Friday, March 7, 2014

Skorca! - Finished

Just running right through the list of UFOs. This is another longtime one - finished the top in March 2012. I covered the problems I had with quilting it earlier this week - short version, that many bias seams and a walking foot do not make pretty.


The longarm makes a huge difference, and changed my love/hate relationship with Skorca to just a simple like. The top still has some puffiness to it, but it's not a disaster like it was before.

Oh, right, so there's this show, the Penguins of Madagascar. It's basically awesome, and the best episode of all is Skorca.



The penguins at the Central Park zoo are afraid of the Sky Orca - the Skorca. I swear, the first time we watched this, I laughed for five minutes.

As I remember, I started Orca Bay with Quiltville right from the start, and it was renamed by the Dude to Skorca within the first week. Skorca was my first time doing a mystery quilt, and eh...it was a learning experience.

{That bear peeking out is hands down my favorite scrap in this quilt.}

I didn't do a good enough job picking fabrics - some of my black and whites had too much white, and the blocks aren't as defined as I would like, as you can see above. I solved that by letting the Dude draw on some of the blocks.

The quilting, which you can almost see in the above picture, is a looped swirl with a meander in between.


The Dude picked more than the name - the borders, backing, and the quilting were his picks as well.

Oh, and there's a story behind the layout, according to him. The penguins {border}, obviously, are on the icebergs {stop border.} The black and white blocks are the orcas, swimming in the blue {block} ocean. And the red is the BLOOD OF THE ORCAS' VICTIMS.

Living with a boy is super fun.

I also discovered I hate - and I do mean HATE - string blocks. I will never make one again. If pattern calls for them, I'll just substitute a single solid block. Don't try to convince me that they make the quilt better, because...


My hate is your gain. As I cleaned out my scrap boxes, I've been stuffing everything under 1.5" into this box. It's about a gallon size bag or so of skinny strips, selvages, and some random triangle-y shapes.

Want 'em? Enter with Rafflecopter. You don't need to comment or like me on Facebook or Tweet about it. However, there are scraps in there from Joann's and Hobby Lobby, as well as "quilt shop quality" - so if you don't want them...don't enter.


Oh, and sorry - since we're leaving for Korea shortly, I'm limiting this to US entries. I just don't have time to make it to the post office and find the proper stuff for international.


{Why yes, that is a Perry pillowcase from Phineas and Ferb, our other favorite show.}

Quilt Details
Fabric: hahaha, you're kidding, right?
Backing: from Hancock Fabrics
Binding: more B&W scraps
Size: 66" square
Pattern: Orca Bay by Bonnie Hunter, now found in String Fling

Linked:

12 comments:

  1. I admire you for sticking with the plan even thought the process of the string blocks was not enjoyable. The result is a beautiful quilt! Now go find something to work on that you truly love!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the story of the name. The Dude chose well. The story is a bit blood thirsty, but sometimes the best ones are.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Dude is seriously gifted - love the imagination he put into the whys and wherefores of the borders and blocks. Living with boys IS super fun. Or with my oldest girl, who LOVES orcas and dragons and blood.

    I've done two string quilts, and I'm done with them for life. Loved how they turned out, but I won't sign up for another one. Or save scraps for one. Ew!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Again, I really like your honesty about string blocks. I like them and I learned them from Bonnie Hunter too. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats on this finish. I always love it when I finish an older project. I can tell the Dude loves it... really sounds like things my boys would say. I don't think I could sew strings the traditional way, but have you seen how Molli Sparkles does it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This turned out great, with lots of energy, and will be well-loved, in spite of any wonkiness. My link here is also my first mystery quilt, but not as complex as yours. I, on the other hand, love string blocks, they are my therapy. But I don't need any more scraps, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is not only an epic quilt (love how all the penguins are directional in your border!), but that story is the best part. LOL "blood of the victims"!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really like the finished effect of this quilt. The vision of each color/fabric block is cracking me up! My wild thing is almost 10 and the "blood of the orca's victims" thing is TOTALLY something that he would come up with. haha!

    Thanks so much for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the story of the quilt. Reminds me of when mine was little. Thanks for the smile.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wait!! (been thinking all kinds of things while reading, but . . . ) How *awesome* is it that your Dude has a stuffed kitty like your real kitty??? TOO COOL. :D

    Back to the quilt - this is such a success! It may be different from how you'd like the contrast to be, but it's a very nice accomplishment of colors perfect for a picnic or boy's quilt. So funny how he described the placement - love the 'berg and the blood. And that bear scrap is fantastic peeking out of the surroundings. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the story - Dude has a great imagination! The quilt turned out awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Blood of the Orca's victims?!!! Love that imagination! Personally, I have seen many orcas, but have never seen them leave any victims as they swim on by!

    ReplyDelete