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Thursday, 17 January 2013

A Curious Finish


There have been times over the last couple of days when I have felt like I was assisting in the lambing shed or competing in some sumo wrestling as I tugged the Man with a Curious Nature quilt through the throat of my machine.

I wanted it to have a squishy feel so that it was ideal for snuggling and so I quilted it 'lite' by simply echoing the squares and rectangles. It still took ages as I was continually having to reposition the quilt.  Ideally I would have liked to quilt it more densely.


But it's done...finally, and my first finish of 2013.


It was a surprise for my husband who had no idea I was making anything for him. Zaki and I took it to the riad so that we could surprise him but he had popped out for lunch so we took a few snaps while we were waiting for him.


I'm ashamed to admit that I made the quilt top in April last year! I used lovely Sarah's stained pattern as part of her QAL and Parson Grey's Curious Nature, which I still really love.  At the end of last year, I made the backing using Denyse Schmidt's Four Square (Hope Valley) and some Oakshott striped cottons from the FQ Retreat goodie bag. The binding is Flea Market Fancy.

After signing up to Leanne's FAL (Finishalong), I knew that I wanted this to be one of my first finishes. I love the stained design but I am kind of wishing that I had used a different solid as I'm not really loving the Kona herb which came with the FQs I ordered. However, my husband who is not known for his quilt enthusiasm seems to like it and that's what matters! It definitely has more of a masculine feel but it was fun to do something a little different.


I've  nominated it an early wedding anniversary present for next month - I couldn't keep until February.  I'm like that with surprises!

 Quilt Stats
Quilt Front Curious Grey by Parson Grey and Kona Herb solid
Quilt Backing Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley Four Square and Oakshott Cottons
Binding Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy Medallion
Size 60" x 72"




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44 comments:

  1. Indianna17 January 2013 at 17:13

    Looks fabulous, earthy tones with blue skies!

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  2. Dianne Neale17 January 2013 at 17:23

    I like the herb. It's one thing totally different. And I like what you,ve done for the border too. Every one of these are so different

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  3. dutchcomfort17 January 2013 at 17:55

    Such a great manly quilt Annabella and I like the Kona herb too! Hurray for your first finish!

    I’m working with the Curious Nature fabrics for a quilt too, and it’s not easy to find a solid that goes well with the prints!

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  4. Sunnybec17 January 2013 at 18:09

    It's beautiful and I think the herb complements the other colours. Hugs x

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  5. Little Island Quilting17 January 2013 at 18:09

    Wonderful. And it really matches its surroundings.

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  6. diegoagogo17 January 2013 at 18:18

    I really love the colours of this quilt!
    And those tiles in the background are AMAZING!!!
    Not to mention the gorgeous cutie that is Zaki.

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  7. Flo @ Butterfly Quilting17 January 2013 at 18:20

    I love the look of this quilt...very subdued..and then a little punch of colour on the binding!! And great pictures too!

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  8. Run Quilt Knit Write17 January 2013 at 18:28

    I rather like the herb...I think it makes it more masculine! Glad he liked it!!

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  9. Mary17 January 2013 at 18:40

    It looks fantastic! I like the pop of colour the binding gives it.

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  10. Sarah17 January 2013 at 19:15

    Its wonderful, and I LOVE the herb, it was a perfect choice :-)

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  11. QuiltCandy17 January 2013 at 19:20

    Wow what a lovely quilt and no wonder your husband is thrilled with it! The curious nature fabrics look great and well done on getting it quilted - I can relate to getting a large quilt through a small machine, it's not easy! Happy Anniversary for next month. I love the setting for your quilt by the way, those floor tiles are amazing. Could there be some inspiration for your next quilt in there some where?? ;-)

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  12. Leanne17 January 2013 at 19:22

    A surprise is good any time, especially early. The quilt is really beautiful! So is that building, is that part of your house?

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  13. busybusybeejay17 January 2013 at 19:24

    I just love that quilt and the surroundings are amazing.Those tiled floors.Wow.

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  14. Archie The Wonder Dog17 January 2013 at 19:38

    Yeah, it's finished! Well done!! I love it and the herb, I hope it grows on you! (Pun not intended when I typed but now it's making me groan!

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  15. Diane-crewe17 January 2013 at 19:42

    it looks great x typical man ... always missing when you want to surprise them!!! Glad he likes it x

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  16. linda17 January 2013 at 19:48

    think the herb is perfect the whole quilt is beautiful !!!

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  17. Janine @ Rainbow Hare17 January 2013 at 19:49

    This quilt is looking great. It goes wonderfully with the tiles and ironwork in the riad. Congrats on your first quilt finish of 2013 :)

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  18. Catherine17 January 2013 at 20:05

    Lovely quilt, and photos. It really does fit its surroundings beautifully!

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  19. Cindy Sharp17 January 2013 at 20:05

    Well done!

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  20. Mrs Flying Blind...17 January 2013 at 20:09

    I am kind of thinking if I hung a quilt over the bannisters at work, it would look nothing like that!!!

    Beautiful quilt, lucky Mr Z xxx

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  21. Susan17 January 2013 at 20:31

    It's gorgeous! I love the subtlety of the herb fabric! And what wonderful photos in the setting you chose!

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  22. Kelly17 January 2013 at 20:40

    Well worth the wait, it is a stunner!

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  23. Colby17 January 2013 at 20:54

    I love this line!! Beautiful job!

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  24. Canadian Abroad17 January 2013 at 21:02

    Yay for the finish!! It looks brilliant and in very manly colours, which is where that solid works. Great anniversary present. Now he is under pressure to get you something equally as good!

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  25. Tamie17 January 2013 at 21:12

    Congratulations on the finish. No judgement here on how long it took.

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  26. Katy Cameron17 January 2013 at 21:21

    Yay, it looks great, well done!

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  27. Kirsten17 January 2013 at 21:46

    The echo quilting is perfect for these blocks - love your photos too!

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  28. Anonymous17 January 2013 at 22:08

    its beautiful and looks amazing at the Riad!

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  29. Jenniffier17 January 2013 at 23:30

    Very lovely quilt and I am sure he will adore it!

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  30. Judith, Belfast17 January 2013 at 23:33

    It's truly beautiful A! I love the herby feel to it - you're right, it's suitably masculine. Well done on your first finish this year! Jxo

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  31. Laura18 January 2013 at 00:05

    Ha. New proverb from the quilter's bible: and jesus said "it is easier for a queensize quilt to go through a domestic machine's throat than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven". Great finish!

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  32. www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com18 January 2013 at 05:03

    OMGosh, I think it is stunning and I love the herb color with it. It looks very manly.

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  33. Quilting In The Cold18 January 2013 at 05:43

    Fabulous finish I love the masculinity of it

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  34. Catherine18 January 2013 at 07:02

    Wow, it looks absolutely stunning

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  35. Elisabeth18 January 2013 at 07:40

    I absolutely adore this quilt, it's stunning. Well done for finishing your first quilt of the year and the FAL.
    I love the Kona herb, it goes well with Curious Nature prints.

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  36. Kris18 January 2013 at 07:49

    I love it. What an amazing finish. Well done!

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  37. Charlotte18 January 2013 at 12:18

    it's so lovely! The binding is perfect - I love how the orange jumps out from the background. Well done on the finish :-D

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  38. Katherine18 January 2013 at 22:17

    Fantastic first finish for the 2013 FAL!

    I love this quilt - such a great design paired with those manly fabrics. Looks perfect to me, and I bet your husband was very pleased with such a gift!

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  39. Sarah19 January 2013 at 14:33

    The quilt is gorgeous. I love the stained design and want to do my own, and it looks so different yet so effective in masculine colours. My husband doesn't show a lot of quilt enthusiasm either, but he always snuggles under one coz he feels the cold and I know his favourites. OMG loooove the metaphor of working in the lambing shed! Hahahaha! I grew up a farmers daughter on a sheep farm so helped with lambing from age about 10. Incidentally, my husband grew up a famers son on a sheep farm and has never seen a lamb being born. I discovered this when I was pregnant and I said its like a lamb being born and he said he'd never seen that and dint want to see his children being born either. He's way squeamish! At least he was in the room with me!

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  40. Chez Roo20 January 2013 at 04:12

    This quilt is lovely - I am glad your husband likes it, sometimes you just never know!!

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  41. Jenelle21 January 2013 at 00:23

    It does have a distinctly manly feel to the color sceme, but really that's just perfect! I love this finish because it's sophisticated in the way that it highlights the simple prints and patterns in the fabric. The dark background fabric (even if it's a little sombre) pushes those prints forward. I also can't get over the orange binding! It's really the perfect choice for this quilt.

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  42. Cindy21 January 2013 at 13:21

    Eeee! It's so pretty and manly at the same time. You've cracked the code, A! Fabulous finish!

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  43. Unknown22 January 2013 at 20:03

    It is so lovely! I like the lite quilting! Also, you may want to practice free motion quilting straight lines. For me, my brain has a hard time fmq'ing anything curvy beyond a meander. But it was really easy for me to teach myself to free motion straight, with pointy corners. :) That would help if you ever try this quilting style again!
    (I despite turning a quilt, which is what prompted me to hone my fmq skills!)

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  44. blandina 10 February 2013 at 09:38

    This looks terrific, I love the colours, so apt for a man.

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