Welsh Beauty is completed FINISHED!!!!!!! Completely finished, labeled and bound!!!!!!
The hand quilting process started in August 2021, the first post was in September.
After the binding was finished, Welsh Beauty was rinsed (not washed because I didn't add any detergent) and rinsed on the delicate cycle of my washing machine with cold water. She really shrank! I didn't measure before washing but the package said the quilt was 90" by 108". After washing she now measures 83" by 101" using cold water!
The blue quilting thread doesn't show up very well in the pictures. I took the quilt back to the farmhouse to use the quilt line on the porch.
The cross hatched squares measured 1" before washing, after washing they measured 3/4".
Here is a picture of the side swags.
A close up of the quilting from one of the corners.
The backing fabric was a brown figured whole cloth fabric. I didn't want muslin on the back, it's already on the front! I had originally planned to use a variegated brown thread but changed my mind and used variegated blue thread instead.
A hand quilted quilt needs a hand embroidered label. I took this picture in a different room, the blue thread shows better.
A total of 902 yards of thread were used in quilting.
People always ask what I'm going to do with a quilt. I'm keeping this one for sure, eventually it will end up with one of my grandchildren but hopefully that's many years away.
Welsh Beauty will be displayed/used on the guest room bed while our daughter is here for a short visit. Then she (the quilt) will go along to retreat with me, she's my show & tell! I'll also put her on my bed in the motel room. Why have an ordinary boring motel cover when I can have a nice quilt? When I return home, she'll go back on the company bed.
Here is a link to my first post about Welsh Beauty.
Several people have asked me what top is next in the quilting frame, I don't know for sure, perhaps Lady Jane? However I'm extremely burnt out on hand quilting, the next quilt won't start before December, maybe even later.
Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Monday Musings, Handmade Monday, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday
39 comments:
A beautiful finish. Enjoy her.
it turned out beautifully. What kind of batting did you use? Some of my quilts have shrunk a lot like that too. One of the reasons I make them big to begin with as I had several that I meant to use on the bed and they ended up without a lot of overhang. I can understand taking a break for a couple weeks or a month - now you can get your frame set up at the new house also.
Welsh Beauty is gorgeous! I understand taking a break from hand quilting for a while. Enjoy your daughter's visit and your retreat.
I have enjoyed watching your progress with Welsh Beauty on Slow Sunday posts.
It is beautiful and very effective how the pattern shows now it's rinsed.
Congratulations.
It's absolutely fabulous! What a treasure you've created! Your stitching is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing the process and finished project with us!
It is absolutely gorgeous, and I can see why you are burnt out after all that stitching.
Wow! Absolutely gorgeous! Congrats on the beautiful finish. I can see why you are taking a break from the hand quilting.
Welsh Beauty is absolutely gorgeous! I do love the blue stitches. I'm surprised how much is shrank but the stitching looks like it kept it nice and square. This is a fantastic finish - I certainly understand why you are keeping it! Enjoy! ~Jeanne
Gretchen, this is GORGEOUS! Well done you! Congratulations! The shrinkage surprised me (wow that's a lot) but it's so pretty! You should hold on to it, it's an heirloom!
Absolutely stunning! Applause! Applause!!
Dear Gretchen,
She is a beautiful quilt and you did a stunning job of quilting her! Your show and tell will be amazing, enjoy your retreat and your daughters visit. Thank you for sharing how much thread you used, it is very good information. I started a different design a few years back and the thread is just not working, so it will be changed after it is unpicked. Luckily it only has about seven inches of quilting done across. Finding hand quilting thread has been a challenge up north. Welsh Beauty is absolutely gorgeous! Maggie
Gretchen, what a work of art! How did you dry the quilt? I have been following your blog for a long time. I really enjoy seeing your work. You inspire me.
Oh, how lovely! An amazing heirloom. Will you enter it in local shows? It's good for people to know hand quilting is still alive and well. Congratulations!
Welsh Beauty is definitely a beauty, Gretchen! Congratulations on your finish!
Welsh Beauty is stunning, Gretchen. It has been a joy to watch your progress on this one. Congrats on the fabulous finish.
Absolutely gorgeous finish, congratulations! I can see why you might be burnt out on hand quilting for now. So happy to see the finished product!
Such dedication Gretchen! It is a beauty! Glad you are keeping it. If I ever do mine I will remember the shrinking! That was a tremendous amount of time and effort. You will love sleeping under it on Retreat! I bet it is really pretty in the right light showing off the blue thread! Hugs
oh my what a beauty. I so admire you work and persistence. I don't think I could sleep under anything but a homemade quilt- it just doesn't feel right congrats and more
Such a beauty! I think you definitely need a break but I look forward to seeing what your next one will be!
This project leaves me speechless! I’m surprised by how much it shrank when you washed it. Congratulations on finishing this beautiful quilt.
Congratulations on this gorgeous finish, Gretchen!
Wealch Beauty is a masterpiece.
It was nice to follow the progress of this beauty month after month.
Many congratulations, you have put your heart and soul into Welsh Beauty. I've admired it from afar, and always enjoyed reading your regular updates on your progress.
Kudos on the perseverance it took to complete this girl. She is certainly worth the time and effort you invested and will be a source of pride each time you look at here and a source of joy for others who enjoy you guest room -- as well as those of us who follow your blog. Well done!!
Your quilt is beautiful. It's been a pleasure seeing all the pictures and following along as you quilted it. I also enjoyed the recent pictures of your new house and seeing all the beautiful quilts displayed in the rooms. Thanks for sharing.
Wahoo!!! What a wonderful accomplishment.
Oh, that’s gorgeous Gretchen! Congrats on your finish. That is a lot of shrinkage! Thanks for the warning. Enjoy your break, it is well deserved!
I've been waiting for this day and your reveal was wonderful! What a treasure you now have!
Huge congratulations, Gretchen! It is a beauty, a family heirloom for sure. I have followed this hand quilting journey of yours with great pleasure. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely stunning! You have done such a beautiful job quilting this!
Wow! Your finish is absolutely beautiful!
Stunning! The only word I can use to describe your wonderful quilt. It has been a real pleasure watching your progress and now it will be a quilt to be enjoyed by you and your family for many generations to come.
Congratulations on this amazing finish! I'm so glad it will get to come along on your travels and keep you warm! What an heirloom quilt you have created!
Thank you, Gretchen. I loved watching your hand quilting. You are a real artist when it comes to hand-quilting; it's been a joy to follow along. The blue thread doesn't come across in pictures so I'm pleased that you shared pictures as you quilted. Thanks, again. Hope the next one will make me as happy as the next one. :)
What an incredible finish and keepsake!!
Congratulations on completing your beautiful and beautifully stitched quilt! Good choice to keep it as it deserves to be a family heirloom. I’m a dedicated hand quilter too and definitely experience burnout during and after working on large quilts. For a while I’ll spend more time on hand appliqué or embroidery embellishments and then the desire returns and I let that feeling determine when I’m ready to start up again. Enjoy your break!
Displayed in the Guest bedroom? May I visit? I promise I won't overstay. This Welsh Beauty truly belongs in a museum - she is as delicate as she is exquisite!!!
Wow, that is a lot of shrinkage, but oh my, what a work of heart this Welsh Beauty is! I love the blue variegated thread you used for this. This is absolutely stunning. Thank you sew much for linking up with Monday Musings today! Enjoy your new beauty!
Absolutely stunning, thank you so much for sharing this with us at Handmade Monday :-)
Oh, what a beauty Welsh Beauty is! Your quilting is sublime, Gretchen! So delighted she will be kept in your family and passed down to your grandchildren. Goodness that is a lot of shrinkage, isn't it. Truly, a most exquisite finish!
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