Portland Rose

It is official.  I win the award for bad blogger!!  Honestly, it has not felt like it has been that long since my last post.  Time flies when you are having fun!! 🙂  Lots to share, so I really need to start posting more.  I post on Instagram (find me at hrckal) almost daily because it is soooo quick and easy…fun too!!  I was thinking that if you guys do not mind short and sweet posts that I would start to do that more and save the big ones for when I reveal quilts.  Does that sound like a good deal??

I cannot believe how much I have traveled (by car) so far this summer!  Two trips to Wisconsin.  One for an amazing quilt retreat with some seriously talented ladies!!  Like so talented, I found myself thinking “what the heck am I doing here??”  More about that trip later.  Then last weekend Scott and I traveled to Wisconsin for the marriage of Lisa and Nick Bongean’s son.  We had the best time EVER!!  Again, more on that in another post.

Since I have not posted in over a month, I have a really REALLY good one for ya all!!  “Portland Rose” is the final quilt for the book Flannel Gatherings by Lisa Bongean.  Flannel Gatherings is available here.  Lisa has been waiting patiently for this last quilt to do the final touches for the book.   In my opinion, this quilt is spectacular.  It may very well be my Michael Jackson’s Thriller….meaning I may never top the quilting on this one.  A little background on the quilt…it is wool applique on flannel.  It measures around 105″ x 105″.  Not small.  I will share just a few photos.  Wink. Wink.  🙂

I won’t jabber on.  I will let the photos do most of the talking.  The batting is Dream Wool and So Fine threads from Superior.  2 and one half cones worth!!!!

This quilt is big so I did have to do some pre-planning on the design.  I wanted to create a design that would create a secondary design that would frame the applique.  I wanted the designs to enhance the quilt.  Antique quilts were my inspiration.  It was wonderful to see my vision come to life!!

The borders are 20″.  I asked Lisa while laying out the design, to make sure I had space for quilting….ummmmm, yeah…then when it came time to quilt, I was saying to myself “what were you thinking??!!!”  Lol!

In order to get the quilting to pop and look like trapunto, I did some major TEENY TINY micro work.

That is one of those fine glass pins. 🙂

 A couple of “as I was quilting pics.”  Love that center medallion!!!!  I stitched in the the ditch and around all the appliques first.  Basted all the open areas all the way down the quilt and then worked my way back up the quilt with the quilting.  I was afraid all that micro work would distort the quilt if I did my normal quilt as I go method.  In the pic below, you can see the area around the feathers/ feather wreath at the top are not quilted and still very puffy.

We delivered the quilt in person since we were headed to Wisconsin anyways for the wedding.  Lisa was over-the-moon about the quilting.  She had a pre-wedding celebration at her lakehouse and left it out for all her guests to admire.  Scott was able to take some pics with our good camera.  🙂

There is some of that micro work.

And the back, which I love nearly as much as the front.

 Before Quilting

Last but not least…

The girls have Competitive Team Dance Camp this week.  I told them they could invite some of the girls over for the night.  Now I have 6 twelve year olds running around upstairs.  Again, what was I thinking???  LOL!!  Gotta run!!