The one where I broke up with AMH (A Monstrous Headache)

/ Tuesday 11 December 2012 /
I present to you, dear readers, the most difficult thing I have ever made. It is a quilt with velveteen hexagons on the front, bamboo batting, and flannel on the back.  It looks pretty, I grant, but it is a monster. It took me nearly the entire weekend to quilt it, and I am still feeling it in my shoulder blades!
Velveteen monster completed
The top wasn't too bad to put together.The velveteen frays like mad, and I should probably have gone with a 1/3" or even a 1/2" seam allowance. But I went ahead with the quilter's quarter inch.
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Afterwards, I seemed to remember that I had read a blogpost by Anna Maria Horner that warned of this - where are these insights when you really need them?
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To ensure that the seams held secure during the normal usage of a quilt, I decided to stitch in the ditch using a wide zigzag. I was particularly concerned about the joins of the y-seams. I used a yellow Aurifil 28 wt thread for this.  Upon scrutiny post-wash and dry, the seams seem to have held up well.
Zigzagging in the ditch because I don't trust the anti-fraying properties of this velveteen, especially with y-seams
I do like the way the zigzags show up outlining the hexagons on the back.
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Oh my word! Muscling this through the quilting on my little Pfaff was something else! Hercules and his labours had nothing on what I went through. I really thought it was going to send me back to physio - my shoulders and back were on fire with the weight of it. I took a break after each row to stand upright and swing my arms.
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The hexagons are 9" across (I used the Marti Michel template to cut them) so I needed something to secure the centres. I thought about tying them, but decided to go with a decorative machine stitch. You can see if it you look closely in the centre of this hex.
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This quilting makes a nice and loose quilt, kind of floppy.  It is a very strange shape, though. It's about 80" long and 50-odd inches wide (I have hung it sideways on the line in these photos).
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The velveteen, flannel and cotton binding are all from Anna Maria Horner, who happens to share the monogram of this quilt, A Monstrous Headache!
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Truly, by the end of the weekend, I was ready to divorce this quilt. I had mentally projected all my ill will onto it and even once it was finally washed and dried, all fluffed up, I was still feeling hard done by.
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I was cranky about its odd shape and wondering what in the world had possessed a woman who is experiencing her own personal summer in the depths of Canadian winter to construct a quilt that weighs about 20 lbs. and heats up like a blast furnace!
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However, I am starting to come around. Even though I swore that we broke up on the weekend, I am beginning to feel that we were only "on a break". I think we might have a chance to be happy together, after all!


10 comments:

{ Chelsea } on: 11 December 2012 at 12:09 said...

It's absolutely gorgeous! But if you ever really break up with it let me know. I seem to be going through the reverse - I can't get warm this winter no matter what!

{ Little Island Quilting } on: 11 December 2012 at 13:01 said...

Many marriages go through ups and downs and are all the stronger for it!

{ Annabella } on: 11 December 2012 at 13:46 said...

All your hard labour was worth it - it's beautiful, and so glad there has been a reconciliation :-)

{ Annabella } on: 11 December 2012 at 13:50 said...

All your hard labour was worth it - it's beautiful, and so glad there has been a reconciliation :-)

{ Ariane } on: 11 December 2012 at 17:31 said...

It's beautiful!! It will definitely keep you warm this winter!! I love it!! Great finish!!

{ Rachel } on: 11 December 2012 at 19:22 said...

Never mind the quilt...look at the green grass! We've been covered in snow since October here in Edmonton (UGH).

Okay, back to the quilt. It's gorgeous. I'd love to snuggle under its 20lb weight!

{ Claudia } on: 12 December 2012 at 09:44 said...

Well it's very rich and beautiful, and seems perfect for curling up under during a Canadian winter.

{ Sarah Craig } on: 12 December 2012 at 22:30 said...

That's a glorious quilt, Lesly! You'll grow to love it again, I'm sure!

{ Unknown } on: 17 December 2012 at 06:28 said...

I luv every thing about it, I even like the zig zag. It seems to finish the hex's off.
I know what you mean about sweating under it too. I have been trying to quilt some bears with really, really thick wadding to make them puff out. I am sweating in about 2mins. with all that hanging around me.
Awesome job, you will be like me when I finish my bears...glad we did it.

{ QuiltingCyclist } on: 17 December 2012 at 07:37 said...

Absolutely perfect! Do not divorce it. Great and amazing quilt.

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