Friday, July 27, 2012

Seaside 1600 Quilt

When I said good-bye last month, I really didn't think I'd be away this long, but its been really great to just enjoy my family and my life and sew when I can along the way. I've actually been pretty productive over the past month, and hopefully I'll get around to sharing some of the things I've been up to soon. Today I get to share the biggest project I've completed this month... a quilt!

We've been spending most of our summer weekends out on our boat. Even though it's been super humid here lately, there are days and evenings when it gets windy and cool out on the water. I decided that I wanted to make a quilt for the girls and I to cuddle up under when it gets chilly while we're out cruising around. There are so many ocean and beach-themed fabrics out right now, but I knew right away that I wanted Seaside by October Afternoon for Riley Blake. It has a very vintage feel to it and (I think) has a bit of a New England vibe. This month's Point of View theme "Outdoors" was a great motivator... I finished this quilt in five days from start to finish! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I'm always complaining talking about how slow I sew, so five days for me would be like three days for everyone else ;) And you may be wondering why a quilt fits the outdoor theme... It's a bit of a stretch, but we're using it outdoors, so why not? Ready to see it?


This is my largest machine-quilted project to date (about 48" x 64"). I wanted a quilt that wasn't going to take forever to make, and I had seen this quilt that Darcy over at Modern Cozy made (which is beautiful!), so I decided to try out the 1600 Quilt tutorial for myself. It's so quick and simple to put together. I had the quilt top done in just over two hours!


This quilt uses forty 2.5" wide strips (Thank you pre-cuts!). Like Darcy, I didn't angle the ends of my strips. I just like the look of it better.


The back is solid gray with a 12" wide horizontal strip of red Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet...


I'm really glad I went with the royal blue binding. It really frames the quilt nicely...


I added a little piece of "Seaside" selvage to the bottom of my quilt label. I've never done that before, but I thought it was appropriate since the quilt is going to be used on a boat :)


I love this quilt, and I will definitely be making more 1600 Quilts. They go together so quickly, they'd make a great gift for someone special.

Now it's your turn... Check out this month's Point of View collage and link up your past or present outdoors-themed projects at the Point of View Link Party! We want to see what you've been up to!


17 comments:

Sandy said...

I bought a beautiful Kafe Fassett jelly roll to make one of these. Now I can't wait to get started. Yours is gorgeous :)

Jonie Marie said...

What a fun idea to have a blanket for the boat. When we take our boat out, I always wish we had something other than towels, especially when my baby falls asleep. I may have to consider doing this myself.

Also, it is good to hear from you again. I've missed you!

chris said...

LOVELY! What a fantastic, simple quilt. I hope you enjoy it out boating. :) Wishing you a happy rest of your summer.

Unknown said...

I love it, Gwen! Happy boating :)

Leanne said...

It's beautiful Gwen. I love the fabric strips and the fun look of the quilt. The back is just as beautiful. I love the colors!

Gabriela said...

Very nice! Since reading your post I've been to JoAnn and have been online shopping for a jelly roll because I want to make one this weekend. No luck yet but I might just make my own strips from my hefty fabric stash.

Darcy said...

Eek! I love it so ridiculously much! Glad you've been enjoying your summer :-)

Amy at Ameroonie Designs said...

It's gorgeous Gwen! I love the fabrics and what a fun thing to have to cuddle under as you're making fun summer memories with your girls.
xoxo

Ashlee Marie said...

Kay our crafts all look pretty weak next to your amazing and gorgeous quilt! Seriously AMAZING! And so fast! I also LOVE the back, those white on red circles are such a fun touch!

Danielle Bartran said...

Gwen, I LOVE this quilt. It's beautiful...and I loved seeing your post pop up in my feed! It hope you're enjoying summer...I'm excited to see what else you've been making!

Unknown said...

So nice to read that you're enjoying your summer and getting stuff like this gorgeous quilt done Gwen! I love it!

Life With Lucy said...

This is SO beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing! So glad to see your posts every once in a while & so glad you are enjoying such great time with your family!

Julie said...

Such a beautiful quilt! I love the fabrics you chose and how they landed in the finished quilt.

Julie said...

Hi Gwen, would you mind telling me how you arranged your fabrics before stitching them end to end? Meaning, did you alternate colors in order or just grabbed whatever you picked up randomly. I have been studying your pretty quilt the last couple of days and will be trying this out when I get a jelly roll that's been ordered. Thank you!

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

Julie - My analytical, math-loving brain tried to sort the strips beforehand, but the way the strips go together, it's just too complicated to figure out ahead of time. I finally gave up, handed the strips over to my daughter and had her put them in a pile however she liked. I'd say just mix them all up and go for it!

Julie said...

Thanks so much for answering my question, Gwen. I will resist the temptation to ask you to ask your daughter if she had some sort of color alternating system.(laughing.)

Danielle Bartran said...

Been thinking about this quilt since you first posted. I think I'm going to bite the big one and just order the fabric! LOVE IT (still!)

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