Thursday, February 27, 2014

Vera Bradley Quilt - Finished!

So, a while ago, I was asked to make a quilt with Vera Bradley fabrics. I was a little apprehensive - all I knew about VB was the ugly pre-quilted purses - what if the fabric was horrendous to look at work with?

Luckily, it wasn't! A few of the fabrics were a bit closer to home-dec weight, but most of the others had a great hand. The one on the top left {and second row, last on right} was a napkin and was especially soft and delicate. And nothing was pre-quilted. Whew.

And even though it's way more paisley than I would ever want, the colors are quite lovely.

Of course, sewers might recognize some of the info on the selvage!

{Also note the cat hair! It's nice to receive fabric already coated in cat hair, especially given CC's love for this quilt.}

She originally asked for my Twinkle Twinkle design, but there just wasn't enough fabric to do it - I'd have to cut the pieces down to 3.5" and most of the designs were far bigger than that. The fabrics were remnants {or napkins} so there wasn't much to work with.

Suzanne did some Googling and picked this design - Strawberry Fields from Material Obsession. Which....I own! I guess it was meant to be! I scaled the blocks to fit the fabrics we had {and seriously - I had 35" of the star points and needed 33"! No miscutting allowed!}

I love the economy blocks - I used the same elephant print in the second square of all of them to tie it all together. And this green-dominant block is my very favorite - that's why it got center square!

I went way out of my comfort zone - after plenty of paper practice - and quilted an all-over freehand paisley design. It came out way, way better than I thought. {Wait, should I be admitting that on a customer quilt?}

It's not perfect - sometimes I forgot that I was supposed to be "traveling" and ended up going in tight circles - but for the most part, it's exactly better than I envisioned it.

Which is good because the backing shows off every single loop, vividly!

{And how perfect is that backing against the binding? She did that from memory!}

Label is a simple corner label - as usual, not filled out yet. But this time because we're still trying to come up with a name.

Vera - after binge-watching Downton Abbey, I don't have a good association with that name. But then, Firefly...this is my very favorite gun... Suzanne briefly called it "My Blue Heaven." I suggested a Beatles name because of the original Strawberry Fields...but there's not really a blue Beatles song. There's a Blue Album, on which Strawberry Fields appears...

Eventually it will have a name on the label, though!

This quilt was well-loved by the cats - which is good because it's a lap quilt and Suzanne has a lap cat who is very dedicated to his job.

This is his "don't tell CC where I am" look.

Oops, too late.

Ahh, mine to snuggle.

I tried some staged shots...and decided I'm just not that good at staged shots. Should the lamp be there? I can't tell if it's distracting. I can read tutorials all day on lighting {in fact, thanks to Lori's advice, I opened and shut the blinds in the bedroom until I figured out which one was causing the dapples on the end of the quilt} but I just can't "see" a good shot. Oh well.

Quilt Details
Fabric: Vera Bradley remnants, Kona Silver
Backing: Joann's Cozy Flannel, Aquarius
Binding: Vera Bradley
Size: 65" square
Pattern: Strawberry Fields by Sarah Fielke

Linked:

19 comments:

  1. It sounds like it will be very well received. Thanks for linking up!

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  2. I think of Vera Bradley as pre-printed paisley for making bags, too. But this is very pretty and a lovely pattern to showcase those prints.

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  3. Gorgeous quilt Love it !! Have a great weekend Marie (mlismore@optusnet.com.au)

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  4. what a pretty use of these fabrics!
    LeeAnna Paylor
    Not Afraid of Color!
    lapaylor.blogspot.com

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  5. Well it turned out lovely! And good job on the quilting - very nice!

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  6. I am happy to be your 'test subject' on the freehand! :D

    Once it arrives, there will be several pictures on my blog and I'll get some good lighting for you. The chair I usually sit (and freeze) in gets great afternoon sunlight.

    It is rather funny about cats. Scamp rather enjoys sitting on my myriad Vera bags, kind of like they are an island in a sea of solid colored things. These pieces were on a shelf, some were in a bag-he'd find them. Perhaps cats are drawn to paisleys?

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  7. very pretty, love the quilting!!!!

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  8. I think your staged shot shows off the quilt nicely! Sometimes it is great to see a quilt in an actual bed setting :D Nice quilting!

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  9. Beautifully done! The quilting looks great. I have problems with getting the staged shots to look right, yours look great.

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  10. That's a very cool pattern - great job!

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  11. What a lovely quilt. The design suits the fabric really well. Great finish and a great staged shot. What Lamp?
    valspierssews - visiting from Let's Book It

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  12. I love the quilt. Where did you find Vera Bradley fabrics? Awesome.

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    Replies
    1. Donna, I thought I posted a reply right after you asked this!

      Most of the fabrics came from eBay. The Java Blue border that showed the selvage was a yard someone was selling, most of the rest was close to fat quarter sizes that were sold for a $3 to $5 a piece.

      I lucked out at the end, one person was selling a dozen pieces for $20 and was randomly pulling from their stash. I sent an email and asked if I could give a list of what I was looking for-he was very nice about giving me what he had that was on the list.

      If I'd thought about it sooner, I would have bought more of the napkins. They're reasonably priced. A local antiques store sells all the Vera home items, so they have a regular supply.

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  13. Vera Bradley prints are very busy, but I really like them. I like the pattern that you used, and the white keeps the patterns from being overwhelming.

    Thanks so much for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  14. I just finished watching Firefly on DVD - need to get the movie at the library soon. I think any of the names you mentioned would be great but "Vera" would say it all! I had forgotten Vera in DA but I still like Vera as a name based on the fabrics. The cats definitly enjoyed the quilt and it's nice to know it will go to a cat friendly home =^..^=

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  15. The paisley is gorgeous on this quilt and well done on the quilting it all goes together so well.

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  16. The quilt is great. Love the colors. The fabrics works great with the design you choose.

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  17. It turned out really nice and you totally pulled off the staging. I'm impressed by your list of linky parties too.

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