Tuesday, October 27, 2015

'Set Free' - complete



Sometimes a single image sticks in your mind, capturing a certain emotion or thought, sparking a desire to somehow live that moment. One such image for me is this photo of Jennifer Causey hand quilting a blue and white flying geese quilt - you may have even seen it yourself. 


As soon as I saw a preview of Geninnie's Moody Blues fabric I had thoughts of making a similar quilt with this timelessly beautiful blue and white collection. Alternative ideas came to mind but  I could not shake the original inspiration from my thoughts.



Gradually the quilt came together and details resolved themselves along the way, as they tend to. You can read more about that here if you wish.





I love everything about this quilt, right down to the subtle squares which the quilting has produced on the quilt back. The beautiful birds and prints seem to be very happily Set Free, flying in the seaside winds, not unlike Jennifer's original joyful quilt.



Quilt Details: 

Fabrics: All prints are from Geninnie's Moody Blues collection for Cloud 9 Fabrics, some bought from the US and others from Spotlight in Australia (with interesting variations noted here)
The solid is a yarn dyed cross-weave called Limestone from Cloud 9's Cirrus collection
All fabrics used are GOTS certified organic cotton.
Batting: Hobbs Organic cotton batting
Threads: Scanfil organic threads plus Gutermann quilting thread.
Quilting: Hand quilted along the vertical centre of each row and horizontally in-the-ditch between each row. Machine quilted vertically in-the-ditch between each row.
Block size: Just under 8" x 4" finished, custom sized to fussy cut my favourite print (sashiko bird).
Quilt Size: 55" x 82" (140cm x 205cm)
Completed last week - October 2015

Special thanks to two of my daughters who persevered as quilt holders in very windy conditions! Thanks Miss O and Miss G!  :)

Sharing at the Blogger's Quilt Festival - Large Quilt category.


27 comments:

Susan said...

It really is a lovely quilt. Perfectly captures the feeling of freedom, and looks wonderful with the ocean as a backdrop.

chica said...

Adorei! Ficou maravilhosa e muito bem mostrada! bjs, chica

Giga said...

I like the quilt and its colors. Butterflies and birds adorn her very much. Regards.

Fun60 said...

It looks beautiful especially in that natural setting.

Rachaeldaisy said...

This is such a beautiful quilt. The colours remind me of beautiful Delft pottery. It looks so right set against the clear blue sky, I guess it's where geese fly free.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thanks Rachael - a timeless combination. It was worth a quick trip to the seaside - and with three leaner drivers in the family I had no shortage of volunteers to drive!

Linda Robertus said...

It is gorgeous Karen! And so beautifully photographed.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Another lovely creation dear Karen. I love the colors and fabrics in this one.

Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

Alison V. said...

This is absolutely gorgeous! Love all the different fabrics you used.

Dirk Rosin said...

det har blitt så stilig !!

SarahZ said...

A fabulous finish...I have so looked forward to it! The seaside photos really do your colors and pattern justice! It is a beautiful quilt!

the momma said...

Oh, Karen! It's as beautiful as I suspected it would be, and the seaside was THE perfect place to photograph this one. Gorgeous!!!
So - did someone take a picture of you hand-quilting your blue and white?? (No disrespect to Jennifer, but I like your version better :-)

Mary Huey said...

This is such a lovely quilt! Hope it shows well in the Bloggers Festival!

EricaSta said...

I'm a great fan of Geninne's artwork. The fabrics are so beautiful. I must try to get her fabrics here in Germany.

Your quilt, dear Karen, is again so beautiful.

Wish you a good week!

Janneke said...

This blue and white quilt is most beautiful and with a background of blue skies and sea it shows great, thanks to your lovely daughters. I suppose it was not only windy but also fun for them to hold the quilt wobbling on the rocks.

amanda said...

Beautifully created, Karen.. and it seems so appropriate, photographed in the breeze by the sea. It all evokes flight and to be "set free" in my imagination. Congrats on another completed work of fine art!

geanina said...

Another great work! Complimenti!;)

Michelle said...

Just gorgeous!

diane b said...

Well done! Its stunning and looks so good on the beach. Each triangle tells a story. Will you ever part with this one?

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thanks Diane. I have no plans of parting with this one, it is one of those timeless classics which I think I’ll always be pleased to see. The prints on the fabrics are really beautiful too.

Silvia LGD (Little Green Doll) said...

What a beautiful quilt! Love it!

Preeti said...

This turned out absolutely perfect! It's true that when can't shake off being drawn towards our original source of inspiration.

DeborahGun said...

I love how you changed your plans and ideas for this, letting the fabric and design pull you along. It is beautiful.

Unknown said...

Karen, this is so beautiful!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

Beautiful finish and some lovely seaside photos that really show it off very well.

Kat said...

Gorgeous! I love a simple quilt.

Liz said...

This is absolutely gorgeous, Karen!!
I'm looking back on your quilts to see where you get your fabrics from. I'm keen to start machine quilting as Michael bought me a new sewing machine (I haven't had a working one in 8 years!). I love the Cloud 9 fabrics.
I also plan to finish my hand-quilted quilt, but I will complete it by machine.

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