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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
The big secret! I made my parents a quilt for their queen bed! I came up with the idea over the summer, but of course didn't actually start it until about a week and a half before Christmas, hehe.  Their bedroom in the new house will be a rusty color so I knew neutrals would be a safe bet.  I decided to go with all solids so that it would keep it from being too busy. I used 8 shades of Kona cotton: Earth, Taupe, Stone, Raffia, Khaki, Straw, Sand, Champagne.  It took 1/2 yards of all 8 colors.  This is the third plus quilt I've made, and honestly, they're fun! It comes together really fast.  I used my tutorial but cut 7.75" squares and a 12x13 layout to end up with a 87"x94" quilt!

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
For as quick and painless as piecing the top was, the quilting was a disaster! I think my walking foot needed oiling, and perhaps I could have used a few more pins when basting.  That on top of the fact that it was really a bit too bulk for my machine and too heavy for me to maneuver properly.  So, don't look at it too closely! Their are a fair number of pickers and wonky lines. Thankfully a good washing does magic to hide the mistakes!

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I ended up backing it in this fun vintage sheet I was saving for something special. It's a nice pop of color compared to the front but still has some brown going on!

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I bound it using a brown dot/stripe I had in my stash purchased at Joanns a few years ago. I had planned on using a solid but thought the front needed a little more interest and this print did just the trick!

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Our Maine Coon kitty, Bobbie, matches the quilt! How convenient, she's practically camouflaged! ;)

Giant Neutral Plus Quilt by jenib320
Giant Neutral Plus Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I am so glad I was able to get this quilt finished in time for Christmas. This is the first bed-sized quilt I've given away! I think since I knew that when I started, I didn't get quite as attached to it! But, I'm very happy with how it ended up turning out! :)

25 comments :

  1. This is such a great design - and it looks amazing in the solids! I would love to make one of these for each of my sons in their favourite colours of green and blue.

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  2. Love the cat and the quilt!

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  3. I love the neutrals. And that sheet on the back is just so cool! And I can't believe you pulled this off in a week and half. I thought I was crazy starting my gift quilt a month early :)

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  4. Just beautiful Jeni!! those colours are so calm looking together. You know though, a quilt is not a quilt without a few imperfections, it's the charm of its handmade-ness :)

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  5. Jeni, I love the Plus Pattern! I am a recent follower so I had to go back and search for your castle peeps quilt and make sure this was the same blog....I think this is a pattern I am going to have to make....now I just have to decide on the fabrics. I love your blog!

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  6. Ooh, Jeni! It's beautiful, and so sophisticated! I bet your parents were thrilled! And that sheet you used for the back is gorgeous!

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  7. Really sweet finish Jeni!! I love all the neutrals going on:)

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  8. Love it, Jeni! It looks stunning on the bed, with or without the kitty:)

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  9. Very freaking cute. I love it.

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  10. Oh, how gorgeous it turned out! And it boggles my mind that you didn't start til a week and a half before Christmas. Yikes! You didn't say how they liked it, but I'm sure they were delighted with it and touched by your effort and generosity.

    BTW, I'm envious that you have a Maine coon cat. I love them, and yours is super gorgeous!

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  11. That plus quilt is AMAZING! Your blog is so inspiring. I always come away and add more things to my project list - this is no exception! :)

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  12. I am in love with the sheet you used to back this quilt!!!And your kitty is a twin to mine...Baby:)

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  13. what a lovely quilt, J! i definitely looks perfect to me.

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  14. I really love this quilt - although I love colour, I have been drawn to neutrals lately and this is a wonderful combination of lots of different neutrals but not enough to change the soft neutral look. Wonderful!

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  15. I love this one, want to make a plus quilt and the colours are gorgeous, think it might be easier than your other plus quilt. need to get bedsizes made this year :)

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  16. Did you still use 20 fat quarters for this size of quilt? It's lovely!

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  17. Nice job Jeni; your parents must have loved it! I have the same issues with straight line quilting and as much as I am a fan of the look I would much rather free motion any day! If you unlock the secret to not having puckers where the lines cross one another please let us know. Happy New Year!

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  18. lovely! both my mom and i are going to make a plus quilt inspired by you!!

    question... do you hand quilt your binding or machine quilt it??

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  19. Thanks for your Plus quilt tute!

    I love vintage sheets for quilt backings. However, using a vintage sheet may have been the cause of your quilting problems. Sheets are generally woven much tighter than regular quilting fabric and thus are more difficult to needle--a smaller thinner needle should be used. That's why many professional quilters refuse to accept sheets for quilt backings.

    Your plus quilts are beautiful and have inspired me to make one. I've got most of the squares laid out on my design wall, which is too small to hold them all, and am still moving them around to get the right balance. Mine will be scrappy as I'm only using masculine fabrics from my stash. Wish me luck!

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  20. Great quilt....but the CAT. Love the CAT!

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  21. Great quilt....but the CAT. Love the CAT!

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  22. BTW, I'm envious that you have a Maine coon cat. ... catbedsheets.blogspot.com

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