Sunday, November 25, 2007

Brenda's Top

Hi: It's Brenda from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with my completed quilt top inspired by the first verse of the carol Good King Wencelas.
I do have to mention that though we have a reputation for being incredibly cold here, we've still hovering around the freezing mark with very little snow so far. I used up scraps for this project, which is why there are several blues and darks. I found a piece of a Hoffman Painted Desert print that looks like northern lights to me, which we see in the Northern Hemisphere on clear nights, both winter and summer. I took Tonya's free-pieced philosophy to heart, so there are many seams because I added a bit more fabric to make it work out. ( I'm still slightly afraid of the quilt police --will they think I can't measure?). I've had fun making this, and if I had more weeks until Christmas, I might even try a few more carol-themed quilts. Maybe next year. So I'm about to sandwich it and want to start quilting, but I'm wondering what to do. How would Tonya's free form fans look on this? What should I be quilting with? thread or perle cotton? I'm slightly nervous about all the layers from the seam allowances too.

I've enjoyed following everyone's progress on this blog. It's a great treat to log on and see what you're all working on.

11 comments:

Tonya Ricucci said...

Brenda, you've done a marvelous job. forget about those nasty old quilt police - you've got a great top here. i love that Painted Desert fabric - I've still got some of that myself.

Quilting through all the seams can definitely be a pain. I do know about that. I just switch to stab stitching when I hit those spots. I think the fans would be beautiful on this top. I almost think that perle cotton would overwhelm the quilt - those tree trunks are narrow. The only way to know for sure is to try it. good luck and have fun.

Sandy's Quilter's Block said...

Oh my gosh, I can't believe you are this far already. You're a wiz!
It looks great. I love your colors and words. Good luck with the quilting.

jude said...

looks great...i can feel the chill. no quilt police here, isn't it a good feeling?

QuiltingFitzy said...

The fabric behind the moon is AWESOME! I just love your piece!

You're fast in the assembly department, maybe you need to come to my home in the desert to warm up and help me get mine done? (We turned on the furnace for the first time this morning!)

Kristin Shields said...

Beautiful!! I love all the different backgrounds and the one with the moon is awesome. Fans would be great, as would outlining in some areas and other free form quilting.

Donna said...

The various backgrounds enhance this quilt tremendously! I love the various white "layers" making the snow deep and crisp and even -- looks like there's been more then one winter storm and wind the way they're laying :-)

Carol E. said...

Fabulous! I love it! Great job, and the quilt police have been banned from ever viewing this project, so don't worry. I hope you make more next year, because your first one is stupendous.

Lynda said...

The fabric up to the moon loks wonderful! (And the rest).

Heidi said...

What a beautiful top, you can feel the cold and the snow.

Rose Marie said...

Looking at your moon and the Northern Lights sure sums up that block .... cold and those lights are something to see. Your quilt is fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments. I started quilting yesterday during the Grey Cup (the Canadian football championship) and the freehand fans are looking good -- sort of like snow banks. The reason for all the shades of white is two-fold -- I wanted to show snow in its many colours, and I've been string piecing and collecting light strings from scrapbags around me. /Brenda from Winnipeg, where the snow is piling up.