Tuesday, November 9, 2010

"Japanese Dinner" twin quilts

Phew, I finished! Here they are, Twin Quilts, Take 2!

I had so much fun making the Riley Blake Wheels twin quilts, and it was fun to start fresh with a totally new design for this set for another pair of good friends who also recently had twin boys. Like the "original" twin quilts, I wanted to make something coordinating, yet individual. To do this, I decided to use the same colors, but vary the design.

For the first quilt, I used a Bento Box design, framed by white sashing. For the second, I used the same concept, but in circles instead of squares. Due to the round shape, I named these "Mixed Sushi Rolls" as a nod to their square cousin. Together....a nice Japanese dinner :-)
I used entirely blue and green solids (inspired by this quilt), just purchased from my local quilt store. I love love love this color scheme! I threw one print into the mix on each quilt top just to catch the eye- the square patterned Monaluna Mingle for the Bento Box quilt, and some Amy Butler Sunspots for the Sushi quilt.

To further tie the two quilts together, I added a patch of squares on the sashing on the Sushi quilt, and then circles in the same region on the Bento Box quilt. These patches in the sashing were mirrored on the backs. I even pieced in some of the patch material in the binding to give the illusion that it wraps around, resembling a tab. I personalized the quilts in these squares and circles with hand stitching in bright orange.

Aside from that small detail, the backs are otherwise identical.

I used the large scale Michael Miller Megatropolis print on the backs, which is funky, bright and fun. This print was actually the inspiration for these quilts....planned the back first, a little "backwards", I know! I bordered the print on either side by blue solids. The print is trimmed by strips of black dots that match the binding. I love this fabric and its soft little grey dots, just picked it up at my local quilt store. I think the black adds a bit of maturity to the quilt and grounds it, as well as really complimenting the Michael Miller print.
Quilting was a true lesson in frustration. I had originally intended to do the Sushi quilt in free motion curves, and the Bento in straight line boxes. Turns out my Bento Boxes were a little more wonky than I had planned...don't know how/why things don't line up when I cut them precisely, and use a 1/4 seam foot to piece, but hopefully down the road, experience will help with that. Anyways, the wonky factor made it very difficult to sew straight lines, because it either looked straight against the front and crooked on the back, or vice versa. More than a few cringes during this one! The vertical lines looked fine, but the horizontal ones were looking shabby, especially since the back panel did not seem to line up (looks like I suck at basting, too!). Anyways, ended up tearing it all out (ugh.), which took about SIX hours. In the end I decided to do free motion stippling for both to better camouflage the glaring errors! Oh, how I long to be a straight line goddess like Rita at Red Pepper Quilts! But I think it all worked out for a reason, the quilts better suit this randomness. This was only my second go at free motion (I also did it for the other twin quits) and I was much more comfortable and consistent (that is a very relative statement!). Funny thing is I realized after I was done that I had forgotten to drop my feed dogs...how did it even work?? Who knows, but I am happy with how it turned out. Especially once washed- so nice and crinkly!

Finished them off with little labels hand stitched onto the back:
Can't wait to deliver these to two very adorable little guys.....hope they like them! I will take payment in the form of snuggles, please!

Sharing with my friends at Quilt Story and Sew and Tell!

24 comments:

Elizabeth Dackson said...

Super cute, I love these! And you have a serious gift for naming quilts :)

Katie said...

Beautiful! Love the idea of using only solids!

Amy Friend said...

Those are fabulous! Your friend will be more than delighted! I really like both the designs and the colors you chose!

Thearica said...

Your quilts are awesome!! I have not seen these before but I love them!

Kelly Irene said...

Kristie these are gorgeous!! I love everything--the patterns, the fabrics, the little boxes...you did a wonderful job and I am sure all recipients will be thrilled.

emilyc @ Sew Super Sweet said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Megan said...

I'm glad you persevered through all your troubles because these are truly gorgeous!! It's all such a learning experience, isn't it? I love your designs, colors, and that great print on the back!

Little Island Quilting said...

Double Oh Lordy Me - your most innovative quilts to date. I don't like sushi but I love these.

RosaMarĂ­a said...

both are fantastic!!!

Emily said...

They're beautiful! I agree, sometimes straight line quilting is just so much harder than stippling. Your quilting looks great either way! I love the designs here, different but very similar. Perfect!

LisaG said...

I love these quilts, speaking as a mummy to twins they are totally amazing.

Quiltstory said...

Wow, so in love with these! You bust these out amazingly cute and fast. Really so sweet! Thanks for linking to Fabric Tuesday, see you next week :)

Kelli said...

these are awesome mate! I love the colour combo!!!
Great work, The quilting looks great, sorry to hear about the hours spent pulling the others out but!

Wendy said...

Simply gorgeous! Love the idea of making them alike, yet individual. And all the details...such a GREAT gift these will be!

Becky said...

Very cute! I'm a twin, so have a really soft spot. I know the momma will really love them too :-).

Cris A said...

Stunning!

Leslie said...

these quilts are gorgeous!!!

Leslie said...

Both of these are AMAZING!!! wow! very lucky family to be receiving these!

Trisha said...

Love them!! They are beautiful and to finish two this week! Amazing!!!

Katie @SwimBikeQuilt said...

Looks really great! I know what you mean about becoming a straight line goddess. I am so not there yet! I love the embroidery!

Dianne said...

These are absolutely AMAZING! The colors are so beautiful....what a special present for twins! I love how you made each quilt a bit different, but used the same colors. And the back is just as pretty as the front!

Paulette said...

Each of these is jaw-dropping in its own right. Such gorgeous quilts! Love that you threw one print into each!

Christie describeHappy said...

I'm floored at the idea of making not one but two quilts! I really like how they compliment and coordinate with each other. I am sure they will be treasured! And I can relate to the quilting is a lesson in patience part -- been there, and sure I'll be back again.

Little Blue Mouse said...

These are beautiful, I love the colours so much.