Organic Chemistry Quilt is FINISHED!

After 2 years of working on and off of this (mostly off), I am so happy to say that my Organic Chemistry Quilt is done!!!

I started this originally as part of the Modern Quilt Guild's challenge, which had a theme of "organic".  After hand embroidering the first few blocks, it quickly became obvious that I wasn't going to get it done in the time period allotted.  I had time to stitch the blocks during  a cross-country road trip 2 summers ago, and even stitched together the back that same summer.  Then, I put it away and it sat for a very long time...

I think it sat for 2 reasons... the finished quilt wasn't as nice as I had envisioned in my mind's eye.  It's still not really a "favorite" quilt, but I love the concept of it, and wanted to see it realized.  I love geeky science quilts!  The other reason was that I had no idea how to quilt it.  In the end, I pretty much just closed my eyes and started quilting it, hoping for the best.  The hexagon quilting too    f o r e v e r   , but I'm glad I endured and got it done!  I was thinking about adding some free motion quilting in addition, but decided that I like the "simplicity" (ha!), or clean lines of the hexagonal quilting, and left it alone. The back is pieced together from all of the various fabrics that I used to make the hexagons and pentagons on the molecules.

It's 60 by 75 inches.  Each embroidered square is backed by muslin to keep the stitches from showing through the fabric, so it's a thick heavy quilt as well.  I think if I added up all of the time I spent hand embroidering each block, researching the chemicals, and quilting this beast, I probably put more time into this quilt than any other.  Whew!

Shanna and Melissa's "A Lovely Year of Finishes" helped motivate me to finish it, but I'm also getting it done with just a few days to spare to enter in our upcoming Krazy Horse Quilters' Quilt show!!  If you're in town May 4-5th, come see us!!

WIP Wed: Honeycomb / Hexagon Machine Quilting Tutorial

I'm about a third done quilting my Organic Chemistry Quilt.  I decided to do a simple grid all over the quilt, but also wanted to use hexagons on it.  After looking all over the Internet for ideas, and pretty much coming up with nothing, I decided to create my own.

One great thing about this quilting design is that just about anyone can do it with a walking foot.  All I did is to use the same cereal box template that I used to make the appliqued chemical hexagons, and used a plastic pot scrubber (my makeshift "Hera marker") to trace the outline of the next shape to stitch on.

Hopefully this give you an idea of how I am quilting it.  I tried to use chalk marker at first, but the white is almost impossible to see on such a light background, and the few I did in a peach colored chalk didn't easily "erase" with water or a lint roller.  I've had colored tailor chalk stain previous quilts, so immediately stopped using it.  This "Hera marker" leaves a crease that lasts just long enough to guide my stitches over!

It'll take a while to do this, but I find that I really really like this design.  I bet it'd be super easy on a long arm machine too.

Of course now that the design is taking shape, I may not be able to resist free motion quilting inside some of those "empty" hexagons ;-).

March UFO Goal: Organic Chemistry Quilt

For March's "A Lovely Year of Finishes" over at Fiber of All Sorts, I've not only chosen my hardest and oldest, UFO, but also the one I most want finished.  It got "stuck" almost 2 years ago, when I failed to finish it in time for the Modern Quilt Guild's "Organic challenge".

Another reason it got "stuck" is because I have no idea how to quilt it.  I worked so hard on the embroidery that I really don't want to quilt over it, but it takes up so much space that I can't leave it all open.

I'm open to any and all ideas on this one! I've thought about an all over hexagon / chicken wire patter, or some FMQ-ed hexagons in both the organic rings, and in the open space (maybe in different colored thread), or maybe even just tying or tacking it evenly instead of quilting it. I just really don't want the embroidery to get distorted, and have never done a quilt like this.

I'm also thinking about adding some random fabric hexagons and pentagons here and there to add more color to the quilt.  There is just something not quite right with it, but I can't put a finger on it. It's one of those quilts that seemed better on paper than in practice...

The back is done, and borders all cut out, so all that's left is sewing the borders on, and pinning it and quilting it.

I know that once Spring gets going full tilt I'll be slowing down in the sewing room and spending much more time outside, so I really GOT to get this done!!

Speaking of my sewing room, here are the shelves that my husband made and just installed about an hour ago!  The stain on them is still a bit tacky and needs some time to dry, but otherwise I'm finally able to put all of my sewing things in one room, for the first time in over 3 years!! Yipee!!