A Lovely Year of Finishes March Goal - Giant Starburst Quilt

My March goal for "A Lovely Year of Finishes" was to complete my Giant Starburst quilt.  I started March with the quilt top and back completed so it needed to be sandwiched, basted, quilted and bound.  I also needed to complete it because I had committed it for our local quilt show and it needed to be turned in on March 18th.

I am happy to report that I completed my March goal!  YAY!  It was also turned into the quilt show on time even if I only slept for 3 hours the night before.  :)

You can read about the beginning of the quilt here.  I found this pattern at CanoeRidgeCreations.com.  It was a giant starburst quilt a long.  She also has the pattern in a reverse giant starburst which is so cool as well and you can buy the pattern for the mini in her shop.  Click here to go to the instructions for the Giant Starburst.

I'm going to be honest.  I had trouble with this quilt from the very first second.  I purchased the amount of fabric that was required but for 2 of the colors,  I didn't have enough.  I purchased Kona cotton and it is not 45 inches wide.  It's about 42 inches wide - that is not counting the selvedge.  I don't use selvedge when I cut my fabrics.  I'm not sure if the pattern writter used the selvedge or if she just had wider fabric.  I ended up having to go buy more fabric.  

After that, it just continued to go downhill.  Lots of seams ripped out, points that got cut off or didn't meet.  Maybe it was just because I was on a deadline and wanted it to turn out well.  I was so glad when it was done.

I am kind of proud of my quilting.  This is the first time that I used different quilting designs in different parts of the quilt.  It's also the first time that I used different colors of thread.

 I used white thread in the white fabric areas, green in the green, purple in the purple, you get the idea.  I'm really proud of my echo quilting that I did here in the triangles.  This is the largest quilt I've worked with and it was hard turning it back and forth but I love the way it looks.  I really like this quilting style and I want to practice it a lot more.

 I'm not sure what to call the way I quilted the colored parts of the star.  Maybe long zig zags?  You can tell I have a long ways to go on my FMQ but I do think I'm getting better.
The white fabric is actually a text fabric.  It's a very subtle text.  I didn't want a dense text because I felt like it would change the color - some dense texts can read gray to me.  
I used a loopy meander on the white star areas.  The hardest part to do was the center square of the star.  It was hard to get through my machine and took forever.  I don't know what the deal was with that.

 This is one of the white corner squares.  I like to think of this quilting as creepy ghost fingers.

Here is my quilt back.  Once I finished quilting, I figured out that you couldn't really see all the different types of quilting that I had done.  You couldn't even see the different colors of thread and all because my back was so busy.  I'm going to have to consider that more in the future.  If I want my quilting to show on the back, I need to use a simpler back or even a solid color.

The quilt back is made up of leftover fabric from the front that was cut off when I made my HST's.  The floral fabric is the last I have of that - it is from Michael Miller's Pretty Bird line.  The yellow and white floral is from Riley Blake and the black and white dotted fabric is from Alexander Henry and is called "the dotted line".

 In this picture you can see the blue thread in the quilting on the Pretty Bird fabric.

This quilt label is the best one that I've done so far.  I loved how it turned out.  I got the tutorial from Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation.  Click HERE to go to her tutorial.  I love the idea of zig zagging it and then quilting over it.  I just hope that really is a permanent marker.

 I used my Grape Jelly Pearl Bracelets for the binding.  It used up all I had :(  But that's ok - that's what shopping is for, right?
My binding is a hot mess.  I put it on at 12 midnight on the night before the quilt show.  I knew I wasn't going to win any prizes with this quilt anyway (the competition was pretty stiff and I'm a newbie quilter) and at that point of the night, I just needed to get it done.  I do plan to remove the binding and redo it.  I love that fabric too much to leave it messed up.

 But it looks pretty doesn't it?

I love this text print.

My quilt stats are as follows:
Giant Starburst Quilt
pattern by Megan at Canoe Ridge Creations Blog
Finished size  60 x 60

Fabrics used in the quilt:
Solids are Kona cotton in turquoise, corn yellow, chartreuse, and mulberry.
Text fabric is Poppy Patio by Jill Finley for Henry Glass Studios
Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in grape jelly for binding
Backing fabrics are listed above.

Pieced and quilted by Tricia Harvey on my domestic machine.  March 2014
Thread used was:
White Aurifil 50 wt. color 2024
Colored thread was all Mettler metrosene 100% polyester
yellow - color 0500
blue - 0890
green - 0952
purple - 0459

I learned a few new things while making this quilt as I seem to do with every quilt so I guess that makes up for the frustration I had during the process.

Thanks for reading!
**Linking up to NTT at My Quilt Infatuation and A Lovely Year of Finishes at Fiber Art of All Sorts**
**Linking up to Anything Goes Monday at Stitch by Stitch**

A Lovely Year of Finishes March Goals

Well, February was my first time to participate in "A Lovely Year of Finishes" and I didn't accomplish my goal.  :(

My goal was to finish my Giant Starburst quilt top, finish the backing, baste it, quilt it, and bind it.  I think I should have just chosen one or two of those things.  Live and learn.

I do have the top finished and the backing.  

Top:

 And a really bad, wrinkly picture of the back:

So, I'm rolling this goal over for March - to complete my Giant Starburst quilt.  
March 18th is the day we have to turn in our quilts for our local quilt show and since I've already committed this quilt, I really need to get it finished.  I'm determined.

**Linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes at Fiber of All Sorts**

Updates on my QR and Starburst Quilts

I'm going to try to keep this post short. 
I've been remiss in posting the last week because one of my doctors has started me on aquatic therapy to try to gain back my strength and endurance and it is kicking my BUTT!  :)

I am slowly starting to have more energy - woo hoo!  And all my extra energy has been going into trying to get my quilts finished for the quilt show in March.

My QR code quilt is quilted and just needs a binding but I don't want to show any glorious pictures of it until it's finished.  But I couldn't stand it, so here:

 I chose my favorite Organic Wave quilting pattern and I think it turned out great. 

I have my Giant Starburst Quilt top finished and I'm working on piecing the back.  I'd like to get it quilted this weekend or if a magic fairy gives me a lot of energy - by Friday.  This quilt was my finishing goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes for February and honestly, I don't think I have any chance in getting it completely finished by Friday.  I think I should have made my February goal less optomistic.  Guess is will be rolling over for March.  :(

But it looks great, yes?

And now in other news, introducing our Christmas cactus that is in full bloom.  (and Sparky the cat)

We have had this thing for about 5 years or more and the last time it bloomed was when I brought it home from the store.  It spent years 2, 3, and 4 looking almost dead.  Then last January, I put it in our bathroom and suddenly, it started growing and getting fuller.
Then this happened.

It still has more blooms on it that haven't popped open.  Who knew?
**Linking up to Fabric Tuesday and WIP Wednesday**

WIP Wednesday - Giant Starburst Quilt

At the end of last year, Canoe Ridge Creations blog posted a quilt along for a giant starburst quilt.  I loved her finished quilt and wanted to join the QAL right away but I had too much Christmas sewing still to do.  :(

 However, I did go ahead and buy the fabric amounts that were stated in the requirements.  I chose 4 solids that are all Kona Cottons.  They are turquoise, chartreuse, mulberry and corn yellow.  The white fabric is a text print called Poppy Patio from Jill Finley for Henry Glass fabrics.  It's a very subtle text print.

As soon as I could after the new year, I started this quilt.  I'm hoping to have the top finished by February 13th which is the last day to enter into our local quilt show.  You have until March to actually finish the quilt so keep your finger's crossed that I can finish the top by next week.

This is what I have so far.
I just need to do the half square triangle squares and then sew it all together.  It's going to end up being 60" x 60".  I know you can't tell scale by looking at this pic.

I love it so far.  
I'll keep you posted.

P.S.  I've decided to participate in A Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and Melissa of Sew Bittersweet Designs.  The idea behind A Lovely Year of Finishes is to set goals each month and then try to complete your goal.  If you do, and you link back up with their linky parties, you can win a prize.  But more importantly, you have finished something and that always feels great!


So my goal for February is to complete the quilt top, sandwich, baste, quilt and bind my Giant Starburst Quilt.
 *linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and a Lovely Year of Finishes goal linky party.*