Thursday, May 17, 2012

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Spring 2012

Amy's Creative Side


Hello! Welcome to Poppyprint and my entry to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival. I am so happy to share this quilt with you. It's been over a year in the making, with cutting freezer paper templates, piecing scrappy letters on retreats and finally straight-line quilting slowly, slowly over the past couple of weeks. Binding went on in the last 2 days, so this one is a fresh finish!

Here it is:

Blackbird Fly by Poppyprint
'Blackbird Fly' - 86" square, which means the quilt can lie on the bed with the text 
horizontal, or vertical.

Word quilts are usually very evocative and they always impress me. We can express so much with words in cloth.  Blackbird has been one of my favourite songs for over 30 years - I originally learned the song in a youth choir and my love for it was cemented during a 9th grade Beatles obsession. The simple melody and meaningful lyrics get me all misty, no matter if it's sung by the Beatles, Sarah McLachlan, or Chris Colfer of Glee (all three versions are on my iPod playlist).  I wasn't keen on improv piecing so many letters, so I turned to Denyse Schmidt's Proverb quilt templates for this project.

Proverbial Quilt - A start

Originally I chose a grouping of fabrics intended for a dresden plate quilt. Then I realized I might be pushing my luck with so much pink AND Dresden plates on a quilt for our bedroom. I'm sure my husband B has a breaking point, no matter how badly he'd like a quilt on our bed (if for no other reason than something to show for this obsession of mine.  Like most quilters, I do give away almost everything I make).  Once I'd switched gears from plates to lyrics, I chose Essex linen in putty as the main background, supplemented by a linen-look French General cotton from Moda.  More yellows, greens and *gasp* even browns were added to offset all the pink and yellow. I wanted the letters and background to blend a little - so that the words wouldn't jump out, but rather require a bit of effort to read.  The top and bottom framing strips are Kona bone.

photo

Instead of cutting plastic templates for each letter as the pattern suggests, I used a freezer paper method which eliminates the need to trace onto fabric (I will share a tutorial soon).  Either way you cut it, piecing all of those letters takes heaps of time. It was a slow and mindful project that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially because it was all pieced on my Singer Featherweight. Some things are just worth the time.

Blackbird Fly by Poppyprint
Quilted with 40wt Superior Threads King Tut on top and 40wt Aurifil in the bobbin

Over the course of the year, I pondered different quilting ideas. I considered spacing the lines of lyrics with sashing, as in the original pattern, and handquilting in the musical notes of the song with perle cotton.  I also thought about writing out the entire lyric with free motion quilted script in the sashing.  In the end, you can see that I decided to piece the words close together, as they are intended, instead of separating them with 6" sashing.  The words are so beautiful together, I figured keeping the quilting simple was the best bet, so I went with straight lines about 1" to 1.5" apart. I used the sashing seams as a guide, as well as strips of 3/4" painters tape across the quilt but the lines are still quite organic and definitely not precise.

Blackbird Fly by Poppyprint

The back was the perfect place to have bit of fun in a filler strip between hunks of yardage.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed seeing "Blackbird Fly" and I encourage you to visit the other blogs participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival and nominate your favourite quilts. Amy has lots of fun categories for you to keep in mind as you peruse the beautiful quilts!

88 comments:

dutchcomfort said...

I love the blackbird song! What a beautiful quilt you made! So much work to piece all those letters!

{Leila}Where the Orchids Grow said...

To say I love this quilt is an understatement, it is absolutely gorgeous Krista!! I love that you chose to let the words blend into the background, love the way you quilted this, love the lyrics, love the song.
This is amazing, you should be very very proud!!

Di said...

Really innovative design and it is beautiful. Di x

verykerryberry said...

I especially like song lyrics and poetry in quilts and have used both. this is such a beautiful song, sarah mclachlan sings a lovely version but you can't beat Paul's vocals. A stunning and emotionally moving quilt, love it

Kate said...

Wow... incredible! This one is definitely worth the time.

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness Krista. That is one beautiful quilt. And SUCH a fantastic idea!

Susan said...

Fabulous Krista! The colour palette is beautiful in this quilt!

Nova said...

so beautiful. such a treasure. i will be back to gaze (& maybe drool just a little) again & again. x totally inspired x

MariQuilts said...

Fabulous, Krista..I love the colours.

Danielle said...

Totally in awe. Fantastic idea, brilliantly executed. Love. Has brought a huge smile to my face. xx

Angela {fussycut} said...

Absolutely gorgeous! I've been wanting to make one of these forever. Yours is stunning.

Amy Friend said...

Congratulations on the big finish Krista! It looks lovely all quilted and bound. These are some of my favorite colors but it would never slip by my husband so you are a very lucky duck! Gorgeous quilt.

Nicola said...

Beautiful. Just my kind of colours and very clever to blend the letters into the background so it's not overwhelming. I hope you get to keep this one!

carol said...

Wow, simply WOW! Congratulations on the big finish....I bet that went on your bed post haste after all this time and rightfully so! Love it and envy your endurance! I probably would have folded! lol

Leanne said...

This is a stunning quilt! Every detail is excellent and I especially love how the quilting works so nicely. I too love this song, this is a very special quilt.

Aliceart said...

What a special quilt! I love writing on quilts, and I love your color choices.

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Stunning Krista - it really is fantastic xxx

Anya said...

Love it!! Quilt is so beautiful and the lyrics are wonderful on a quilt. I've been wanting to make a word quilt for my bed as well but have not found the courage to bust open my Proverb quilt pattern yet. You've planted a seed.....

paulette said...

WOW!! What an incredible quilt!! Love the colours and the verse...very special, indeed!! You outdid yourself...AGAIN!!
P

Helen said...

Fresh of the quilting press Krista! Its lovely, well done. x

Carla said...

Greeting from kamloops! Your quilt is amazing. Enjoy the festival

Jo Ann said...

Krista your quilt ia so amazing and beautiful. It is a very special quilt. I am sure B loves it as much as we all do.

Natalie said...

Wow, this is gorgeous! I love the fabrics you chose, and the overall effect is stunning!

pinksuedeshoe said...

Krista this is beautiful! I absolutely love it, and honestly, I didn't even notice the pink till you pointed it out. Which is saying a lot :) Beautiful beautiful.

What Comes Next? said...

just so amazing! Good things take time and this was so worth all your time and effort, Krista. While the pictures are great, it was incredible to see it in person last night!

Elsa said...

It's really stunning and I happen to love that song of all the Beatles work. Amazing ~

Rafael's Mum said...

What a lovely quilt Krista! Apart from the lyrics I also really like the colours you have chosen. Beautiful!

Vivian said...

It's wonderful!!!!! You are just way too fun and creative.

Krista said...

I am so excited to see this quilt complete!!! It's so gorgeous! You did an amazing job.

Charlotte said...

wow! that is beautiful. Such a lot of work and totally worth it!

DianeY said...

It's just simply beautiful!

♥Duff said...

I'm floored by the beauty that is your quilt. Expertly planned and executed--not that I expected anything less from you.
Love to be inspired by you!!♥

Kati said...

I just love how this came out. The colors are perfect. What a fun, unique quilt!

Kristie said...

Krista, it is fantastic. Love it!

Heather D. said...

SO cool Krista. Love it!

Katy Cameron said...

Now I have that song stuck in my head! It looks great though, love how you did the lettering and the clean lines of the quilting

Krista Withers said...

Krista it is SO beautiful!! I can't wait to see it in real life!! You did an amazing job. This is seriously one of my all time favs!!!
love it!!!

Jan said...

Everything about your quilt is fantastic. I love it.

karen said...

ohh it is really truly gorgeous, it will be so nice to have a lazy morning in bed and look across and see the letters - each one is a wonder. so glad I got to see it in person - definately going to the quilt show to stare at it some more

Pattilou said...

What an accomplishment for you! Congrats on such a lovely finish. The straight line quilting is a perfect choice with those letters. Can't believe the patience this one took!

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

Oh my goodness, this is so amazing. You should be so proud - everything sings, the lyrics (duh, obviously) the colours and the carefully considered placement. It has all come together so well! I'm such a fan of the organic straight line quilting too, particularly when your piecing should really take centre stage, as it should here. What a joy to see this on your bed every day! Yay!

Katie B said...

You stop it right now! Are you kidding me? This is a masterpiece. I am in awe!

Patti said...

I don't think I've seen this before Krista! It's a fabulous entry into the festival. Now I will be singing Blackbird for the rest of the day!

CitricSugar said...

This quilt is so gorgeous, Krista! I love the background fabrics you chose as well. Just love it. So much.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

Love the subtlety of the words in your quilt. I've always loved words and phrases but have never considered how I could incorporate them into a quilt as well as you've done. Well done!

felicity said...

Truly a masterpiece of "slow quilting." The time and care and love that were put into this quilt really do shine through. Every last detail is perfect. Well done, you!

Janet said...

This is a very provocative and original quilt! I love the way you used the colours to have the words fade into the background. I am trying to see if you took the straight line quilting through the letters but I can't tell. Lovely.

Ariane said...

Wow!!!! This quilt is amazing!! I love it!!! The colours, the words, the quilting....all perfection!!!

Anonymous said...

This is a truly beautiful quilt, - lovely colours, and the quilting is just right!

Unknown said...

I love that song too... There's something so enigmatic about it. Your quilt evokes that same feeling. It is beautiful Krista (with just the right amount of pink for a man too)!!!

Michelle Jensen said...

That was very creative. Thank you for the comment on my quilt as well. That is so so nice of you. I love the fabric that was used btw. The pink floral with the gray is so stunning.

Tiffany said...

A gratifying labor of love, this gorgeous quilt! Outstanding job. I feel like I'm trying to study it from here, so much to take in. I want to get closer for an in depth look at your treasure. Really wonderful work, I'm so impressed. Congrats Krista!

Chez Roo said...

Stunning. I sang that song as a lullabye to all of my babies, so I especially love it!

Teresa F. said...

What a wonderful quilt. You must have worked so hard to get it done. Love the colors. Thanks for sharing.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Utterly gorgeous!! I was listening to that song when I was giving birth to my daughter, although she was born to Lucy in the sky with diamonds!! It's really beautiful!

Rachaeldaisy said...

This quilt is absolutely gorgeous!! I love the Blackbird song too, my favourite memory of it was seeing Crosby Stills and Nash sing it in concert.

Mom said...

very fun!

margaret
www.quiltsoflove.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

What an inspiring quilt Krista - you could take any affirmation and turn it into a quilt - brilliant idea
Thanks for sharing it

moira said...

love love love! Amazeballs!

Sarcastic Quilter said...

Amazing and inspirational.

Dianne said...

Having watched this come to life over the course of retreats and QBTBs it is wonderful to see it complete, your vision realized and so very lovely! The setting of the words is perfect, readable but not obvious and you did a great job of balancing the pink so B won't feel like he is under a too feminine quilt. It is going to be a fave in our show for sure!

Barb said...

Stunning, Krista! You continue to inspire. I love how the letters blend with the background. Now I have Blackbird running through my head! Have a great long weekend.

Allison said...

this is a stunningly beautiful quilt!

**nicke... said...

wow! speechless!

Nana said...

Love the song and the design. Wow!! Beautiful quilt.

Arita said...

It's gorgeous Krista. Thanks for sharing at last guild meeting.

balu51 said...

Absolutely stunning! I'm sure I'll come back to look at your built again and again.

Camilla said...

Love your colour choices. Gorgeous altogether!

Ann said...

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! Love your colour palette - beautiful fabrics that look amazing with Essex putty. Wow. Truly artistic!

Eileen said...

Beautiful!

Cindy said...

Such a great idea to use letters that way. It makes me rethink the use of Denyse's pattern.
Great entry!

Happy Quilt Festival.

Marg said...

It's simply beautiful.

Lynne (Lily's Quilts) said...

Oh my goodness gracious me this is absolutely incredible. A work of art and definitely my favourite quit of the festival so I'm going to nominate you in lots of categories. Absolutely totally and utterly wonderful. Probably my favourite thing you've ever made I think. StunningI wisj I could see it in person and I'd love to see your tute on piecing letters because I have a mental block about piecing letter. Wowzers. Jeeze Nigel

hafza said...

It have artistic element... beautiful!

Allie said...

Oh. my. word. I think this is my favorite quilt in the festival. The colors are so perfect - and I dearly love that song too, how amazing to see it in a quilt. LOVE how you quilted it. And pieced on your featherweight too. This is stunning!

The Thompsons said...

It's beautiful! So cool! I've never seen a word quilt in this magnitude before and it's stunning.

purduepam said...

Love your text quilt. I admire your patience to make all the letters using the template method. Your quilting is just right for the quilt.

Eileen said...

what a fantastic quilt. i want to do a word quilt one of these days--thanks for all the info. thanks for sharing and have a great day

amy dame said...

i love this quilt so much Krista. SOOOO MUCH!!!!! i love the colours (which frankly, is odd, cause they aren't me at all), i love the denyse schmidt letters and the blocks of fabric you added between them, i love the space you added on the top and bottom, i love how you quilted it, and like you, it's one of my favourite songs, so i love the words too!

Splendorfalls said...

Seriously this quilt is amazing. The colors, the song you chose...love it all!

tusen said...

Wow, it's beautiful. I love the colour combination and I'm impressed by all the piecing.

M-R Charbonneau said...

Wow, Krista, this is gorgeous! Wow!

Live a Colorful Life said...

This is one of my very favorite quilts! I'm definitely nominating this one. I have always wanted to make the Proverbial Quilt--using some lines from The Prayer. Tutorial please--that would be great. And like you, I think I'll take my time and piece all the letters on my Featherweight. This is absolutely stunning, Krista!

pinsandneedles said...

Beautiful quilt for a beautiful song! Love the simplicity of it.I really want to make a word quilt like this. I'd love a tutorial. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Very obviously a lot of work - so beautiful Krista. Thanks for adding this to the world!

Beth said...

Wow - I love this! I'm not sure how I missed it during the festival. So impressive and so cool!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE this quilt. I've done a pillow using this quilting alphabet, but I really want to do a quilt with this alphabet. I'd love to know how you did the freezer paper method for the letters. Please do a tutorial soon! I can't wait to see it.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your quilt. I made a pillow using this quilt alphabet, but I really want to make a quilt using these letters. I'd love to know your freezer paper method of doing the letters. Please do a tutorial soon so I can figure it out. Tracing the templates is so time consuming.