Monday, January 24, 2011

"Love" prevails- finished Sherbet Pips quilt

In the matter of love vs. hate....love. Definitely, love.
I have coveted the Sherbet Pips line since I first laid eyes on it- all my favorite colors, and such cute, lovable characters! I was so happy when I got my hands on a couple layer cakes! But then came the debate of how to put it all together.
I loved some of the snowball designs advertised by Moda for this line, but I decided to mix it up and make it my own by alternating it with 9 patches. By keeping the corners of the snowballs and 9 patch squares all the same color, I really like the pattern it creates! I used Kona Medium Grey as my solid, and needed just one layer cake to make the 42 blocks you see here- perfect lap quilt finishing up at 55" by 65".

The back- my goal was to keep it simple! I normally spend a lot of time doing a pieced back (like here, here and here), but decided that I needed a break after the hockey quilt :-) Also, there is no coordinating yardage of Pips yet available to tempt me. The answer was clear- minky! My friend Kathy has made a couple quilts with minky that I adore, so I wanted to give it a try. I admit I was almost scared off after reading this post, but I am so glad I went with it. It is SO soft and cuddly- perfect for this winter-themed quilt! It came in 59" wide so I didn't even have to piece it, just spray basted it and away I went. No trouble at all in quilting...the only issue came in trying to do some UN-sewing. Impossible to seam rip this stuff! I wasn't happy with the quilting design I had started, and wanted to take it out...anyways, after a bunch of frustration, I decided it wasn't worth the drama to stitch rip out and I just continued with it. Not perfect, but good enough!
Another thing I discovered with minky- hand quilting patterns are lost on this stuff, as it just swallows the stitches. My hand stitching was looking terrible on the back as some stitches would be hidden in the "hairs", making it look uneven. My solution? I ended up removing what I had started, then continued hand stitching the quilt top and batting layers only! Problem solved, and ample machine quilting elsewhere to hold the thing together, so why not?? My quilt, my rules ;) I used 5 different coordinating shades of Perle 8 cotton thread to frame each of the snowballs.
I think my favorite detail is the faux piped binding. I LOVE how this turned out, it really made the quilt for me. I used some Amy Butler lotus dots, then added the red solid piping for extra punch. I used this awesome tutorial. The binding/piping is machine applied as opposed to hand stitched, so this was another new experience. Will definitely use this technique again.
Finished it up this weekend, and already have spent lots of time enjoying it... a great cuddle companion for a movie, it was a tablecloth for a princess tea party, the aqua minky side was a pool where we played dolphins, we used it to make human burritos like this one....
This little lovely is a birthday present for me, from me. Yes, it is true- I am aging on Wednesday. I know, I know, hard to believe, I am looking so youthful! Extravagant gifts encouraged ;)

I'll have a gift for you as well- check back for a giveaway with Fresh Squeezed Fabrics!

25 comments:

Lesly said...

Oh my, it's gorgeous! Kudos to you for maximizing that layer cake. I have been toying with the idea of minky, but have been nervous. Glad to hear it worked up okay. Also, your love vs. hate tag made me think of this awesome song by the Avett brothers: http://vimeo.com/2666925
Happy upcoming birthday!

Elizabeth Dackson said...

I love this!!! The Pips look especially awesome in the snow, I must say. I'm so glad you made this one for yourself, you totally deserve it :)

Katie B said...

Oh, I love it too! Your hand quilting really adds something special to the quilt. And thanks for the Minky tips! I was scared off by that same post, so I'm glad to hear your opinion.

Caroline@ToffleCraft said...

This is so pretty. I love the way that you have used the Pips line, particularly for a special quilt for yourself. I'm sure it will be one that you will love snuggling under for a long time to come. Thank you for sharing all of the photos showing it from so many different angles.

Little Island Quilting said...

Love the binding tip.
Back up to 51 because you didn't respond to the lower number ;-)

jednoiglec said...

It's gorgeous! Pips looking great on your quilt! I wait for a pre-cut set of SP, so the tip with AB dots is precious:)

Lee said...

I love absolutely everything about this! What a great design for the Pips. And the piping around the binding is incredible! Great job!

Traci said...

Oh I love it! And I love that you backed it with minky! I came SOOOO close to backing it with a baby blue minky that I saw at my LQS but chickened out. I wish I had--you have the perfect winter quilt now!

Megan said...

Wow I love your version of snowballs! The slight difference in the grey sashing you used really makes it pop too. Congrats on the successful Minkee back too - that stuff is a PITA but it's so soft!

Unknown said...

Oh, I love it! My birthday is at the end of May...plenty of time for you to whip up another one. ;)

I really love the pattern that you created. The whole thing is just too cute!

Happy early Birthday!

aneela said...

I LOVE the way you pieced this quilt!!

Sarah @ FairyFace Designs said...

Lovely quilt. I use Minky all the time to back my baby blankets and it is so hard to work with and so hard to correct your stitching mistakes too! I don't quilt them, but back and bind and because they are small (buggy blanket size) that works. Nothing but admiration for you quilting it! I'm not sure I would try it! Love the Pips, I can't wait to get my hands on this range!

randi said...

this quilt came out great!

Shelley said...

Happy almost birthday! Love the human burrito photo. :) Aren't quilts fabulous for all the different things they get used for?!

Megan said...

Eeeeek. I am in love! I haven't caved in yet and joined the Pips craze, but I think this quilt may have pushed me over the edge! Love it! Hope it's warming up there! :)

Thanks for linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday!

Angie said...

Great hand quilting!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dreamalittle said...

Such a gorgeous quilt, I love the fabric too :)

Little Blue Mouse said...

It's lovely, I love the hand quilting details.

Sharon said...

I love the piping! I'm going to have to bookmark that link for future reference. Beautiful quilt!

Kelsey said...

Love the hand quilting! You really did a great job showcasing such an adorable fabric line!

felicity said...

BeeYOOteefull!! I love the hand quilting, and the medium gray you chose. I won a Sherbet Pips charm pack and you've inspired me to get going on a project. Happy Birthday for tomorrow, btw.

Chris {frecklemama} said...

Love it!!

Quiltstory said...

Amazing again! Love it. Love the piping, I will be trying that soon for sure!

Lynne (Lily's Quilts) said...

Oh my giddy aunt, yours is really really wonderful - now I'm crushing on yours!