Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Leave a Trail”
December 2012
100″ x 100″
Machine pieced
Hand quilted by myself
Welcome to another Bloggers’ Quilt Festival! I can’t believe it is that time again, already! I believe this is my 6th time to enter and it never gets old. I just love hopping around looking all the the beautiful eye candy. I love seeing what my friends have created and making new friends, too!
What I want to share this time around is a very special quilt that I gifted my brother this past Christmas. In the beginning, I think it was 2002, my 5 siblings and I began exchanging names and hand-made gifts. Every one gives different things, for me it is quilts. I think I have made two hand-quilted quilts for each of them and this is my most recent one.
I created this one for my younger brother who is a very outdoorsy kind of guy and having recently moved to “the hills”, I knew he was upgrading to a larger bed. Since his first quilt had been well used and loved, I knew this quilt had to be just as special, if not more so.
I threw around a lot of ideas and finally settled on a trail marker design based on a picture of one Ashley created at Film in the Fridge. I created my pattern in a little different way including a twist in the layout. I’ll share my version, as a tutorial, and link it here, very soon.
I chose more vintage feeling fabrics from my oldest stash, for this one. I included many fabrics that once belonged to our grandmother, the grandmother who instilled her love of sewing in me. I treasure each and every scrap of Grandma’s fabrics and try to include a bit in every quilt, but this one has more than the usual!
I worked up a quilting pattern that took advantage of the triangular shapes and created a continuity of stitching. I stitched 1/4″ inside each triangle. I then stitched 1/4″ outside each extending down to become a quilting line 1 1/4″ outside the block beside it. These quilting lines connect and flow throughout the quilt only being broken by the “trail”.
The solids are primarily Kona cottons, in a variety of pale neutrals. Any and all tans, beiges, grays, greens, blues, peaches and yellows were fair game.
This quilt is a throwback to my earliest quilts when I used muslin as the backing. I’m not sure how I evolved away from it, but I really do prefer the look and feel of it especially when using fabrics with a more vintage vibe. I also think that hand stitching shows up best on muslin. It is a really nice fabric to needle. Using Quilter’s Dream cotton batting along with Roc-lon Permanent Press muslin, in natural, contributed to the smooth quilting.
It finished out as a large queen at around 100 inches square. My fence is not quite high or wide enough between sections to show it all off, but you get the idea with only seeing about half of it!
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Leave a Trail”
December 2012
100″ x 100″
Machine pieced
Hand quilted by myself
Hand quilted category
Come join in on the fun!
To see all the quilts click on the box below, then each corresponding category.
To nominate your most favorite click here. You just copy and paste to put the web address of the quilt you like best into the box. After all nominations are in, from what I understand, voting with take place for all the different categories. So check back!
P.S.
I’ve had several people email me, not understanding how to nominate a quilt for the Viewer’s Choice award for the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival. You click here, then enter this
into the box, or the web address of the page of the quilt you are wanting to nominate. Add your email address at the bottom to verify, you have only nominated one quilter, that is all that is required for this round! I appreciate everyone who has deemed me worthy! Nominations end Friday.
All the quilts can be viewed from linking off here.
Previous Festival Quilts
Flower Garden ~ Fall 2009
Mosaic Tiles ~ Spring 2011
Shoot For the Moon ~ Fall 2011
Bubble Quilt ~ Spring 2012
Out of This World ~ Fall 2012
Also linking up with:
Finish it Up Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday!
TGIF Link Party!
Sewfrench 
It’s beautifully made as well as colors. Not a surprise to see such great work because that’s what you do. Be Blessed, Mtetar
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Awww… Thank you, Mtetar, you are so sweet!
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You’re welcome, Lori! Be Blessed and enjoy your weekend. Mtetar
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I love that quote and the quilt is perfect to go with it. We have six kids and do the same, drawing names for birthdays and Christmas ..In my case , it will be something quilted too.
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Well, I think this just might be the end of these big quilts for siblings! They all got two and I have kids and grandkids to stitch for!! Maybe I can pick up some other ideas from you?
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Ah, gorgeous! You always show such fresh modern quilts in the festival and this is a beauty… Love your use of neutrals!
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I’ll be around to comment on yours in a bit, Carly. I did a quick peek of it and I LOVE it! You are so on top of things!
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Hi! You are my first stop at the quilt show and I can say already that this is my favourite! I’m totally in love! Beautiful colours, pattern, hand quilting and the name! x Teje
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Thanks, Teje! I feel so special being the first, hopefully I won’t be forgotten? LOL! I’ll be around later tonight to comment of yours, which I LOVE, but you know what a sucker I am for Kona!!
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What a beautiful quilt! Great choice of quotes to go with it too. No shortage of super ideas coming out of your sewing room! Thanks for the inspiration!
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Thanks, Elita! Once I added the trail, it seemed like an obvious quote, one of my favorites. Isn’t it fabulous checking out everyone else’s quilts?
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Lovely colours and a great pattern for a manly quilt, and the special touch of hand quilting makes it even better
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Thank you, Nicky. It does really have a manly look to it, doesn’t it? That is so hard for me to accomplish! I can do girl quilts without thinking about it, it might have to do with my stash…..
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It is gorgeous! Love the colours and it will mean so much to him. Fabulous!
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I sure hope so! Thanks!
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Dropped by from CIGAWW – that’s a fab quilt and I love the change in direction, it makes the whole design so much more interesting. I’m a big fan of the muslin back – it places so much more emphasis on the quilting design and let’s the quilt top speak for itself. Really lovely 🙂
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Exactly! Thank you!
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I love the pattern for this one and your quilting looks great too!
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Thanks, Julie! I can’t wait to sit down tonight and start taking notes!
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It’s beautiful, Lori. I love looking at all your creatings and then wish I would have let my mom teach me to sew! 🙂
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Oops, I meant creations. Typo.
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It’s never too late. I am always surprised at the number of sewers and quilters who take it up with just youtube videos! Yes, you can!!
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It’s stunning! I like how you chose prints that read as solids from a distance… really gives the quilt a lot of impact.
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Thank you, Cari! It really seems like most all the older fabrics do read solid, or maybe that was just what was available to me. I will miss them when they are gone….
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Such an awesome pattern!!
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Thank you, Sara! I can definitely see doing this one again!
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oh my! the hours and hours of work this quilt took are certainly worth it. it’s gorgeous!
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Surprised myself, when I went back and looked at the picture dates, it was done in about three months. I also gifted two other queen/king quilts in the fall, so yes, I was busy, but it wasn’t too bad!
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I love this quilt! the layout is fabulous and the colors are very fresh!
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Thank you, Heather. It turned out exactly as I had hoped!
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This is beautiful! I love those colours and your quilting looks wonderful 🙂
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Thank you, Janine! Hand quilting definitely gives a quilt a special look.
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Wow it’s gorgeous! I really like the arrows going in a different direction, and the quilting compliments them so well!
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Thanks, Renee, I thought the change up made it extra interesting.
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Your hand quilting is lovely! And I love the trail working its way through the quilt. I used to back my quilts in muslin too – I should move back to those days. I agree – hand stitching always looks lovely on muslin!
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Thank you, Sara! You really should try muslin again, the quality seems a lot better than what I used long ago. After so many years of using Kona or other quilting fabrics, to quilt with, I forgot how nice a fine woven muslin can be!
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Your quilt is beautiful. I like the concept and the execution, especially the arrangement of the colors. Lucky brother.
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Thank you, Clare! I hope he thinks so! LOL!
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What a wonderful quilt. I can’t believe how big it is, you obviously have a lot of patience. Worth it though, it’s beautiful
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Thank you, Sally! Big beds need big quilts! I listen to a “lot” of books on tape, to pass the time.
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Beautiful! Love the movement in this quilt.
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Thank you, Jodi!
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Absolutely stunning! Love the quilt name.
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Thank you, Rose Marie. The names can be the hardest part, for me!
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Lovely quilting. Thanks for the tip on the muslin. My grandmother was a hand quilter and she often used muslin in her quilts. She was also very particular about which batting she would use. Her quilting was beautiful and shows very nicely and now I know why. When you quilt by hand the feel of the fabric and texture of the batting seem more important than with machine quilting. I have not hand quilted any quilts but now I think I may.
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Those old quilts really are the best. I don’t understand with the fabrics and the battings that they used how they could hold up like they did, but they are still around. You should give it a try, hand quilting can be very relaxing and rewarding.
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This is my first visit to your blog (through TGIFF) and I love your quilt you are putting up for the Blogger Festival. The quote really adds depth to the whole aesthetic and feel of the quilt along with your great outdoor picture. Lovely!
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As soon as I decided to make a row going in the opposite direction I saw it as breaking a new trail, thus “Leave a Trail”. Thanks for visiting, come back soon?!!
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Beautiful! This is a wonderful quilt.
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Thank you Audrey! Another case of the last one finished is my favorite, too!
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A beautiful mix of colours. The Bloggers Quilt Festival is great for finding new (to me) blogs- thankyou!
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Thanks, Karen, I totally agree!
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Bello, allegro e colorato!
Ciao dall’Italia
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It’s really beautiful and I love the attached quote. You really thought about this one, it’s lovely!
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This is subtle and gorgeous and perfect for a man. And I always love and am impressed by your hand quilting. I wish I had more time to do it!!!
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Wow I am completely bowled over by this beautiful quilt. My mother is an exceptional quilter and I am just starting out on my first ever quilt. You have done such an amazing job with this I wish you all the best of luck.
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Awww. Thank you, Hanna! What a nice compliment.
Be patient with yourself on your first quilt and know that everything looks better after it is washed!! Be prepared to be addicted!! Welcome to the wonderful world of quilters!
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Beautiful! I love using muslin for the back of quilts too but, for some reason, have gotten away from it recently. Your post reminded me and the next quilt will have a muslin backing!
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Gorgeous! Love the name and the Emerson quote is one of my faves! Your quilting is wonderful. Love your work! Good luck!
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this is beautiful!
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This is different, I like the colors you chose and how you placed your triangles. A very lovely quilt.
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Very beautiful! I especially enjoyed seeing the quilt from the back. It’s hard to photograph the quilting on a light fabric, but you did a great job…on the stitching and the photography!
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Amazing quilt! I love the layout and the story behind it. Congratulations on such a beauty!
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Beautiful! I like the muslin as a backing too!
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Wow! This is such an amazing quilt. Your hand quilting is spectacularly tiny! I’m sure that this quilt will definitely be treasured now and become a family heirloom in the future. Beautifully done!
xo -E
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