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Strippers of the Orient #2: A long time coming.
So sometime back in 2005, Melanie made a version of a quilt from a Kaffe book. What a great way to show off fabrics and not actually have to cut them up, for those fabrics that you just looooove.
I had more than nine Asian fabrics I was in love with, so I spent some time pickin' and choosin'. I picked nine fabrics and in the process of having people confab about what order and if they were cool, Mariko's response was "I LOVE THOSE THEY ARE AWESOME." Since I had a yard of each and you really only use 1/2 yd of each, I figured I could just as easily make two matching quilts. Ha. Just as easily.
In 2006 when Mariko and I went to Australia, I brought samples of each fabric that had Asian characters written on it so she could tell me "which end was up" (fortunately some of the fabrics have characters going in both directions! Yay!).
Sometime in November or December I had both quilt tops done (I did them simultaneously. One column for you, one column for you, a second column for you, a second column for you...). I quilted mine first, as a trial run with my darning foot & some stippling paper, and I finished it in January 2007.
I didn't work on Mariko's right away, I was so sick of looking at these fabrics under my needle!! But then Ashley finished a version of this quilt and I got back in gear.
Et voila.
(p.s. as you can see, there is just nowhere in my apartment to take a decent picture of a big quilt. Ah. Bygones.)
Mariko's quilt is exactly the same as mine, but for two elements.
1) The backing. I had her pick which fabric she wanted out of a selection.
(My back was gold dragons. See it here.)
2) And the quilting. Mine has stipples, hers has braided columns.
Yay, I'm so glad I'm finally finished with this baby. Putting it in the mail tonight!!!
Now off to work on quilting the Little Pinkie while I wait for Office Depot to show up with yet more "storage solutions" for my ever more cramped and filled up apartment...
Posted by Duff at July 30, 2007
loving the braided columns. and I think that photo spot works out pretty well.
Posted by: Amy at July 30, 2007 08:58 AM
The braided columns are gorgeous! Did you sketch them out first?
Posted by: Stephanie at July 30, 2007 09:07 AM
you could definitely do it that way. but in this case i used "borders made easy" paper. it has the pattern drawn on it, you stick the paper on top of your quilt and sew right over it.
Posted by: Duff. at July 30, 2007 09:12 AM
I love that quilting too. must try some of that paper.
Posted by: jackie at July 30, 2007 09:49 AM
That looks fantastic! I'm very jealous!
Posted by: jenn at July 30, 2007 10:55 AM
When are you starting my quilt?
Posted by: Sil at July 30, 2007 11:45 AM
that quilting is just awesome. Do you have a big fancy long arm machine?
Posted by: Ashley at July 30, 2007 01:36 PM
Where you'd get your border paper? I swear I've gone to six fabric stores and no one seems to carry it. Do I *have* to order it online?
Posted by: sara at July 30, 2007 02:43 PM
That is really beautiful. The fortune cookies made me laugh.
Posted by: claudia at July 30, 2007 04:08 PM
Braided columns?! Wonderful! It's really beautiful, front and back. Little P. is also more beautiful all the time, just like the recipient, I'm sure. I am loooving the "bygones" here -- takes me back to some happy TV times. Sorrysuchalongcomment.
Posted by: Mary at July 30, 2007 05:47 PM
That is the fanciest thing anyone has ever made me! I think I am going to cry.
Posted by: Mariko at July 30, 2007 06:43 PM
I love this quilt...the fortune cookie backing fabric is super cute. I like how you signed it on one of the cookies, too.
apparently I need to seek out a certain Kaffe book and check it out. I haven't seen it and it looks like I am missing out. it was fun to see the links to the other versions of this quilt pattern.
you did a great job on the quilt(s). hee hee
Posted by: amandajean at July 30, 2007 11:36 PM
awesome quilt! and ingenious photo display! :)
Posted by: alice at July 31, 2007 08:10 AM
Um, that is such a bad ass quilt. LOVE IT.
Posted by: Carrie at August 1, 2007 09:35 PM
DUDE. That's insane. Mariko is sooooo lucky.
Posted by: Rachael at August 5, 2007 01:55 AM
Your quilting looks GREAT! How brave to tackle a non-stipple, non-straight design on the machine. I cannot do that yet.
Posted by: jen at August 5, 2007 07:23 PM