My latest quilt!

It’s all about fun. Fun colors. Fun prints. Fun design.

Tyger Tyger!

I loved this print from the Art Gallery fabric line Tallinn by Jessica Swift. I also wanted to recycle some of the denim jeans that I’ve been hoarding and I thought this blue cat print was purrfect!  (Ha—that’s not even funny!)

There are so many color combos in the print to use for inspiration and I finally decided to go with the orange and yellow. Then I actually got to visit a real brick and mortar quilt shop when I visiting Bismarck that had all these wonderful fabrics. I only picked low volume prints since the cats are so big and they are the “star” of the quilt. 

I admit to being ate up with the whole star theme, most of my quilts have some type of star in them, here’s just four examples:

Down the Rabbit Hole

Baby Rock Star Quilt

Wonky RockStar

Tell me a story quilt — still procrastinating on this one!

I had a time frame that I needed to get this quilt done in.  My very good friend was turning 60. When she turned 50, our gang of besties went on a cruise to Alaska to celebrate. But at 60 she just wanted to float in my pool.  Thought I should make her a quilt.

Here’s some details.

I found this pattern on Craftsy, Starry Brights – Pinecone Star.

Starry Brights by Julee James, Pinecone Star

I had planned to make 6 1/2″ squares which would make a 18″ finished block.  But when I got the fabric, the cats were much biggggger.  Had to enlarge the squares to 9 1/2″.  Which ended up with HUGE stars!

Not a bad thing.  Sometimes bigger is better!

I had to enlarge the star pattern since the size in the instructions is only 12″ finished and I needed to make these star blocks 27″!

I marked my 9 1/2” template with tape to make sure all my tygers were centered the same.

Now I have to admit that I screwed up because I put the first block together and then realized that I really needed to do it row by row.  Not block by block because they were interconnected.

Then to complicate things even more, I read a blog that said pairing a heavy fabric like denim or linen with cotton could cause the seams to pull apart.

What????

I made grandson Riley’s quilt out of denim and cotton and I think it’s still holding together!!!!! At least I hope it is!

But just to make sure the pretties don’t fall apart in the future, I decided to quilt much closer than usual.

I had just watched a Crafsty class about quilting with my walking foot.  I watched until they covered the sprial quilting.  And tried it.

Probably should have practiced making a spiral before I quilted a whole quilt. Had some issues.  But other than taking way more time than I expected, I think it looks great.  Will definitely do this again.  But not when I’m trying to get something finished in time for a birthday gift!!!!!

I also–for the first time–used varigated thread for the quilting.  It went from a pale blue to a dark blue.  Very pretty.  But, if I was doing a distressed piece of denim, the previous line of thread didn’t always show up.  I ended drawing on the stitching line with my disappearing ink fabric pen!

I had some fabric left from another quilt that I was planning to use for binding but then after I interviewed it with the quilt top, decided that I didn’t like it.

Nope that yellow is too bright!

I found an orangey yellow at our NEW local quilt shop “Beyond the Stitches”.  (So happy that we have a quilt shop again.  They do not have a lot of fabric yet but have ordered more and they are a Baby Lock dealer!)

Much better!

I made a bunch of it!

I love this quilt backing from Timeless Treasures!  My friend loved it too!

It’s done.  It’s cool.  I love it.  And my friend loves it too!

The Tyger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?