice to the chorus...it is gorgeous. i love every piece of fabric i can see in it. you are inspiring me to start work on my own. and i love that all of the fabric came from your stash!

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  46. This looks VERY SUPER EXCELLENT!! Well done!

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  47. This is a gorgeous quilt! I've thought about making one, now I think I'll have to! Just stunning!!

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  48. Amazingly beautiful! It looks like a stained glass window.

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  49. Came by your blog to check this out today. It's awesome. You are such an inspiration for me. I'm ready to start on a scrappy quilt now. Maybe even finish it. Thanks.

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