Monday, October 15, 2012

Good Binding Gadget, and "Jody Blue" Finished

  I LIKE these little binding clips.  They are easy to use, if you drop them, you can FIND them, and no more sticking myself with pins.  They hold the binding well.  (My binding is always the same size - a cut strip 2 1/4 inch, folded.  If you use really narrow or really wide binding, I don't know if they would work. )  I remove them as needed and clip or unclip them to my shirt or cuff - no reaching for the pin cushion.  There are 10 in the package - that's enough.

Below I'm getting ready to sandwich Jody Blue, on one of the last days of summer, in the garage.   Jody gave me many of the blue scraps, and it's almost exactly like a recent copy, RED, finished about May.
Here it is, DONE.  I LOVE the tree shadows. and I also LOVE the perky reds and some lavendars from  my stash.  The large dark HSTs that make up into a square? - I had originally planned them to be one/same color, but they ended up looking like BLOBs, so I made them scrappy as well. 

I also used chunks for the border - supposedly I'm using up scraps.  Yeah, right!  The quilting in each of the border chunks are of various designs - some look great, some less desireable, but the quilt is a a good sample item.  My binding is a dull red. 

Below is the back - again, trying to use up what I have - I LIKE it.  Despite carefully measuring, I ended up with narrow bits of fabric on each side of the backing - exactly what I thought I would avoid!  Jeeeeesh, Elaine, focus!  But the squares at the top and bottom ended up straight and half-blocks - no slivers.  I enjoy using 10 inch squares of fabric, but on the back, a person has to be careful to keep it all straight and true - like using stripes, you must keep it straight, or it looks amateurish.
 A little closer shot on the fence.  IMHO, the reds, and creams and brighter blues give it twinkle and depth.

(Below) I am starting to think more about "modern quilts" and really like this kind of straight line quilting.  It's easy and good for filling large areas. 

I quilt on my DSM, a Janome MC6500 - it NEVER fails me.



17 comments:

  1. How absolutely gorgeous!! I love that you used your scraps too, Anne...wonderful finish!

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  2. Well, Elaine, I was just reading Anne Bebbington's blog, and typed her name instead of yours!! Is senility coming on a bit early here? Hee!! Sorry!

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  3. Just beautiful, Elaine!! I love that it is mostly blue, but with little sparks of color. Wonderful!
    I have seen those clips and they get rave reviews, but I had just finished buying a bunch of those hair-type clips and for now they are going to have to work fine for me. : )

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  4. Beautiful quilt Elaine! I love the colors and agree that the bits of red add sparkle. I also like the clips - perfect for binding as you said :*)

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  5. I have got to get some of those binding clips. They just look like the perfect tool for binding.

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  6. Just love the quilt pattern to begin with and the blues are just fantastic... the pops of red and lavender are the perfect addition. All colors I love and I MUST add this quilt to my list. The HST border is a great addition as well. Well done!

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  7. I love those binding clips. I usually do a 2" double-fold bias binding, so it ends up quite narrow and they work perfectly!

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  8. Gorgeous quilt!! Love it!
    P

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  9. Love your blue quilt!
    And I really enjoy using those clips too!

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  10. You're at it again, woman, making scrappy beauties. :)

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  11. Wonderful quilt, Elaine. I agree with you, the little bits of unexpected color really add a whole new delightful twinkle to your great quilt. Love it. Love the quilting, too.
    Hope your foot is healing well and you can walk again.

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  12. Oh fantastic. Every detail in this quilt is stunning. I love it!!! So glad I stopped by.

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  13. This is a wonderful quilt. I love how scraps, even mostly one color, sparkly across the quilt top. What comes next?

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  14. Another winner! I totally agree with your assessment that the little wilder colors in Jody Blue make it twinkle and pop! Your quilting is wonderful, too.

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  15. Gorgeous! I just started using those binding clips too and like them but then I always like new tools.

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  16. Thanks for all the different pics and info--this is a wonderful quilt. I agree with the sparkle your scrappy choices made. Congrats#

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  17. Jody Blue is great. Your quilting is wonderful, as usual. I like your pieced back. Do you feel you are using up lots of fabric that way?

    I love those red clips, too.

    I am still looking for my "retirement bliss" and I have been retired over 3 years. Good luck on your quest with that! LOL!

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