Here is the (nearly) completed “Vintage” quilt top for our Simply Retro challenge for the month of May. 3 months down, 9 to go!!
I say nearly completed because it lacks but 2 strips of the outer sashing. I had some trouble with this months quilt, particularly in lining the blocks up to join neatly. I couldn’t get all the points and fraying bias edges to meet to my satisfaction, no matter how carefully I tried.
My solution, after having slept on the problem, was to give each block a mini sashing – using the strips I had already cut for the outside, and cutting them in half. The sashing finished up at 1 1/4 inches wide, not enough to detract from the pattern, but enough to trick the eye into thinking things were lined up better than they were! Once it’s quilted, you will never know the difference!
The other drama for the month was working with this soft shot cotton from Spotlight. The colour, called Fuchsia is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a dark pink cross woven with a lighter pink, although the overall effect does lean towards purple a little bit. However, due to the buttery soft weave, that made it quite easy to cut up, it also frayed. A lot. I can see that this quilt is going to be densely quilted over all those seams, so that there isn’t wear issues later on down the track with washing. Because I make these gorgeous pieces of textile art to live with and use, not to admire. They aren’t so precious that you can’t cuddle up on the lounge with the ones you love. It’s a great big quilty hug!!
Just loving all these amazing saturated colours. It makes quite a statement, although the pops of yellow and orange stop it from being too saccharine girly I think.
So there ends May. I have the fabric for those last 2 sashings, as well as a backing fabric I picked up, so in all my spare time (cough cough) I will get onto quilting all these babies up!
See previous posts about this quilt HERE and HERE, as well as March and April challenge quilts. Don’t forget to have a look at Sharon’s and Angie’s quilts for this month too!!
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Sharon
Looks great, Cassie … I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it was to work with the soft/fraying cotton. Good on you for sticking with it! Look out June, here we come!!! 🙂
Cassandra
Can’t wait to start June’s quilt, putting this particular challenge well behind me! 😉
Angie @ GnomeAngel.com
Hello!!! 🙂
I love this quilt top (even with the missing bits)! I found the same issue with Oakshott – looks amazing, feels wonderful but frays like nobodies business.
I love the fabric in the middle block on the top row – do you know what it is?
When I picked this block I was silently rejoicing at the lack of sashing (I do so hate sashing) but I suspect (having completed a couple of blocks) that I too will have to add a little bit of wiggle room via sashing.
I can’t wait to see what you do with June! I suspect my Vintage is going to be August finish at this pace!!! 😉 🙂
Cassandra
Thankyou so much for your enthusiasm Angie!! I do love this quilt, even if I spent plenty of time cursing it. The fabric that you love, good spotting. It’s a rare colourway of a Denyse Schmidt older line. Our Spotlight still has a small amount on the bolt of it in the clearance section and I keep promising myself I’m going to just buy the rest of it one day.
And I love that you hate sashing…. I hate it too!! I couldn’t believe that I voluntarily ADDED it to a quilt.
Karin
Thanks for visiting the Linky Party. I love that block and have come across it a number of times recently. Your colour choices are just great and adds another dimension…I really like it. And yes, agree…quilts are for using, not looking at (unless of course if you spent 10 years making it).
Cassandra
Hi Karin 🙂 thankyou so much for hosting! Its my first time participating in a Linky party, so I’m excited to meet new bloggers. This block was the subject of a quilt-along on instagram recently which has probably increased its popularity!
Helen
Absolutely love your colors and pattern. Your are right the yellow and orange really make it pop!
FYI: happily found you through Karin and Anything Goes Monday!
Cassandra
Hi Helen, so happy you found me! I’m really glad to get feedback like that on my colour scheme, I have to admit to moments of serious doubt about halfway through!
Judy
Beautiful top!! Love the color combo too 🙂 I can’t tell you how many times, half way through a project, I go ummm, these colors are not working for me. . . and in the end it all works out 😉 What a great idea to put a narrow sashing between those squares! Absolutely brilliant!
Cassandra
Thankyou Judy! It was an obvious decision the morning after lol…. I am really glad I persevered with it 😉
Jayne Willis
I love the Fuchsia! Beautiful quilt!
Cassandra
Thankyou Jayne 😀