November was a slow month for me. I had no quilt finish to share. It is because I was working on (distracted by) many small items. I was working on two quilts simultaneously. As a result, a lot happened but nothing got finished. Sounds like the holidays - running helter-skelter with many loose ends. But then miraculously it all comes together on Christmas Eve!!!
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| My American Dream |
Magical December will have two finishes to make up for Lethargic November. I think it is appropriate - it is finishing (2014) in style or at least with a big ta-da!!! Here is the first finish of December. Meet
My American Dream!!!
"My American Dream" started in July with the
QST tutorial. I got some AAAHMAZING feedback from you guys!!! It also resulted in a few blocks.
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| 4-patches and QSTs |
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| 4 QSTs at once!!! |
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| More QSTs |
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| And some more... |
The idea was to use the leftover charm squares, remnants and scraps to develop the tutorial. I had no intentions for the finished blocks. Frankly, I did not think much of the blocks. They were just blah...
I decided to make a charity quilt. That is when the miracle happened...
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| QSTs pieced and quilted |
I pieced the blocks trying to distribute the reds and whites all over, succeeding marginally. I added a light blue skinny border and a wider navy border. The batting is Warm and Natural. I used a sheet for backing. Yes, it is 100% cotton. I quilted it simply using a wavy stitch - stitch over the ditch method. The blue binding came from leftover wide backing.
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Paul, the Model
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| 100% Cotton Sheet for Backing |
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Red, White & Blue, Some Purple too...
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Forgive me for gushing, but I had no idea that all those blah blocks would come together and look so good. It is a very simple block, uses very ordinary fabrics and yet the finished look is so chic and so modern. I am going to have some serious separation anxiety as I part with this baby.
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| Lights up my Yard... |
The quilt uses 54 QST blocks, arranged 6 by 9. The finished quilt measures 41" by 58".
Here is the label, because all quilts must be labelled.
This is my 15th finish of 2014 and I am very happy with it!!! Do you like the quilt name - My American Dream?
I had a hard time naming this. I muddled over it so long that I decided to put the label sans the title. Here are some of my initial thoughts - "Independence Day", "Free & Brave", "Star Spangled", "Patriot's Crossing" all based on the quilt colors. I also considered "Crossing Over" and "Coming Together" based on the QST pattern. What would you name it and why? I would love to hear from you!!!
