Almost a year ago (January 15, 2011), I did a blog post about UFO busting and finishing my Super Mario Quilt top. You can see that post here, if you want.
EDIT: EXCUSE ME...ALMOST A YEAR AGO???? I JUST LOOKED AT THE YEAR....THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO. OH, MY GOSH. I AM SO BAD. I CAN'T BELIEVE NONE OF YOU CAUGHT THAT. HAHA! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED THIS TOP TWO YEARS AGO! IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE THAT LONG!
Well, I'm now doing a post (yes, one ER-TWO yearS later) that the quilt is actually finished and given! LOL! That's some UFO busting, huh? Maybe you can see now why I've given up worrying about my UFOs. They get done.....eventually.....or not.
Here it is. Quilted and bound! I was alone when I took these photos, and it was hard to find a way to hang it for photographing. So, It's hanging over the back of our trailer. haha. I think it turned out great. One of my favorite things about the quilt is the borders. Two of the corners are pieced nine-patch blocks and the other two are mismatched fabrics. I really love that touch.
Here, I laid it on the grass so you could see all four corners at the same time. (I took these photos in early December, before the snow flew!). I am quite happy with everything about this quilt! I bought the fabric and pattern when I lived in Idaho. I haven't lived in Idaho for about 4 years now. So, that shows you how long it takes me to make a good-sized quilt!
Linda Hrcka, The Quilted Pineapple, did the quilting for me. I think she did a fantastic job! I love it! I told her I wanted an all over design of some sort and that I love her free-form loops and feathers. So, this is what she did. This is how it looks after washing and drying....I love the crinkliness of it. The quilting is all in a nice tan thread. It goes just great on the quilt.
It isn't quite big enough for a bed quilt, so I figure it will be used as a couch quilt for cuddling under in front of the TV. Linda is big on wool batting, and I have never used a wool batt before. I thought this quilt might be nice and warm with a wool batt. Plus, I wanted to see how it draped. Linda says wool batts drape so nicely. I tell you, I love this batting. It does drape so nicely, was really warm on my lap when I was putting on the binding, and it is not as heavy as a cotton batt. I'm pretty sold on the wool. It did cost a little more, but not in the grand scheme of things, when you consider all the other costs (fabric, thread, quilting, etc.). I will be using wool a lot more!
Speaking of binding....one thing that slowed me down on finishing this quilt is I could NOT find the blasted binding fabric! I let too much time elapse between finishing the top and getting the binding on....somehow the binding fabric got buried in my sewing room. I couldn't find it anywhere. So, I went shopping and found this lovely green that matches that inner border to a T! Seriously, it might even be the same fabric line! I am not sure. But it is so dead on, it's amazing. Surprising I could find that after having purchased the original fabric something like 5 years ago! I was happy. It was exactly what I wanted for the binding.
Here is the back of the quilt. You can see my label down in the corner. (More on that in a minute.) I used up all the scraps I had to make the backing wide enough. Not a very inventive use of my scraps, but functional!
I love this backing fabric. It was one of the things that drew me toward wanting to do this quilt. I found this fabric and loved it. I wanted to make a quilt using this as a border or backing. I don't know if you can tell, but these are all olive branches with olives growing on them. It really appealed to me a lot. It is just so warm and inviting looking.
(I should have ironed the label after washing the quilt. It is a little wrinkled!) Because of the backing fabric, I titled the quilt "Olive Juice." Did you ever mouth "Olive Juice" to someone? It looks like you're saying "I love you." My brother and I used to do that to each other in church all the time. (I know, not what you're supposed to be doing in church!) He'd mouth "Olive Juice" to me and then say, "I didn't say, 'I love you!' I said, 'Olive Juice.'" And then he'd stick his tongue out at me. (My brother is 8 years younger than I am). Since I was giving this quilt to my brother, I thought "Olive Juice" was an apropos name for the quilt!
I made this label using the technique I blogged about here. I found the Olive Juice graphic on the web somewhere. You can't see it in this photo, but above the "Olive Juice," it says, "Read my lips...." LOL I had to hand write all my information (EEK!), because every time I printed it, my typed stuff wouldn't print! ARGH! The image would print, but not the text. Drove me nuts. So, I hand wrote it.
My brother and his wife just bought a new house. They are redecorating and bought a tan/gold couch. This should go perfect on it. I hope they like it. I sent it to them at Christmas.
The specifics:
Quilt Pattern: Super Mario, by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.
Size: 75" x 75"
Batting: Wool
Quilted by Linda Hrcka, The Quilted Pineapple
Linda blogged about the quilt here, so if you want more information on the batting and the threads, as well as her thoughts on quilting, she used for quilting, head on over there. You'll find that information in her post.
Well, that's about it for today. I am happy with how this one turned out. I hope my brother and his wife like it. They do so many nice things for me, I wanted to give them something special. I hope they use it a lot!
I'll blog more gifts over the next couple of weeks....now that they are given!
Until next time,
Love the quilt, Stephanie! And glad you busted that UFO! LOL! But I like the story behind the Olive Juice even more! I bet your brother really loved that....and I know they had to love the quilt and all the work you put into it! Great job!
Posted by: Deb | January 08, 2013 at 10:30 AM
What a beautiful quilt! I love the warm rich colors. What a thrill to give this as a gift, especially to a family member so you can see it when you visit.
Posted by: terriaw | January 08, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Stephanie...I LOVE this quilt!!!! Olive Juice!!!!! What a great story and name for it!!! I truly enjoyed your post and not just because the obvious reasons. :-) Everything about this quilt screams "cuddle with me." Those are my favorite kinds of quilts. I am so happy that you like the wool batting. It is my favorite. Just had a big roll of it delivered!! The binding is perfect!! I never would have known it was the original you intended to use. The label is amazing!!! Every detail on it. You are so good!! Thanks so much again. I know your brother will enjoy it for years to come!
Posted by: Linda | January 08, 2013 at 12:24 PM
What a funny story about Olive Juice and what an appropriate name for the quilt - it's lovely! I'm going to have to give wool batting a try!
Posted by: Deb | January 08, 2013 at 02:32 PM
Gorgeous, gorgeous quilt, Stephanie! And Linda's quilting is always stellar. You must be so proud of this one!
Posted by: Sue | January 08, 2013 at 02:40 PM
What a great name as well as the story behind it! It's a beautiful quilt! I've never tried wool batting but have been curious for some time. I think I need to get myself some and give it a try.
Posted by: Lynn | January 08, 2013 at 06:38 PM
Ha ha ha...I never knew that about "olive juice" before! This is such a beautiful quilt, and I'm really happy to know how the wool batting worked out. I want to try that sometime on a quilt, too. Gorgeous finish, so snuggly and cushy. Kudos to you and the quilter!
Posted by: Amy DeCesare | January 08, 2013 at 07:42 PM
That is one beautiful quilt Stephanie!
Posted by: Mary on Lake Pulaski | January 08, 2013 at 08:40 PM
I'm too busy practicing Olive Juice to see if it really works LOL! Your quilt is gorgeous -- I'm sure your brother and his wife loved it! And what a fun story to go along with it!
Posted by: Thimbleanna | January 08, 2013 at 08:45 PM
Gobsmacked- Stephanie I love this so much! Please if they don't like it send it to me, lol. Wow, girl, the borders are just brilliant, I love the nine-patches in only two corners. I love everything about it!!!!!!
ANd yes, I had to say "olive juice" in the mirror to see if it worked, lol....what a darling story!
Posted by: Allie | January 08, 2013 at 09:38 PM
This looks great! And I love the borders too. Nice finish! And until I read you were giving it away, I was thinking you could use it to keep warm in your basement... :)
Posted by: Lisa Ruble | January 08, 2013 at 10:18 PM
How special to name the quilt after a favorite memory between you and your brother....Love that! Congrats on your finish, and a gorgeous one it is!!
Posted by: Carla | January 08, 2013 at 10:52 PM
I love the corners and love the texture after washing! Is this the bro that is a super hero in my eyes? He must have loved it!!
Posted by: Jackie W. | January 08, 2013 at 11:39 PM
Love the quilt! And I LOVE wool batting! Won't use anything else unless I have to! It quilts us so nicely! It is fantastic for a cuddly baby quilt!
Posted by: Maggie Szafranski | January 09, 2013 at 08:17 AM
Your quilt is gorgeous!!
Posted by: Jocelyn | January 09, 2013 at 12:08 PM
What a beautiful quilt. You amaze me. I don't think I'll ever be able to make all those precise little squares like you do. I love how Linda quilted it too. I would love to try that wool batting. What a wonderful gift!
Posted by: carolld | January 09, 2013 at 03:08 PM
It's beautiful! I love that the name has a story too :-) Interesting to hear your thoughts on wool batting. I've always ben a cotton girl and hesitant to change, but I may give wool a try sometime. I do know that Linda is a fan of it too.
Posted by: Michele | January 09, 2013 at 03:59 PM
I think a big quilt taking only 4 years (or 5) is very timely. Most of mine are on the 10 year plan. I knew I wasn't the only one to lose things in the sewing room - thank goodness you found this green for the binding. Your Olive Juice story and Read my Lips is going to have me laughing all day. I bet your brother will too every time he uses this quilt. Beautiful quilt.
Posted by: Linda in Calif. | January 10, 2013 at 05:24 PM
Nice story. Nice quilt. Nice everything.
Posted by: Terri | January 10, 2013 at 05:38 PM
What a gorgeous quilt! I love the fabrics and the pattern. Linda did a great job with the quilting as she always does.
Hugs,
Donna
Posted by: Donna | January 10, 2013 at 11:30 PM
Gobsmacked is such a great word, and that is exactly how I felt when I saw this quilt and read about it! It is soooo gorgeous. And I loved the story of Olive Juice more than you can imagine!! You learn something new about your children all the time. You two, who used to keep secrets from me by speaking in German, even had your own language in ENGLISH!! I am blown away! Can't wait to see and cuddle under that quilt in person. It is super delicious!
Posted by: PegVan | January 11, 2013 at 04:41 PM
Wow! A wonderful quilt with a wonderful story!
Posted by: jenclair | January 13, 2013 at 11:56 AM