Monday, December 5, 2011

Aviary Birdbath Finish

The alternate title for this post is Things We Would Only Do For Our Mothers.

I finally got the Aviary Birdbath Quilt finished and I'm so happy with how it turned out. This is one mammoth quilt!

Back in February my mother asked me to make her a King size quilt.  She selected the Birdbath pattern from The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman. And we both love Aviary 2 from Joel Dewberry.  Her other request - "as much white as possible". She's a Floridian now. 


So since the Birdbath pattern was really for a lap quilt, I decided to expand it to cover the top of the bed and then the draping on the sides is white.  I managed to get a quick photo on my bed to show how it lays. This was fast and sloppy as a 3 yr old was circling me yelling that she didn't want pictures.




The final dimensions are 92" x 105".  Now let me first say, I really like Elizabeth Hartman's book. Her directions are great and well photographed. But this pattern should definitely be lap sized! Each block is very time consuming because each step requires that the block be squared off. Otherwise you get some lopsided blocks. In the end I made 72 of those blocks. I also had a spreadsheet going so I could keep track of which fabric combinations I used.



There was no way I was going to be able to quilt this bad boy myself so I sent it to my wonderful quilter Margaret and challenged her with those giant borders! We wound up deciding on an overall pantograph for the center and Margaret designed a really cool custom design for the border.


Since King size isn't square the borders on 2 sides are even wider.


I love it, I think it's very Florida.  Reminds me of water and palm leaves.


Above is the quilting on the back so you can see the overall design that's on the back. And let me just tell you, I really had to mess with this photo to get this to show up so nicely! The quilt is really white with white thread, it's just my photo editing that makes it look all gray.



I had some extra blocks so I pieced those on the back with my label.



I just need to write my final info on the label and wash it! To be honest, I'm terrified to wash this one. I may throw an entire box of Color Catchers in there. There is so much contrast I'm afraid it will come out gray.


Quilt stats:
Size: 92" x 105"
Pattern: Birdbath - Elizabeth Hartman
Fabrics: Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry and KonaWhite
Quilted: by Mainely Quilts of Love
Finished: 11/27/11






23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stunning! Absolutely beautiful. I love the combo of the gray and the yellow. Up against the white, it just pops. Congrats on a great finish! Your quilter did a beautiful job too!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous Becky. A real long haul but totally worth it! Hope mama likes it!

Little Island Quilting said...

Incredibly and utterly gorgeous. F.u.l.l.s.t.o.p!

Katy Cameron said...

Woohoo, go you for getting it done! It looks fab, and I think mum owes you for a while now ;o) As for the spreadsheet tracking, my inner geek is all over this :oD

Kelsey said...

This is amazing!! So beautiful

Linz said...

**heart melts**

Becky, that is the most beautiful quilt!! I love it!!!! The pattern is stunning and I love the large white borders! Wau to go!!! Your mom, I am sure, will just love it! Yea!

Lindsay said...

What a beautiful quilt! I love how the white borders contrast with the darker fabrics. Margaret's quilting is amazing. I'm definitely bookmarking her website in case I ever make a quilt that large!

Kati said...

That looks so classy. You did a great job. The fabrics are perfect!

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Wow, Kati hit the nail on the head here - SO classy! Your mother is going to love this so much! Great job!!!

Susanne said...

Becky, That quilt is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

It looks absolutely perfect on the bed!!!

Lee said...

It is amazing and gorgeous, it will make such a great addition to your mom's bedroom! Great job, Becky, I can see how much work it was. And the quilting is just beautiful. : )

Jenny said...

That turned out so great!! I love that back too!! I have some of that fabric...waiting for some inspiration on how to use it still! Again...wonderful job!!

Jacey said...

I still can't believe you made this, Becky! A king size quilt seems so daunting! And it is stunning. I bet your mom will cherish it. I love the quilting design you chose!

Sarah @ FairyFace Designs said...

Becky, this is just GORGEOUS!! I absolutely love it, you did such a brilliant job. Fabrics are perfect and the back looks great too. So much work but so, SO worth it, your mum will love it :-)

A.J. Dub. (Amy) said...

It turned out fabulous! Your mom is going to adore it.

Katie B said...

WOW! This quilt is so gorgeous! Your mom is going to cherish it. I love seeing it on the bed! Great job. I know you're glad to have this finished!

felicity said...

Absolutely gorgeous, Becky! Congratulations on a fantastic finish! And thanks for the chuckle as you described your 3-year-old "circling" - perfect descriptor!

Marci Girl said...

Becky, it is absolutely amazing, you should be so thrilled, and I am sure your mom will love it!

**nicke... said...

beautiful!

Mary Menzer said...

Very beautiful! Your Mom is going to love it. I hadn't thought of Aviary 2 as 'Florida' but reading your descriptions, made it so. The quilt looks wonderful on the bed.

Mom said...

Kudos to you for that monster binding! Looks great on the bed :-)

Anonymous said...

Its beautiful! I love the white borders - it really makes the rest of the quilt stand out. I dont suppose you are bringing it to the guild meeting?

Bree said...

Becky! This is AMAZING! I am always astonished at just how huge a king-size quilt is since we don't have a king bed, truly amazing. It is absolutely beautiful, and your mom better love it!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...