Monday, December 19, 2016

Pot Luck on Parade!

 I am having so much fun with this “Pot Luck” quilt! It may not be as easy as I had perceived it to be, but it has been so much fun to work on. Obviously, it would have been much speedier to make a conventional top and have it machine quilted.

(Sorry about the mess on the table, my husband is making a ship model in the living room!)

But, I really wanted to try the potholder method on something that was not simply the same square block over and over. And, I wanted to incorporate hand and machine quilting which is something I rarely do. I have learned a LOT from this project. I’ll try to share some of my experience as I go along. 

The most difficult thing for me is taking good photographs to post. My little Ipad takes great pictures in the daylight, but I don’t have any of that in the winter except on weekends. I also live in an old farmhouse with NO wall space for hanging a design wall. I have a small board for small quilts, but when I want to layout a large quilt I have to do it on a floor. I'm not complaining, I love my old house! I always tell people that I could never live in a "new" house because I would have no one to blame the dirt on but myself. I have nearly 150 years of dirt in my house and only 20 of those are mine! That is a lot of historical dust!

I think I have revised the layout plan at least once a day. Here is the most recent one with a little hand quilted unit.


I cut the backs out of my appliques if I am going to hand quilt over them. Do you? 

Have a great week! I hope you all get a little stitching time in between the baking and the parties!

28 comments:

  1. I am a great believer in a design bed.
    I put a white sheet on top of the cover and call it good. Easy on the knees and back and easier to get a picture.

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    1. I store all my big quilts on a spare bed, but the room is so small I can't get far back enough to take a photo. Do you think anyone would object to a queen bed in the middle of the living room? I think it might work! Thanks for sharing your method!

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    2. You got a hida bed in the couch?

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  2. I love old houses and you've just given me one more reason to love them. This project is fascinating to me. I can't quite wrap my head around the process.

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  3. "Historical dust" is about the best phrase I've ever heard! :-D

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    1. Well, it certainly has worked for me over the years. I grew up in an old house so I come by this naturally! My husband wants to paint the kitchen, but I feel like we would be destroying a part of history!

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  4. I think this whole idea is beyond my calculating skills. Do you find the size of the units changes much after quilting--and do the hand quilted ones shrink less than the machine quilted? I don't know that I would ever be able to even figure out a layout for all of these different parts, let alone put it together. But I am totally fascinated by your process, and I LOVE the little quiltlets you are combining!

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    1. Janet, they don't shrink much, but I do think the hand quilted ones shrink a little more than the machine quilted ones. I did try to keep it simple by using a factor of 2.5 inches (ie. each one is divisible by 2.5). This makes the math much simpler. It has been a challenge but a fun one!

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  5. I really love your wonderful project Wendy ! Old houses too ! My parents live in an old family one and it's full of memories in it !

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    1. I think memories are what make a house a home. Enjoy your Christmas Cecile!

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  6. Wendy, I love how your pot luck quilt is coming along. I should've known that you'd have a PLAN. When I put together orphan blocks, I just punt...but that's my style (it's pretty obvious when you look closely! VBG).
    I loved your old house and didn't see ANY direct, let alone 150 yrs worth...
    Hope you are having a wonderful holiday and enjoy that darling Caton!

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    1. You are sweet Randi but you must have had your contacts out! I think a little dirt is healthy! Have a great holiday up at the cabin with the family!

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  7. Your Pot Luck does look like it's a fun one!, and yes, I do cut out under applique'. It's the way I was taught - lol- so that it's easier to quilt later. Our home is only about 60 years old, but we moved it to where it is now about 35 years ago, so it seems like it's old. :) Maybe because there's always dust and dirt everywhere! hahaha Maybe it's time to do some more cleaning and less stitching?? :D
    Merry Christmas!

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    1. Oh No Debra, it is more time QUILTING and LESS time cleaning! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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  8. We have a civil war ear house, too...I'm loving that 'historical dust' line....I'm definitely going to use that! And this pot luck quilt is so beautiful....I can't believe you had so many wonderful orphan blocks! It's fantastic!

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    1. I can't believe I had so many either, but I did have to tweak a few!

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  9. Your Pot Luck quilt is looking yummy! I'd love to give that technique a try one of these days. We live in an old house, too, with lots of dust! It never goes away :) Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  10. What a fun project for you. Isn't it great to be enthused and excited?
    I also cut out the back of my work when I'm going to hand quilt. I'm so jealous that your husband has such a cool hobby. I love miniatures too.
    Remember "dust is a component of country decorating" as quoted many years ago in Country Living Mag. ha ha
    I adore old homes.

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    1. Oh Barb, I must have missed that issue! I really don't mind making my own "patina"! It is fun that we both while away the winter months with our projects. His is a bit more messy, but the work space is portable so he can remove it once a week when we have our grandson. I'll try to remember to post a picture of his models soon. Merry Christmas!

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  11. HI Wendy, your Pot Luck quilt is turning out beautifully! Each block is so pretty and so distinctive, that the contrast between the blocks is lovely.Congratulations on all the progress you're making ! Best wishes from Marina and Daryl Lynn

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  12. You are absolutely so talented! I love that you are mixing hand quilting with machine! I also love the fact that not all blocks are the same size! This is going to be an amazing work of art! I love historical homes! Merry Christmas!

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  13. I'm laughing so much about the historical dust, so funny!! love your pot luck pictures even if you don't think they're the best photos, they look good to me.

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  14. It is turning out great! I started a potluck quilt, but couldn't figure out how to get all the pieces together! LOL
    When our final days draw near, we won't be saying, "Darn, I wish I would have cleaned my house more!"

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  15. How very interesting. The red sort of separates the blocks and lets them stand on their own but the whole goes together. I have a design wall but for bigger quilts, the floor works well.
    Historical dirt. Now that is a new one and I like the term.

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  16. I think your pictures are great just like they are. I always apologize for my pictures when I take them with my mauve/raspberry carpeting in the background. Nothing looks good next to that carpeting. Someday I'll get around to replacing it. It's a case of "if it's not broke don't fix it" because there is still a lot of wear in the carpet. I trim the backing off of my applique before hand quilting it if the applique is big. I read somewhere that when the applique wears out on top of a vintage quilt, it leaves the batting exposed. I try to keep that in mind when I trim.

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