Friday, September 6, 2013

Arkansas Traveler DONE!

Whew...it has been a long journey for this quilt.  The planning for this quilt started in early June.  A dear friend asked me to make a quilt for her soon-to-be-born niece and I quickly accepted the job because I had been eager for an excuse to try out the Arkansas Traveler pattern.  Once I had all my fabric, I started cutting in mid-July and finished piecing towards the end of August.  I'm so thankful I had a productive Labor Day holiday to finally finish the backing, basting, quilting and binding for this quilt.  The recipient has already been born (5 weeks early!!!) and is eagerly awaiting her quilt.  So without further adieu, here it is!




The colors are so bright and vibrant.  The pattern gives off a scrappy vibe, which I LOVE and really compliments all theses fabrics together.  For the quilting, I echoed around the outside of each diamond shape creating a cool star pattern.  I also placed diagonal lines right through the center of each diamond all the way through the quilt.   The backing really shows off the quilting design.



The main backing fabric is out of the Carnaby Street collection and can be found in the Arkansas Traveler blocks on the front.  I used up the scraps left over from the diamonds by sewing them together and placing them vertically on the back.  This really adds a point of interest to the backing.  I also used one of the pink fabrics for the initial to help tie it all together. 



This was my introduction to paper-piecing and I may be taking a break from anything paper for a while.  I LOVE the final results, but I'm not sure I loved the sewing fabric to paper to just rip it all off.  I felt like there was a lot of waste involved...paper, fabric and time.  I'm more of a regular piecing kind of gal...at least for now.

I will be placing this quilt into a box in a few days and saying my farewells.  I know it will have a wonderful home and I will have my pictures to remember the journey we embarked on together.

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40 comments:

  1. margaretSeptember 6, 2013 at 1:01 AM

    a wonderful quilt which I am sure will be treasured as the baby grows into a little girl

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  2. HilarySeptember 6, 2013 at 1:23 AM

    It turned out amazing!

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  3. Karens Quilts, Crows and CardinalsSeptember 6, 2013 at 6:21 AM

    Beautiful quilt... You did a fantastic job!

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    Gorgeous quilt ..love it. Thanks for sharing Marie (mlismore@optusnet.com.au)

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  5. The Cozy PumpkinSeptember 6, 2013 at 7:57 AM

    What a gorgeous finish! Lucky kiddo!!! :)

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  6. ReneeSeptember 6, 2013 at 8:37 AM

    It's Beautiful! Love everything about it: colors, pattern, layout, quilting, backing! Such a sweet quilt!

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  7. kimSeptember 6, 2013 at 9:23 AM

    What a beautiful quilt! I bet it's hard to give it away. The bubblegum pink binding is the perfect choice.

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  8. UnknownSeptember 6, 2013 at 10:49 AM

    Beautiful! She is one lucky baby!

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  9. hydeeannsewsSeptember 6, 2013 at 11:13 AM

    I am so in love with this quilt!!! From the pattern and fabrics on the front to the quilting you chose to the amazing backing, it is pure awesomeness. I really would insist on you sending it to me except its going to a preemie and having had 5 preemies, I have a soft spot for them. So I guess I'll let you send it on its way. Sniff, sniff. I don't even have the pictures to look at, but I guess I can always visit them on your blog.

    Hey! You could send me all the scraps from the paper piecing! I love scraps! That would be an acceptable consolation. :)

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  10. Terry JohnsonSeptember 6, 2013 at 12:02 PM

    Amazing, vibrant quilt.

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  11. Frances MeredithSeptember 6, 2013 at 4:15 PM

    Front and back look great - I love the fabric choice.

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  12. Glinda ♥September 6, 2013 at 4:23 PM

    Delightful! I love the back of your quilt - it's very special :)

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  13. nicoleSeptember 6, 2013 at 6:39 PM

    Perfect! Absolutely perfect! I love how you quilted it, it looks fantastic!

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  14. QuarterMileQuiltsSeptember 6, 2013 at 7:53 PM

    Stunning! Absolutely gorgeous! Great job. - Kate

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  15. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2013 at 10:00 PM

    Wow! The front is great -- like really great, but I love what you did with the back. The quilting does show up beautifully and what a sweet little monogram on the back. No matter what side is showing, this quilt is gorgeous.

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  16. karen @ badlandsquiltsSeptember 6, 2013 at 10:37 PM

    Fabulous quilt!

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  17. Kristy @ Quiet PlaySeptember 7, 2013 at 5:55 AM

    Absolutely beautiful finish! It looks just gorgeous and I'm sure it'll be a treasured quilt!

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  18. Lorna McMahonSeptember 7, 2013 at 8:31 AM

    Gorgeous finish! I love your quilting job! Amazing! Congrats on a job well done!

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  19. AllisonSeptember 7, 2013 at 10:36 AM

    Beautiful quilt! The front is amazing, and the back is lovely. I agree with you on paper piecing--it seems like a whole lot more work, but I LOVE the results. I love the precision and the crisp points/lines.

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  20. Paula@TheSassyQuilterSeptember 7, 2013 at 10:41 AM

    Simply Gorgeous!

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2013 at 11:45 AM

    Beautiful finish. It will be cherished

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  22. Merrilee RogotzkeSeptember 9, 2013 at 5:05 PM

    What at beautiful gift for that baby. I love the "K" initial on the back for a little personalization. I can only imagine how hard it will be to send this one off! Be sure to ask for a photo of the baby with the quilt.

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  23. RobotMomSewsSeptember 10, 2013 at 11:09 AM

    Wow! This is gorgeous!! Nice job - I totally agree with you on paper piecing. It turned out so nice tho! Well worth the effort!

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  24. DebbieSeptember 10, 2013 at 11:14 AM

    This is lovely! I've made this block a couple of times, so can really appreciate that you made a whole quilt of them! Love your attention to detail...so nice!

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  25. ChristaQuiltsSeptember 10, 2013 at 12:40 PM

    I love this! The quilting and backing are fantastic too!

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  26. QuiltCandySeptember 10, 2013 at 3:41 PM

    Oh my, what a stunning quilt!

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  27. Heidi StaplesSeptember 10, 2013 at 4:40 PM

    Absolutely gorgeous! I love this fabric line!

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  28. ConniSeptember 10, 2013 at 9:01 PM

    Love it, the colors are perfect and so is your quilting, like you said it really makes the back perfect!!

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  29. Sarah @ mila+cuatroSeptember 11, 2013 at 4:10 AM

    I love the back, the scrap strip is a great point of interest like you say, and the initial looks lovely. I'm tempted to give the block a try, but I haven't done any paper piecing yet and am not enthralled by the idea of sewing onto paper and then ripping it off.

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  30. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    Love it!!!!

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  31. Mack and MabelSeptember 11, 2013 at 12:11 PM

    Such a beautiful quilt! I love the back too. I know what you mean about the waste when paper piecing - it always bugs me too!

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  32. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2013 at 1:33 PM

    Gorgeous finish! LOVE the pieced backing!!

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  33. KelseySeptember 11, 2013 at 2:23 PM

    Oh wow I love the stitching you did to finish this quilt! It's a perfect compliment to the pattern. Great job!

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  34. MarySeptember 11, 2013 at 3:51 PM

    Beautiful! I agree about paper piecing. A little goes a long way with me.

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  35. WendiSeptember 11, 2013 at 6:05 PM

    Beautiful, I love your color choices and your quilting!

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  36. JayneSeptember 11, 2013 at 8:34 PM

    Gorgeous! Very inspirational to me!!

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  37. RachelSeptember 13, 2013 at 1:00 AM

    What a gorgeous quilt! Now I have to add Arkansas Traveler into my "to make" list :)

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  38. Kelly @ My Quilt InfatuationSeptember 13, 2013 at 3:00 PM

    This quilt is just amazing! I know it was a LOT of work, but it was so worth it!

    Thanks for linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  39. Anne / Springleaf StudiosSeptember 13, 2013 at 4:24 PM

    A very nice baby quilt . . . love the fabrics and the design. Know what you mean about the paper piecing thing too. It's kind of fun and works well but seems time consuming too.

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  40. Connie Kresin CampbellSeptember 13, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    What a beautiful quilt and I know what you mean about paper piecing....it's a love/hate relationship for me also.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Freemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday

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