Tuesday 6 July 2021

The Shipping Forecast: done and dusted

A few weeks ago I said I was closing in on a finish or two.  Here is the first.  It's hard to believe but I started this in September 2017!  It took a long time to piece but even longer to quilt.  I started it last year but fell out of love with the quilting process, not helped by the Covid blues and only came back to it after several months of looking at it and muttering under my breath.  It is big, which didn't help!  However I have stuck to it this time and now it's done.  Big sigh of...relief?  There are a lot of things I like about this: I like the shipping forecast that I printed and I like the feeling of waves that all those little triangles give.  I like the lighthouses.  It's a shame I didn't love every step of the journey, but maybe that's in the nature of these strange times rather than a reflection on this poor old quilt. 


I quilted it with a wavy sort of pattern, not planned or marked, just made up as I went along.

The details:

Started piecing September 2017, finished on 30th January 2018. It is 93"x72"

Started quilting 1st September 2019, stopped and started, finished 30th June 2021.  That is by a country mile the longest it's ever taken me to quilt something.  

This is made mostly from scraps and shirts.  The wadding is organic cotton and it is quilted with a mix of threads, mostly variegated Sulky 12wt, though there are some bits of Aurifil wool thread in there too.



17 comments:

Gale Bulkley said...

What a beauty! I am happy you stuck it out despite not loving the whole process - seeing the finished photos has made my morning.

patty a. said...

Congratulations for sticking to it and getting this beautiful quilt done!

Quiltdivajulie said...

I have always LOVED this quilt project. Congratulations on the finish - I think it is SPECTACULAR and absolutely wonderful in every way.

Mego said...

I watched this whole process and loved the entire thing. What a fabulous quilt!!!

Julierose said...

This is a wonderful finish--I really enjoyed watching your whole process, too.
It turned out so beautifully--enjoy hugs, Julierose

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Thanks for the view of the back of the quilt which shows off the beautiful hand quilting so well. I'm glad you got it done and I hope now that it's finished you can see and focus on all those parts you like so well about it.

Quilting Babcia said...

It's a great quilt, and not surprising that it took so long to quilt - all those seams and intersections. Well worth the time and attention you gave to it!

Robin said...

This is one of my favorite quilts. I think you were working on this soon after I discovered your blog. It was so fun to watch it emerge. I'm glad you stuck with it.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

So glad you stuck with it and did all that amazing quilting! A great quilt, love the colours.

O'Quilts said...

Wow...You certainly have persistence. I bet you are thrilled. You should be xo

Mystic Quilter said...

So happy to see this finished quilt of yours, I've enjoyed watching it come together gradually. Love the patched back, I should do this more often on my quilts, goodness knows I have enough decent size pieces to do so.I have also learnt something here, I didn't know that Aurifil had a woollen thread. Congratulations Kaja on a fantastic quilt!!

Janie said...

That is a gorgeous quilt, congratulations on your finish!
The backing is also superb.
And it's asymmetrical!

Kris said...

Its a great quilt and I am so glad you found the will to get back to it and finish it. The triangle sizes are so interesting and I love that finishing binding.

Quilter Kathy said...

Congratulations! It's hard to push through to the finish line on a quilt you don't love, but I bet that once you have a break from it, you will love it once again. I adore the improve hand quilted fans... fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Just WOW!!
Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net

Ann said...

I've always loved your lighthouses and this is one of my favorites. The idea of adding the shipping forecast is stellar. So unique. Love the mix of triangles; they do look like waves.
I would never have finished it if it needed hand quilting. Good for you.
Congratulations on a wonderful finish.

QuiltGranma said...

I love it, so coastal! Which coast are YOU on, anyway?