Friday, August 7, 2015

Finished: Trip around Honshu

Before you read anything more about this quilt, you need to go and read this post. Go on. I'll make a cuppa while I wait for you to come back.

Trip around Honshu

Read it? You sure? Great. You are now permitted to read on.


Trip around Honshu

I finally finished my Japanese trip around the world quilt.  I called it "Trip around Honshu" because that's what I did last November during some of the happiest few weeks of my life. I tripped.  Around Honshu in Japan.  So cool.

Trip around Honshu

I finished the quilt top in about August or September last year, around the time that my quiltjo went walkabout. I really didn't like this quilt at all. I'd just come off making a bright rainbow of a quilt, all my other UFOs were bright and loud and sassy, and then there was this beast just sulking in the corner, neither of really caring whether I got it quilted or not.

Trip around Honshu

I take a lot of pride in quilting most of my quilts myself (because then they really feel like they are mine, and not a team effort), but the true beasts I tend to send out to a professional because I worked out long ago that professional quilting is cheaper that physiotherapy. I hadn't used the long-arm skills of my friend Gemma from Pretty Bobbins before, except for an emergency hug quilt our modern group had made that she kindly (and very beautifully) quilted, so I thought now was the time to get her help in working out what the heck to do with this monster. I was keen on something geometric but really couldn't decide, and then at the last minute she showed me a wavy edge-to-edge pattern and I was sold. It really is the perfect pattern for this quilt. The thread is King Tut, from memory. It's kind of a variegated dark pink to red colour and it's perfect for this quilt.

Trip around Honshu

As I've already mentioned, I'd stopped caring about the quilt and just wanted it DONE, so rather than piece a back like I usually do, I bought a wideback fabric online and had it sent to Gemma's studio. It was perfect.

I got the quilt back home just before we left for Japan, but I took aged to trim it, then bind it. In the end I finished the hand binding in only 5 hours on the couch (with breaks). That's 8.5 metres of binding. Is that a world record or something? Totally should be.

Trip around Honshu

I have a lot of favourite blocks. A couple of them have the fabric that my beautiful niece had in her wedding invitations - they remind me of her and her wedding day. I also have blocks that have scraps from skirts I'd made. And lots of blocks with fabrics I remember the exact shop in California that I bought them from. But my favourite block is the one made entirely of owls. I bought all the fabrics from Shuji and there are owl squares throughout the quilt, but I figured I had to have at least one entire owl block in there, right?

Trip around Honshu

So there's my quilt, my Japanese scrappy trip around the world. I showed it to Shuji last weekend at the SCQuilters retreat and he loved it and could identify all his fabrics. People at the Canberra Quilters meeting last night loved it as well. From a distance it has a tendency to sparkle with the lighter creamy fabrics, which is what I think people love about it. It's definitely one of those quilts that is full of memories for me. and I am growing to love it, even though it's not really my style any more. But that's totally OK with me. It might even get a turn on the bed this summer.

Details 

Pattern: Scrappy Trip Around the World (tutorial by Quiltville)
Size: 84 " x 84 "
Fabric: FQs and F8s of Japanese and American Japanese fabrics, collected since 2003
Backing: Wideback from Widebacks.com.au
Quilting: An edge-to-edge pattern by Pretty Bobbins quilting.
Thread: pieced with Rasant, quilted with King Tut.
Batting: 100% bamboo
Started: January 2013
Finished: 4 July 2015


21 comments:

  1. Not a lot to say, except I LOVE IT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwwww! Thanks Alison! I have to admit the more I look at the photos, the more it grows on me. It's just so different to what I normally do! I bought some more fabrics from Shuji on the weekend, but this time the challenge to myself it to make a truly modern quilt using them. I have some ideas whirling around in my head ... will have to wait and see what happens as it evolves!

      Delete
  2. I think it's beautiful - I love a scrappy quilt at the best of times but this one is very rich in colour (and it looks like rich in meaning for you too, which will make it special). I think it's good to go away from the norm sometimes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lynley! I did enjoy using the darker fabrics and seeing how I could lighten the quilt up with different colours and fabrics. It was a good lesson in value and colour.

      Delete
  3. I loved admiring all the different prints, so pretty! The chillis were a definite favourite! Thanks for asking me to quilt it! Next time I'm sending my binding to you! World record for sure!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gemma! And again thanks for quilting it for me! It's like a Japanese eye spy ;)

      Delete
  4. I'm glad you made me go back and read the first part if the story! This is beautiful and i love more than anything the sentimentality of the quilt. Oh and it makes me smile in a canberra way. .. Gemma's husband Paul coaches my Oliver's soccer team! can't wait to see you tomorrow xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canberra is far too small sometimes! Can't wait to see you tomorrow night! All the dumppppppplingz!

      Delete
  5. It is very lovely, just beautiful. Quilts for me are all about the memories and the stories behind the fabric. Lovely to read the previous post too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Barbara! Quilts are that for me too. Probably why I like blogging about the ones I make!

      Delete
  6. Holy crap- the amount of work in this boggles O_o I love the stories of the fabric :D :D :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was actually quite quick and easy! Just took a long time to sew the rows together and get it finished! Thank you!

      Delete
  7. This quilt is fabulous! That was clever to get us to read your original post, you ended up choosing the perfect layout. Just love the quilting, makes me want to re-quilt one of mine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Carole! I just hate repeating myself. Also a little bit lazy ;)

      Delete
  8. oh it is beautiful michelle! and it's amazing how many memories it holds for a "new" object, i'm almost starting to get this patchwork lark ha ha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Come to the daaaaaarrrrrk side Nicole!!!

      Delete
    2. Come to the daaaaaarrrrrk side Nicole!!!

      Delete
  9. Hi Michelle,

    I think the quilt is wonderful with its off centre pattern and all the great colours. Love the click through post to the earlier story as well. Nice to get it completed. I'm sure you'll grow fonder of it as it hangs around.

    Oh and congratulations on your ribbon! I was hoping to bump into you but not this time, I guess. I loved both your quilts - the bright modern one and the Orange peel. I loved all the little details in the fabrics like "byron bay"...love, love. What did you think of the fair this year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was expecting to see you and Tess on Saturday, but it wasn't to be! I only got to spend about 20 minutes at the quilt show in total - so disappointed but when you have a shift it kind of sucks the time away from the day!

      Delete
  10. Woohoo! I love the layout you decided on for your scrappy trip, and I love the fabrics, especially that they hold memories. Great choice of quilting, lovely wavy waves. A very big hearty congratulations on your ribbons, this certainly is a winner! Oh and I think it's so cool you just ordered batting and had it delivered straight to the quilter!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachael! It's amazing what professional quilters will do for you! Such a great service they provide for the very few times I actually get to use them!

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! I love reading your comments, but if you're anonymous please tell me who you are.