After five months of hand quilting, Hearts & Wreaths is completely finished!! She measures 78" by 94".
Six hundred seventy-four yards of white YLI hand quilting thread was used for the quilting. I did not wash Hearts & Wreaths after binding but she already has that kind of scrunchy look that washing gives a quilt. Hobbs 80/20 batting was used.
Hearts & Wreaths was put into the quilting frame January 5, 2024 and removed from the frame May 31. I spent last week binding the quilt. I was very enthused about this quilt so the quilting went quickly, 5 months for a short stitched quilt is fast!
I had no plans for this lovely Free Spirit floral fabric when I purchased it many years ago at retreat. It was on the resale table and it was love at first sight. I came across it when I was boxing fabrics for the move to the new house. That is when I decided it was the perfect backing fabric for Hearts & Wreaths. There is fabric left so the rest will be used on the back of another quilt sometime.
Here is a link to my first post about Hearts & Wreaths. The pattern for Hearts & Wreaths is located in Quiltmania magazine, edition #138.
The picture of the label was taken right after I had hand stitched the label to the back of the quilt.
For now I'm keeping this quilt for myself but eventually it will be gifted to one of the grandchildren.
I'm taking a sabbatical from hand quilting for the rest of summer and I will not be posting next week.
I will be spending my evenings appliqueing the borders for Blueberry Pie. But before I can applique, I need to decide what design I'm going to use, then mark the borders!
Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday
Just one more picture, this time displayed on our bed.
Actually I have another picture to show you. This is my favorite block. Most of the hearts were not fussy cut but these turquoise hearts were. The butterflies are so cute!
Of course the yellow background fabric isn't the true color. Finally, after all these months I have my first quilt finish in 2024!
36 comments:
I'm not at all surprised you will be taking a sabbatical from hand quilting! Hearts and Wreaths is gorgeous; the design, the plethora of fabrics, the applique, your perfect hand quilting, the beautiful backing fabric; everything about this quilt is sublime. Oh my word, you deserve a well deserved rest, Gretchen.
Gorgeous!!!!
Such a beautiful finish. And I really love your choice of background fabric!
Wow! Such a beautiful quilt! So many fabrics and that backing fabric is fabulous. I love your embroidered label too. Gail at the cozy quilter
Well done, that is stunning, Gretchen! Enjoy your hand quilting break, you deserve it!
Congratulations on this fantastic finish! It has been such a treat to follow along as you worked on this quilt, seeing your progress as you appliqued the blocks, and more recently watching your hand quilting. Five months seems very quick to hand quilt a big quilt like this. I love the pale yellow background fabric you used. Your quilt is absolutely gorgeous!
Congratulations! A stunning quilt, I love it. xx
Goodness this is so, so pretty! Love the elegant, yet cozy look of it. Your favorite block is mine too! :D That backing is indeed perfect. You should get lots of oohs and aahs at the retreat!
Congratulations on a beautiful finish. You should definitely enjoy this quilt before it is gifted. So very pretty! Enjoy your summer away from the quilt frame.
Delightful ..... I have been waiting for this day since you started the hand quilting .... and it was worth the wait! Gorgeous! Now, sit back and enjoy that beauty.
Ta da! Woo hoo! Amazing! Please consider entering Hearts and Wreaths in quilt shows. Your wonderful work deserves to be seen!
Wow! What a beautiful finish! It is even more beautiful displayed on your bed! Enjoy taking the summer off from hand quilting and enjoy your trip next week!
It is an absolute treasure! Beautiful work!
great finish - it is a wonderful quilt and very pretty
Beautiful quilt!
Hearts and Wreaths is gorgeous! You are such a talented quilter. I just love the embroidered label.
Absolutely stunning finish Gretchen! Great work! I love the embroidered label too!
Congratulations on a spectacular finish! I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment you must have. It is stunning in every sense of the word, and I hope you get all the praise when you display it to the public. Gosh, I'm speechless in describing how gorgeous it is! Well done!
Congratulations Gretchen, this is another perfectly stunning quilt! You are a marvel and an inspiration.
Wow, such a beautiful quilt and a real work of art. Congratulations on your finish!
I must have made 10 quilts in five months and they all pale in comparison to this spectacular beauty. Every stitch is a joy, your workmanship is exquisite, and the quilt is an heirloom. Kudos to you!
You have created a beautiful labor of love quilt, stunning!
Dear Gretchen,
What a beautiful finished quilt you have. It is absolutely gorgeous and I love the fussy cut butterflies. Enjoy this wonderful creation!
Beautiful. It has been fun watching the progress of it through the Sew & Tell party.
Just spectacular! What an accomplishment.
This is absolutely stunning! And I love those fuzzy cut butterflies! I've enjoyed watching your progress. ~Jeanne
Hip hip Hooray! You finished! It looks ever amazing and totally lovely! How exciting to be done and have such a feat to be completed! I know you have others on the horizon.
Wow! What an achievement! Your quilt is glorious Gretchen! And I hope whoever ends up inheriting this considers it a family heirloom!
Gretchen Hearts and Wreaths is incredible. What a perfect finish! It looks lovely on your bed. Thank you for linking with To Do Tuesday. Enjoy your break from quilting. I hope you have a wonderful week. 🤗 Carol
I too have been eagerly following along, watching your progress. I don't enjoy hand quilting so to see such beautiful work from others is truly mind boggling. My deepest respect and admiration to you.
Can you tell us what the background fabric is, for example, Kona Snow? (My personal fave)
Do enter it in some shows before giving it away. We, the quilt show viewing public, will be thrilled.
Oh Gretchen — what a glorious achievement! Absolutely stunning, and yes, 5 months is lickety-split-quick for hand quilting of this caliber on a quilt of this size. Congratulations!
Gretchen, this is an absolute masterpiece! Hand quilted and everything! How long did it take you from start to finish?
Gretchen... wow, just WOW!!! This is such a stunning finish. I know the hand quilting for five months is such a task, but I think you finished it in record time, in my opinion!! The backing is perfect for this quilt. I have truly enjoyed seeing this beauty come to life. This is just stunning! What an heirloom. Thank you for sharing this gorgeous finish with us at Monday Musings!
This quilt is incredible. You’ve done an amazing job. Absolutely gorgeous.
Beautiful! Love the label too.
Absolutely beautiful! 5 months - you deserve a Sumer off of hand quilting. There is a lot of time spent in appliquéing and hand quilting in this baby! Hugs and Congrats -
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