Windmills and Trees Cot Quilt

A friend of mine asked me to make a cot quilt for her brand new granddaughter.  The quilt is going to stay at her house and be used for all her grandchildren.  She asked for an "heirloom quilt" which is a bit daunting.  She wanted something "modern" and likes the trees I've done in the past.  So, rather than sit down with her and discuss the quilt step by step, I've decided to take the like-it-or-lump-it approach.  So this is what I've come up with and, if she doesn't like it, that's OK, I'll keep it as a wall hanging because I love it.  And I've written up a pattern for this one so maybe, finally, I'll actually get around to publishing a pattern for one of my quilts.  Let me know if you would be interested.


inspiration:


details:

  • The background is grey and cream pinwheels, mostly Bunny Hill's Puttin on the Ritz which I got for a song from Fat Quarter Shop a few weeks back when they were having one of their 50% off twitter sales.  
  • The treetops are Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably from stash.  The tree trunks are a variety of B+W blenders, including some Mama Said Sew, mostly from a B+W blenders bundle Peg at Sew Fresh Fabrics made up for me.  
  • The quilt is of course pieced using Aurifil 50wt, my piecing thread of choice for hand and machine work.
  • The trees are raw edge appliqued and blanket stitched around using Aurifil 40wt.  
  • The quilting is an Aurifil 40wt grey cross hatch with lines 1" apart.  
  • I mark my quilting lines for straight line quilting using a hera marker (a plastic gadget that has a sharpish edge which you run over the fabric leaving a dent in it which you can follow so no risk of leaving a permanent pen line on the quilt).  
  • It is backed and bound with one of Oakshott's "gem" fabrics (garnet) which are cheaper than their shot cottons, are not shot but are made using the same colour thread in the warp and the weft so you get the rich Oakshott colours and the soft Oakshott texture but at a much cheaper price (worth a look).  
  • I tried a new wadding in this quilt.  It is a superwide (95") French cotton wadding from Oakshott.  It is beautiful to use - quite heavy, quite a low loft, a lovely drape once quilted, expensive feeling and you don't get covered in wadding fluff as you do with some of the other cotton waddings.  
  • And lastly, but not in the least leastly, I finish off all my quilts with what I in my head call a "snagging".  Snagging is a term builders use when they finish off all the little jobs on a house.  I don't know if anyone else has a term for the finishing process or if there is a proper quilting term for this part of the process but this is what I do.  I sit down in front of something like an old episode of Friends on the telly armed with embroidery scissors, tweezers and a Korbond lint roller.  Snip threads with embroidery scissors, pull threads with tweezers and run a Korbond lint roller over the threads as you go which will pick up all the stray pieces of thread, wadding fluff, dust, cat hairs and anything else your quilt has picked up whilst it was being made. 

Comments

  1. beautiful, I love the greys the the bright trees.... I snag too :O)

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  2. Love this cot quilt Lynne - it is beautiful. Great quilting too - love the texture that it adds.

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  3. Oh my Lord I LOVE THIS QUILT! Totally fabulous x

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  4. Beautiful Lynne - lovely choice of fabrics, the bright trees sit brilliantly against the greys - maybe you will now accept that you can in fact put fabrics together!!
    And yes, this would make a great pattern.

    PS. Have you ever tried marking with soap? Save ends of bar soap until very thin, it marks darker colours really well with no harm to the fabric, and a bit easier to see than the Hera markings.x

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  5. This is a beautiful quilt - so very fresh and just you
    I can understand your love for it - I'm sure it will be loved and appreciated by your friend

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  6. Eek! This is totally awesome and I love love love it!!

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  7. Yay a pattern at last, go on do it! i think you have fulfilled your brief totally and some extra, the trees have a modern feel and the background a heritage sensibility. I am intrigued by Oakshott batting, hmm quite fancy trying a bit of that!

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  8. It's beautiful Lynne! Love the neutral half square triangles for the background they really make the trees pop. Excellent work!

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  9. Great to see you branching out Lynne, i might have to take a leaf from your book, though I don't want to bark up the wrong tree. Have you twigged that I love it? Treemendous! xo

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  10. Congrats on a beauty of a quilt Lynne! So fun that you used pinwheels as a background! It will be loved!!

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  11. Most definitely an heirloom quilt. I'm sure the new owner and her grandkiddies will love and treasure it.

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  12. Wow another stunning quilt Lynne, you are so amazingly talented. I'm sure the pattern would be very popular.

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  13. wunderschön. modern and with depth.
    lg, birgit

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  14. Gorgeous. Love it! Pattern please!

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  15. Fab! Get your pattern published, you know you want to! :-)

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  16. It's lovely, how could anyone not like it? A pattern would be good. Yes, I snag too, those cheap lint rollers you get in the poundshop are great for picking up stray threads, fluff etc, I even found they removed white chalk pencil markings from a dark fabric.

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  17. I really love that! I like the idea of "snagging" too:)

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  18. This quilt is a work of art...just beautiful and a big inspiration! Thanks so much for posting the details, as well.

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  19. that's gorgeous! Really, really lovely!

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  20. It beautiful, I don't think there's any chance that you'll get to keep it!

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  21. Such a great quilt - I love the neutral blocks in the background - they work so well with your colourful trees. I go through that snagging process too, and now I have a name for it - thank you!

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  22. Really beautiful :-) I'd keep it.... lol

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  23. Another beautiful quilt Lynne. I would definitely like the pattern!

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  24. It is really gorgeous, Lynne! I even have some of those Kaffe prints in my stash!
    A pattern would be great.

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  25. I've been only "semi-snagging" my quilts, since I have not used the lint roller on them. Also, after recently viewing Leah Days' FMQ video on how to bury the thread ends, I'll add burying thread ends to my quilt "snagging" routine. It's nice to have a term for this final quilt finishing step.

    Your heirloom tree quilt is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your design process.

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  26. Your like-it-or-lump-it approach cracks me up! I'm sure she's ga-ga over it--I know I am! Dan's giraffe's were such a visual treat, no?
    I don't have a finishing term but snagging seems a bit close to snogging for me:)

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  27. I would love a pattern of this quilt!

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  28. a pattern fo rthis would be great....i love it. the bright trees are so fun

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  29. I would love a pattern, I fell in love the moment I saw it :) Simply gorgeous.

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  30. it almost makes me want to have more children

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  31. It is too much fun! I just want to make one to see those lovely large trees on the neutral background in person. I think a pattern would be popular.

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  32. It's beautiful and playful and modern. It's such an honor to be noted as inspiration! xo

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  33. This is my most favorite quilt I have seen in ages! The fabrics are perfect, the design is perfect and I love it to death! Pattern? YES!

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  34. I love these trees!! Love love love... makes my heart sing!

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  35. Love everything about this quilt - I'm quite sure you won't get to keep it! Pattern? Go for it!

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  36. This looks fab, love how you've done the background and the fabrics you chose for the trees

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  37. a great quilt! love the trees on this background ... make the pattern!

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  38. Absolutey love it. Sad to say I don't think you will be keeping it-who would say no to this?

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  39. Well done! The grandkids will be arguing over who gets to keep it.

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  40. The quilt it gorgeous! Loving the pattern and the colours. Ha snagging..I didn't use to bother until I was looking at my quilts closer and thought where have all these threads come from! =D

    Also I've added some new fabrics into my swap shop, as well as a new one via Flickr. If you're interested feel free to check them out =D
    http://ibescheraldine.blogspot.co.uk/p/cheraldines-swap-shop.html
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibescheraldine/sets/72157630591128322/

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  41. Love the quilt and your color choices! I'd definitely want the pattern :)

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  42. Wow that is a stunner quilt!! If the person you made it for doesn't like she may need her eyes checked-hehehehe:)

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  43. Gorgeous! I love the neutrals in the background with the pops of color for the trees.

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  44. Love this quilt, love it! Would definitely be interested in the pattern.

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  45. This is absolutely beautiful work. I would love the pattern!

    Amanda Rose
    http://sewmuchtosay.blogspot.com

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  46. You already know I LOVE this from flickr, but what I want to know is what your friend meant by 'heirloom' and 'modern' together? I admire your like it or lump it approach to commissions, btw!!!

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  47. Yes, please publish this pattern...I would buy it to sell at my quilt shop!

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  48. Love this quilt - no pressure, but how soon can you publish?!?

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  49. Snagging is a good term, I refer o it as giving the quilt a hair cut!

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  50. Such a cool style of quilt, loving the black and white. Now I have a word for the obsessive picking I do when I finish quilts - thanks! ;)

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  51. This is so cute, Lynne!! I love it - thanks so much for sharing a bit of your process on it.

    "Snagging" made me laugh. I've never had a word for that little bit at the end but that one's great - mostly because it sounds a tad dirty, not something generally associated with quilting. :-)

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  52. I would happily pay money for this pattern (hint hint). This is so stunning.

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  53. Lynne-its stunning. So good that is not so obviously a childrens quilt. The colours choice is genius. Really love it - and Snagging is a very good term to use!

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  54. I love everything about it!!! You should definitely publish this pattern...

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  55. That quilt is fantastic, there is no way anyone would turn it down! I would definitely be interested in the pattern if you published it

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  56. a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Please, publish it!

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  57. thank you for your details on putting this quilt together. I think a pattern would do well for you. I am a huge fan of Kaffe Fassett, it's amazing how versatile his fabric designs are. The contrast between the quilts and the tress is just right. I'm sure she will love it.

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  58. Love this quilt! The softness of the background and the amazing trees! Yes, I would be interested in the pattern if you publish!

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  59. Oh how pretty! I would ABSOLUTELY buy this pattern! LOVE the kaffe trees against the soft background! Lovely!

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  60. I too would purchase this pattern ! I love the trees ! Maybe that is part of living on the west coast of Canada! I will be adding your blog to my favorites! Found you because of the WHERE I SEW on Pink Chalk Fabrics blog !

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  61. Would love to see a pattern.

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  62. I find this quilt absolutely adorable. You should put the pattern out.

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