Trio of Friendly Seas Quilts
A trio of quilts, inspired by a trio of blogs!
These quilts were built around the turquoise fabric, “Friendly Seas,” designed by Cynthia Frenette for Robert Kaufmann.
The two on the sides were inspired by a photo on Treadlemusic, and the one in the center was my idea – when fabrics are so cute I love to use big chunks of them to show off all the detail. I was trying to capture the feeling of going to Sea World or an aquarium and watching the sea creatures through the glass. I thought that such big pieces would go together quickly, but this quilt took much longer to piece than the other two. Maybe it was the borders I put around the blocks.
The smallest of the three.
Same design, more squares, wider spaces between quilting lines.
I just couldn’t bear to cut all of this cute fabric into little pieces.
I originally wanted to quilt these with rectangular outlines, but my practice piece didn’t look anything like I had imagined. So the quilts sat there for a while, until I saw the wave quilting on the Snarky Quilter. Since the fabric was full of sea creatures, waves seemed the obvious choice for quilting lines. I played around with variations – on two of the quilts the lines are less than an inch apart, and on one they’re more like an inch and a half apart.
The largest of these quilts has a faux piping binding that I learned about on Color Me Quilty. This binding technique is very popular in my quilt group, and people who are more precise than I am get great results. I have trouble getting everything consistent, but I still love the spark of contrasting color from the faux piping. (I am experimenting with other ways to get the same basic effect, and if I get a good method, I will let you know.)
So! these three blogs led to these three quilts, and I think they will spark many more.
I used size 40/3 Mettler cotton thread and an 80/12 topstitch needle. In the past I have had trouble with Mettler breaking, but that was in free motion quilting and I was changing direction a lot. On these quilts the thread held up fine – it may be because I only stitched in one direction. I used a walking foot, started at one side of the quilt, and stitched all the way across to the other side with just gentle curves. I used either the Mettler or Coats and Clark in the bobbin and both worked well.
These are all intended as donations to some local charities, which is one reason I am striving for a consistent routine. Lots of people need quilts – if I’m agonizing over every design choice, I’m not making good use of my volunteer time.
I myself love quilts like this one below, very scrappy and unplanned:
I realize that some people find this a little too cheerful.
but when quilts are going out in the world for other people, I try to tone down my exuberance a little.
I have just a little of the Friendly Sea fabric left – it may appear here again in the future.
I really like the one that was inspired by Sea World–you DO capture the feel of peering through the glass! And I agree that the wave quilting both makes sense and sets off the rectangularity (?) of the piecing!
Thanks! I am sending that one to Quilts for Kids, so it will go to someone in the hospital – I hope it gives them a little virtual field trip. There is so much to look at in that fabric, I think the designer did a wonderful job.
The wavy quilting is wonderful and you’ve linked back to two of my favorite quilt bloggers — Treadlemusic and the Snark Quilter.
All 3 donation quilts are fresh and fun. But I must say, I LOVE the “scrappy and unplanned” quilt you show last. I need to do some work like THAT. Thanks for the inspiration.
Glad you like it! That is my favorite of all the quilts I’ve made so far. And it just found a home! When I give a quilt to someone for a new baby, I offer them a choice of three or so, and that one was just chosen by a wonderful friend. She’s a scientist so I thought she would go with one of the more predictable pieces, but she liked that one. I must say she has risen even further in my estimation for making that choice! 🙂
Wow. They’re all amazing, but I love the one on the right the most.
Thanks! I like this design because I think it’s suitable for boys or girls – I’ve got some cute bug fabric that’s just begging to be next!
Absolutely beautiful quilts! I love blues and yellows and gold tones together. I have never quilted and always have felt that anyone who quilts is an amazing artist!
You know, now they make fabric sheets that fit in your printer – you could print out some of your favorite photos to incorporate into quilts! AND there are websites like Spoonflower that will print your designs into fabric yardage. Just sayin’. In case you ever want to translate your artistic talents in photography into another medium. 🙂
Love the quilts – especially the one in the center. Using the large pieces of fabric like you did on the side and then breaking the action up a bit and coming with the same piece running vertically, takes the eyes from one side to the other. Beautiful work.
Thanks! It’s fun to see who likes which one and what makes it their favorite!