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Saturday, October 12, 2013

Discovering Dawn

Well, my Fall Break of leisurely sewing is coming to a close, but not before I finished one final quilt.  Yeah, that makes three for the week.  For real- My Quilt Infatuation...it's more than a name.  It's kind of a problem.


I have to give a shout out to Janet at Simply Pieced.  Last month, when she hosted our local MQG meeting, that girl was cleaning out some of her stash!  She made this quilt with the Eden's Dream line by Studio E, and decided that she was finished with the fabric.  I ended up with almost a full fat quarter of 8 different prints.  A girl can always use more fabric, right?  Thanks, Janet!

I wanted to use this fabric judiciously, so I needed a fairly simple pattern that would create as little waste as possible.  I stretched the fabrics by adding some Kona Coal, Kona Baby Blue, and that cute lime green print which coordinated so perfectly!  I ended up making some 25 patch blocks and alternating with framed 9 patches.  The squares are 2 inches finished.  I used Kona Bone and the creamy ivory is the perfect compliment to the soft colors of the fabrics.  I quilted with a meander in soft pink, and I just love how it looks against the quilt.


I don't see many 25 patches around.  Usually, I see either 16 patches or 36 patches, with good reason now that I think of it.  You can't speed piece 25 patches in the same way since there is an odd number across.  So, to make the 25 patches quickly, I made a 16 patch, then attached a row of four to one side, then a row of 5 down the other side.  Well duh!  That makes sense, right?  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it actually took a couple of blocks before I started doing them this way.  Then, of course it went much faster.


I used every single scrap of fabric in the top, so that left none for the backing.  That allowed me the freedom to choose a busier print for the backing though, so it's all good!  I just love this gray and cream scroll fabric, and I added an offset stripe of blue just to break it up a little bit.  The binding is Kona Coal, since I already had plenty of it in my stash.


When I first saw these fabrics, the colors immediately reminded me of dawn.  The colors are bright, but something about them is soft as well.  Maybe it's the gray and cream mixed in?  The framed patches give the illusion of looking through windows and peeking out at the sometimes foggy early morning light of dawn.  So, I've named this one Discovering Dawn.  It measures 50x50.  I'm really happy with the way this one turned out, and I'm listing it in my etsy shop!


Besides the fact that Fall Break is ending, the other reason that I rushed to get this one finished up is because my beloved Bernina's service light came on.  It's a little bit troubling, since I've only had her since April.  My dealer assures me that she shouldn't need regular service already, but since Discovering Dawn is her 28th quilt, I wonder if that's the case.  Even though several of these quilts were baby quilts, I think that's still a pretty big workload for 6 months.  I really hope that's it and nothing is actually wrong.  Seriously though- what am I going to do for 1-2 weeks while she's gone?

44 comments:

  1. Your quilt is so pretty! You can always pick and cut fabric for future quilts. That's what I do when I don't want to sew (or can't sew)!

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  2. Gosh Kelly this is gorgeous..It does remind me of Dawn...My sister Dawn. I just love your blog thanks for sharing.

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  3. Lovely, pretty quilt. I think you may need a back-up machine...

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  4. That's a beautiful quilt, Kelly! Love the colors/fabrics.
    Uuh, it's hard to be without the sewing machine. Maybe you could do a little hand sewing project during the time.? Or some hand quilting?

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  5. Beautiful quilt, love the backing you chose, looks so good with the front.

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  6. Another beautiful quilt..great color combo. Well, you will definitely have to do some fabric shopping and cutting!

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  7. Love this mix of colors, so pretty:)

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  8. Love the colors in this one! Great Finish!

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  9. It is gorgeous! You did choose the best colour combinations,
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

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  10. very nice, you have had a busy week, not a holiday week, that is for sure! I have my fabric picked out and ready to cut for my giant log cabin!! I agree with the others, I think you need a backup machine, just to keep you out of trouble while your other one is in the shop

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  11. Such a gorgeous quilt! I love the colors.

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  12. No back up machine? I have an adorable Singer Featherweigt that I use when my other machine is in for service. This could be justification of why you need to get one! How about trying some embroidery?

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  13. You are going to be beside yourself without your machine. I feel for you, Kelly. But we all go through it! You are a particularly harsh slave driver though. Discovering Dawn is another true beaut. You work you magic every time! I especially admire that backing with the stripe. Very sleek!

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  14. So pretty!! And yay for a SUPER productive break! :-D

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  15. Kelly, this is so lovely and charming. Wow! you are a speed quilter girl! You might look for a vintage Singer machine as a back up machine. I have several different models, and they each have a specific quality and function, but are totally solid sewing machines. I have my Grandmother's Treadle, that is about 110 yrs old, and it makes perfect straight stitches, and never breaks down. I clean it often and find the treadle is very relaxing...but mostly sentimental memories I reflect on as I sew. And, I can sew even when the power goes out and look out the window as it rains.

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  16. You could do hand sewing....hexies! Or hand embroidery if you're into that!

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  17. Kelly you Rock! I can't believe all you were able to get done during break! It has been like a whirlwind of beautiful quilts. Love all your work!

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  18. Beautiful! Sounds like a good time to sort through the stash and cut up some kits... or shop for a backup machine you can piece with!

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  19. Very pretty! Sounds like your Bernina just need a wee vacation, a little R 'n R, and then she'll back with you, rearin' to stitch again!

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  20. Another great quilt. And I really LOVE the backing fabric. Do you happen to remember what it is? Would love to get my hands on some!

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  21. Yes...she is a beut! Love the alternating 9 and 25 patch. Outstanding for sure!!

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  22. WOW! You ARE prolific. Great quilt!

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  23. Great quilt! Love the colors, so soft and dreamy with that pop of green. I feel for you being without a machine. I had to take my Bernina in for service earlier this year. Fortunately, I had a back up singer machine I could use. I'd have gone nuts without being able to sew. You definitely need an extra machine for stitching!

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  24. Beautiful colour palette for this one Kelly, it looks awesome! Love the little pops of green!
    Hope your machine is back up running soon!

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  25. Hi Kelly...what a great eye for just the right fabrics in this beautiful quilt. Well done on all counts...make do fabric, waste not want not, and of course the backing and quilting look perfect....also the label...the final perfect touch.

    How fun to find Design Wall Monday and visit your post. Yes, I'm a newbie to this party, but not to the art and world of Quilting. I owned a 'Brick and Mortar' quilt shop from 1996 through 2005, and now I've joined the online Quilt World with A Quilt Store and More ETSY Shop. My 'Niche' in the ever growing and competitive online fabric shopping world is my 'Inventory and Stash' from the years of buying and selling quality quilt fabrics from top designers and manufacturers. I'd love for you to visit me at CollectInTexas BlogShop which is linked to my ETSY Shop and see what is on my Design Wall today. Just click on the signature link below...hope to see you there.

    Sue CollectInTexas BlogShop

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  26. Kelly, you have such a great eye for color! The fabrics you chose to add are just perfect. Love the design too. Good to know this pattern doesn't waste much. I am looking for one of those. Another great back too, this one is maybe my favorite. Something about that teal and grey is perfect and the one stripe is so simple and clean, Could be a front to me, haha!

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  27. Wow you must be quilting non stop! You have been one busy lady! You did a great job!

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  28. Oh look! Another beautiful quilt from you. =) Best wishes selling your items in the shop.

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  29. Such great colors and I love the print you chose for the backing! This quilt turned out great.

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  30. This is such a cool quilt. I love all the colors and that blue stripe on the back! Hope your machine is ok!

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  31. Oh no - hope your machine is okay!

    And what a great use of free, gorgeous fabric! Very well done!

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  32. OK...first of all, you don't charge enough for your beautiful quilts! Second...how did you get the cute Etsy button for your blog? I've just started blogging... :)

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  33. I really love the colors of this quilt! I hope your machine is a-ok!

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  34. Love this! So exciting to see it in person! The pink thread for quilting was inspired. It is Gorgeous! The colors are so beautiful, bright and subdued at the same time! Fabulous job!

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  35. it's so beautiful, kelly! i bought some of these fabrics after i saw janet's quilt but still have no idea what i'm going with them. they are sitting and waiting for my other dozen projects to get out of the way. maybe if i quilted as quickly as you do, i'd be to them by now. =) love your backing and binding choices!

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  36. Kelly,a great quilt! And the colour/Hugs Bambi

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  37. Beautiful quilt, and I love those colors together.

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  38. Using up all the remnants in one project is phenomenal, and I love the colors and design of this quilt. I hope you do get your machine back soon; I turned mine in for annual maintenance while I did a weeklong bicycle tour. It was done when I got home, so pretty painless!

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  39. It's wonderful. I like the print on the back too. I hope nothing is wrong with your machine and that you get it back quickly.

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  40. Popped over from Crazy Mom Quilts FIUF. Love your quilt. The Kona solids blend in beautifully.

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  41. Beautiful quilt. Love the quilting too

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