Sunday, March 2, 2014

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

I'm so happy with this finish. Both that it's - you know - finished, and how it turned out.

This quilt began in 2011 with Elizabeth Don't Call Me Betsy's Kaleidoscope Quilt Along - I was really interested in how the Kaleidoscope block comes together so I jumped in. I pieced a bunch of the "kite" segments and then lost steam.

I'm going to tell you why so it doesn't happen to you too. The kites are composed of two pieces - both triangles. The small one is pieced to the large one like so:



Do you see the little tails on each side of the seam? They didn't seem like they were correct. These confounded me, making me think I'd done something wrong - cut the wrong way, used an incorrectly sized template, something. Because I pieced all the kites and then pressed them, I didn't discover this situation until I began pressing. And I became really discouraged and just gave up. For 2 years.

About a year into my Kaleidoscope hiatus, I observed a friend making a kaleidscope block, I inquired about this "mistake" and she reassured me that all would work out when I pieced the kite to another triangle. I was skeptical and put off the experiment. But she was right.

Check it:

It was allllll goooood! And this UFO quickly turned into a finished quilt just like that. It measures 60"x72", a great lap size. It's not perfect by any stretch - there are a lot of corners that don't meet up like they should. But I let go of my need for perfect perfection and just enjoyed the process.

Up Kaleidoscope

For quilting, I chose simple stippling, and used some beautiful Aurifil 40wt in a light greeny-taupe colour (#2324) that blended very nicely with all the fabrics.

Kaleidoscope closeup

Binding was some leftover strips from the quilt's top.

Kaleidoscope binding

I am gifting this quilt to a nephew but I won't say which one in case my sisters or sister-in-law happen to read my blog. They'll just have to hang tight and see what arrives in the mail!

Kaleidoscope and Arbour

This finish would not have come to fruition without the incentive of the Finish A Long - big thanks to Katy for keeping it going for 2014!

17 comments:

  1. hey looks pretty darn perfect to me...i love the colours
    well done

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  2. WOW! It's gorgeous! I love these sorts of quilts! Would paper piecing have made it easier? I think I'd like to try! Lovely finish Felicity!

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  3. This is lovely! I did the same qal, and my kaleidoscope quilt is one of my very favorites still.

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  4. it is fabulous Felicity. This is a pattern I've been wanting to make for a while, so thank you for the tip!

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  5. Beautiful and sparkling for spring time. Are you having any springtime yet?

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  6. Beautiful! I tend to lose steam on projects because of "problems" like that, too, only to find, later, that the problems are insignificant or nonexistent. That makes for such a satisfying finish in the end, though.

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  7. I'm glad I'm not the only one who puts things away for too long! It turned out great, so glad you finished it!

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  8. I love it, I have a soft spot for kaleidoscope quilts I think. I was in the same QAL but I finished my quilt and sent it to my nephew who was away at University for his first year. He has carted the quilt back and forth to school since then and loves it. I am glad you are giving yours to a nephew too.

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  9. Well done! Your stippling is beautiful too.

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  10. So pretty! Now I need to finish mine...

    Great job!

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  11. What a beautiful quilt, thanks for sharing.

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  12. I really love it too and congrats on getting it finished.

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