Flower Fantasy-An Embroidered Quilt
I did it- A finished quilt in 2014! Help me celebrate!
I started this quilt many years ago (Read more HERE) but dropped the project because the colors seemed too bright and there were areas of embroidery that I didn’t like.
When I found it in a box earlier this year–I was in need of a little strong color in my world, so I started working on the embroidery again.
By ripping out a few areas of stitching, I was able to resurrect this project into something I like. This is typical of my work flow. I often get to a stage where I dislike my work and abandon the project. When enough time has passed, and whatever frustration is long forgotten, I am able to look at the quilt with fresh eyes and less harsh criticism. Then I can enjoy the project again.
I think I will frame this little quilt and will be glad to have a garden of flowers even in February!
What’s your work flow like? Do you ever abandon projects and revive them much later? I’d love to hear!
Now that you’ve dug up all your UFO’s (Read more HERE and HERE) Have you found any diamonds-in-the-rough?
Happy Stitching,
Lori
PS…All photos, information and tutorials are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to Pin and re-blog with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. Please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com for any other use! Thank you.
45 comments
Sue
Okay, ladies, I have a question on this and other “crazy quilts”. Do you do the embroidery before sandwiching the quilt? Do you embroider before you join the pieces together? I really want to learn to/ do a crazy/embroidered quilt, but I’m mentally “stuck” on how to start. Do you have any suggestions?
Janis
Yes! This is exactly how my work flow goes. My nieces 12th birthday came and went last weekend. I’m nearly finished with her baby quilt, but couldn’t quite make it by the birthday. It’s a quilt that took on an out of control life of its own. It sat “ripening” on the shelf for many years. But when I got home from a family reunion last fall it had come down from the shelf all on its own somehow. It was laying at my feet when I opened the closet door. I figured that meant it was “ripe” so I took it up and started working on it again. Now I’ve only got to trim and bind the edges. That should only take me another six months or so. 🙂 I actually love the quilt, with all it’s challenges and mistakes and will be sorry to part with it once it’s finally done.
Teri
Your challenge a few weeks to organize our unfinished quilts was very difficult but also very motivating. So I too have a finished quilt for 2014. The original plan was that my son would get it for his 14th birthday, then it was confirmation, then for graduation from Jr. high school, finally Christmas 2013. But after organizing all my unfinished projects, instead of going to a quilt meeting on Sunday afternoon at the quilt shop in town where they show us the new fabrics and ideas on what to make with them, I decided to stay home b/c I did not need any more ideas swirling in my head.
I finished my son’s quilt! I am so happy and he loves it. It does need a label however, but that part is easy right? great question for open forum Friday. Does everyone label their quilts?
Thanks for the inspiration to finish.
Lori Kennedy
Woohoo! I think you were smart (and disciplined) to stay home and finish the quilt! I really think you should label the quilt so your children’s children will know who made the quilt!
Rebecca Grace
That’s lovely, Lori! It’s interesting, what you say about how your creative process works and how it results in a number of UFOs at any given time. I have heard that from several quilters lately. Moreover, I have noticed that the quilters whom I most admire, whose work is technically advanced and very unique, are most likely to be the ones who are distressed by the number of unfinished projects they have abandoned. I think it’s great to go back and pick up a cast-aside project if you’re excited about it again, but I think it’s important not to feel guilty about abandoning a project that doesn’t challenge or inspire you anymore. We quilters often joke about “she who dies with the most fabric wins,” and it’s hard not to judge our productivity and success by the number of quilts we have completed. But really, the goal all of us quilters share is to get better at what we do, increasing our skill level, and expressing ourselves creatively. An abandoned UFO is never wasted time, money, or fabric if you learned something from it that makes you a better quilter for the next project.
Lori Kennedy
Well said. I agree completely. May I quote you?
CJ Reed
I have been working only on the three projects you suggested. One: Finish it fast Two: Heirloom Three: personal choice. It has really made me focus and move forward on each project. I love the game plan.
Lori Kennedy
It’s working for me, too! I was in need of a little focus. I also find that three quilts is enough variety, so I don’t need to stray…What do you think?
paula dalby
Makes me wonder what you took out. Do you have any before and after pics?
Lori Kennedy
There’s a link on that post to the “before” photos. I took out some stitching that was causing puckers and I changed the stitches on a few of the leaves. It was freeing to decide I had to unstitch some areas. Sometimes I forge ahead even when I know something isn’t right–and I always regret it later.
Terry@aquiltingblog.com
Love the bright colors and beautiful embroidery!!!
Lori Kennedy
Thanks. I like the mix of quilting, embroidery and appliqué.
Laura K from PA
I love it!!! It’s beautiful! I too, have finished a project! short of a label. It’s a block of the month wool applique project that just needed the border, but the directions weren’t clear to me, than all of a sudden a light bulb went on! And Voila, it’s finished:-) I do ahve a question though, when is okay to say “This is never going to work for me anymore”, when can I call it a lost cause and pass it on to someone else? or heavy sigh, toss it? Not much in terms of $$ went into it, a bit of time, but that’s okay. It would take a lot more time and frustration than what I think it’s worth. I have quite a few more UFO’s/WIP to tackle. So when do you call it a lost cause?
Delaine
I think the topic of when to call a project a lost cause is worth a discussion. I know I no longer feel compelled to finish a book or movie that doesn’t keep my interest. Nor do I finish a meal that is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I am trying to translate to my quilting decisions as well. I have found a group that makes quilts for charity giving. They thrive on orphan blocks, project mis-starts, and abandoned tops. I think a year is sufficient time to make a decision about whether my lack of interest in a quilt project is fleeting or permanent. If permanent, off it goes to the charity sewing group who are thrilled to take it.
Lori Kennedy
Great question, Laura! I think you already have decided…it is time to go. See Rebecca Grace’s comment above. Chalk it up to an exercise in the creative process. Experiments don’t always yield a new quilt, but still move you along the way in the overall creative process and improve your decision making ability for your next quilt. I think you will feel much better–like a weight has been removed from your shoulders–once you give it a way. Hope that helps!
Jeanette
Beautiful!
L. Michel
Well done Lori! beautiful quilt……
Lori Kennedy
Thank you!
Julie S.
I love your quilt! The brighter the better for me. I took a fantastic class 2 weeks ago art Quilting in the Desert. It was a 3 day landscape art quilt. It was transformative, a whole new way to piece, minimal measuring, no seams to match. I loved it! It looks like folk art which is my favorite type of art. I started quilting it and just wasn’t liking it even though everyone I asked thought it looked great. It just bothered me so I spent many hours taking it out. I feel much better now. I had quilted it using your lollipop flower design. I simplified the lollipop design by eliminating the echo quilting and like it so much better (for this quilt). Thank you, Lori, for your great tutorials. I think sometimes we have to go with our gut feelings. If something bothers me that much time will not make it better.
Lori Kennedy
I agree–go with your gut and if you don’t like something take it out sooner rather than later—it never gets better!
Julie S.
Here is a link to Quilting in the Desert, a quilting retreat in January in Phoenix, AZ. http://www.quiltcamp.com
Lori Kennedy
Wow! What an all-star cast! I put my name on the sign up…Thanks for sharing. I bet Phoenix would be a lot warmer than MN in January!
Sharon - IN
Please show your end results once framed! It’s lovely. Thank you!
Lori Kennedy
I’ve never framed a quilt before so I’m not sure, but I will definitely show you the results!
Judy
Congrats, kudos and more on your finished project!! I, too, am endeavoring this year to get some unfinished projects into the finished category. I am working on a quilt that I started at least 10 years ago as a part of a newly formed quilt club. One of the older members who had been quilting for many, many years and was a master of many quilting techniques laughed (but politely) when I showed her my pattern choice. She was correct in her assessment that my project was toooooo big for me at that stage of my quilting life. Today, this year, I’m ready to resurrect it and put new life into it by way of the skills I have learned since putting it away. Thanks for sharing. Your victory, becomes ours!
Lori Kennedy
I love that your master quilter didn’t dissuade you…somethings we have to learn for ourselves! Let us know when you’re finished!
Ana Perna
Beautiful! I love the strong colours and the message contained.
Lori Kennedy
I need color in Minnesota right now!
julie714
Wow Lori, I love it! I also love the colours and your fantastic embrodiery. It’s so fresh and bright and deserves to go on to the wall in your craft room to remind you that nothing is ever finished until you can really can say and show it’s finished.
Currently I am working on a UFO quilt that I call my disaster quilt! Basically I started stitching in the ditch but my tension was off the bobbin thread was coming to the top it was a lighter weight thread plus a different colour, it was being pulled by a the heavier thread on the top at 50 weight cream! So nice green and cream blended stitches it just looked ugly. I just didn’t want to stop until it became my disaster. While unpicking all the ditch stitches and ended up putting a lare hole into my backing fabric thank goodness it hadn’t costed me a small fortune, basically it was cheap and nasty!!!! Nothing was going right and I through the quilt into the corner and that’s where it’s stayed until late December 2013. After purchasing a new backing and have repinned the quilt with help from my sewing class. I am now working on the new applique flowers and leaves. It actually feels very good working on it again. I would love to send you some pictures is that okay. Happy quilting Julie Beard Adelaide Australia.
Lori Kennedy
Isn’t it amazing that fresh eyes and a bit of new fabric (plus a little ripping) can save a “lost” quilt! Congrats on your save!
Teresa in Music City
What a lovely finish to have during this bitter cold winter! It is so whimsical and happy – just like spring 🙂 Congratulations on meeting the challenge to transform this UFO into a thing of beauty 🙂
Lori Kennedy
I’m thrilled to have finished a UFO!
Paula
Love it Lori, it’s beautiful! That is a perfect quilt to brighten any room and remind us that spring is indeed on its way! Way to go finishing an unfinished project!
Lori Kennedy
Counting the days until Spring!
Jeanne Crea
Nice to see something other than white this winter! Love how you explained the process of giving it time, forgetting the frustration and picking it up at a later date to finish making it into something you want!
Lori Kennedy
Thanks, Jeanne. I have several dozen more I need to tackle now!
Suzanna
The embroidery on the green leaf (photo #5) is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, perhaps because of the broken lines of colour. One would never have got that look by machine embroidering or quilting. It’s wonderful.
Ness
Nice Job!! I think it’s lovely…very different. It reminds me of something…like painting with thread, so many colors. It’s a happy little quilt. Good for you marking one off the list…don’t forget to label..haha!
I’m still south but have a plan in place to finish up some UFO’s when I get home. Mostly they need some bright cheery borders and the biggest problem with the quilting now will be which design to pick…thank you for that. I didn’t know how to do many and would panic and do the same one over and over not wanting to mess up trying a new one on my own…talk about boring! Now I have a nice new collection of doodles to pick from. 🙂
Lori Kennedy
Oops…not labeled yet!
Ness
OK…I just spent some time flipping back and forth…I’m bored and it’s raining like I forgot how nasty
it could storm in FL …anyways….I like the changes on the leaves…think they look much more pleasing. Is there a few less stitches now on the big flower in the middle pedal towards front..I couldn’t decide. This is really cute..all the little filler flowers and stitches are sweet. I like them!
Lori Kennedy
Mostly I changed the leaf designs–nice detective work, Ness. I also removed some stitches that were causing puckering. Once I decided to remove stitches, I liked the entire quilt better.
Jacqueline
If I stop working on something because it just isn’t working for me I rarely go back to it. Now I will “interrupt” and put down a quilt to start something else but those I go back to within a short period of time and finish. I can think of only one quilt top that has sat for more than 6 months without me completing it. And yep it is pieced just waiting to be quilted but I am not fond of it so it sits.
Lori Kennedy
Your work habits are inspirational! I wish I could say that none of my quilts sat for more than six months–in fact, I’m pretty sure ALL of my quilts “incubated” for six months or more!
Joy French
That is the perfect quilt for February. We all need some colour in our lives right now. It’s beautiful.
Lori Kennedy
Thanks, Joy! That’s the the beauty of quilting–we can work with any color we want depending on our mood!
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