Friday, December 7, 2012

Time to sprinkle a little Space Dust...

Phew, one handmade Christmas gift officially crossed off my list! My Space Dust quilt is 100% done, including a quilt label for once. I can't show you the label for now, but I think it's probably the first quilt all year that I remembered to put a label on. I definitely need to make a New Year's resolution to get better about labels!

Space Dust - finished!

I started this quilt back in October, after Sewing Summit, as part of the Tula Pink Sew Along hosted by Sara of Sew Sweetness. The Space Dust pattern was one of Tula's fall pattern releases, and I was positively smitten with it the first time I saw it in person at Quilt Market back in May. I wasn't sure how to interpret the pattern, though, without using the fabrics Tula used in her pattern, from her fab Birds & the Bees collection. I knew who I wanted to make the quilt for, and I knew those fabrics weren't right for that person, so I pulled together some colors that I thought might work together, using shades of orange, yellow, aqua, and brown..

IMG_0618rtc

Each block of this quilt is pieced differently, using a unique paper piecing pattern provided in the pattern. I worked from the PDF pattern, which was 53 pages long! Each pattern shows your stitching lines, but isn't terribly descriptive when it comes to what colored fabrics go where, so I spent a good bit of time with the Fabric Placement guide on page 8 of the pattern, trying to figure out how to place my fabrics for maximum pop. I would write down the color I wanted represented on each piece, much like I do with any other paper piecing project I tackle.

IMG_1182rt

As I read through the pattern and got ready to create, I realized that I literally had my work cut out for me. Unlike most online tutorials and patterns for paper pieced projects that list cutting instructions for the block, because Space Dust is made up of 48 unique paper pieced blocks, there are no cutting instructions provided. After measuring quite a few of the pieces, trying to get an idea of how I could cut my fabrics, I ultimately decided the best way to cut and piece this quilt was to work one row at a time. Measure and cut the fabrics for one row of blocks, stack each pattern and pile of fabrics on top of one another, then piece the blocks. This method worked fairly well for me, and towards the last row or two, I was able to work from scraps rather than cutting for each individual block. 

Space Dust - FMQ detail

I did not add the borders specified in the quilt pattern; rather I added 4" wide borders all the way around the quilt top. For the quilting, I wound up doing free-motioned continuous wavy lines across the globe in the center of the quilt, in white 50 wt Aurifil thread, traveling in the ditch along the edge of the globe to move from line to lime. For the white negative space, I went with a simple stipple to set the negative space apart. I chose an Anna Maria Horner print from Innocent Crush to bind it.

Space Dust - and my swan friend

A lovely swan happened to horn in on my quilty photoshoot, which was positively unreal. I didn't even know that there are swans living in Florida! Fortunately, he (or she??) was a very nice, well-behaved swan, and he even posed for a picture.

A little swan stopped by

I think this quilt is going to be a big hit with the person I intend to give it to over the holidays! I can't wait to give it to them :)

Space Dust - binding detail

Quilt Stats
name: A Little Sprinkle of Space Dust
size: 59" x 63"
pattern: Space Dust by Tula Pink - available at Tula's shop
fabrics: So darned many from Flea Market Fancy, Modern Meadow, Happy Mochi Yum Yum, Oval Elements, Heirloom, and many more
quilting: free-motioned continuous wavy lines and a stipple in Aurifil 50 wt white thread (color #2024)
binding: Anna Maria Horner Innocent Crush Mixed Signals in Seafoam

21 comments:

  1. Beautiful. Wish I was on your Christmas list!

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  2. Oh my, it's utterly and breathtakingly beautiful! The recipient is a very lucky person!

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  3. Isn't it fun to be so excited about making the perfect gift for someone special? Well done! The recipient will be absolutely delighted.

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  4. Absolutely gorgeous! I also fell in love with this pattern, and I need to make one. The swan is SO cool (I'm a big fan of quilty photoshoots :) )

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  5. Elizabeth ~ this is the prettiest Space Dust quilt I've seen ~ you have such a wonderful eye for how to put fabrics together ~ I may even make this one now.

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  6. Love it! That's such a wonderful gift - especially with all the time needed to get the colors on there looking so awesome!

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  7. It turned out beautiful! Love your version - great job with the color/fabric placement!

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  8. This is really beautiful, Elizabeth! Sounds like quite a challenge.

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  9. So pretty, Elizabeth! I have this pattern too and I'm eager to make it, but I'll wait until I have plenty of mental energy. ;)

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  10. This is beautiful! The recipient is lucky, lucky, lucky!

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  11. OMG! Since I started "designing" my own quilts, I rarely buy a pattern, but have had this one on my very short list for a while. I can't believe you're not keeping it! Very lucky and well loved are the people who will get this!! Gorgeous!

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  12. Love how this turned out, so vibrant!

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  13. This is amazing Elizabeth! Lucky someone on your Christmas list this year :-)

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  14. Lovely -- it sounds challenging to make and you've done a wonderful job.

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  15. Love your variation of this quilt!

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  16. You did a wonderful job on this and I'm in awe of your fabric selection! I have the pattern and TP's fabric - was too overwhelmed to try a different fabric line - and get to start it after Christmas - so excited!

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  17. :) Fun quilt!!! Just curious...what fabrics did you use on the back?

    sowingstitches [at] gmail [dot] com

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  18. This is just beautiful, nice to see it all finished.

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  19. This is a brilliant quilt. I can't imagine going through all that work and just giving it away so quickly. What a lucky friend you have. I hope you get visiting rights because your quilt is so beautiful.

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  20. I just can't get over how much I love your version of this quilt! I've had the post open since Friday and I keep coming back and staring at it! It makes me want to scrap the one I'm half way through sewing and start again.

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Thank you for leaving a comment for me! I appreciate each and every one of them and try to respond when time allows. Your comments totally brighten my day :)


Welcome! I'm Elizabeth, mom to a mood teen boy and a chatty six-year-old girl and I sew for my sanity. Let's get to quilting, shall we?
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