Friday, January 24, 2014

Finished - Kasey's Kerchief Quilt

We make quilts for many reasons.  For gifts, for healing, for donations, for fun.  This quilt was made for love. The love of a dog.
.
After 13 plus years, we lost our very special Kasey last year.

In the process of going through her things, we realized we had collected a surprising number of kerchiefs from her visit to the groomer, her "spa."  My husband was the first to suggest that a quilt should be made from these various odd shaped triangles.
I finished the quilt top in July.  This is a special quilt and deciding on the quilting took some time.  I finally sucked it up and jumped into the quilting and I am thrilled to share with you the finished Kasey Kerchief Quilt.  Kasey loved the cold and snow so I ran out in the 4 degree temps for these.




As this quilt is staying with us, it seemed like the perfect project to practice my FMQ'ing.  In each white stripe, I quilted lines both "free-hand" and with a ruler.  It took some time, but I think I have figured out how to hold a ruler and move the quilt at the same time.  Believe me, that is really is a lot to think about at the same time! Each white stripe has a linear and round-ish element.


For the incomplete chevrons at the top and bottom I experimented with more quilting designs.








The chevrons made of the kerchiefs are stitched in the ditch with monofilament thread (another first for me). All of this quilting created wonderful texture.

The backing of the quilt and the binding is a dark paw print that just seemed right for this dark dog.  Left-over kerchief slices add a little color to the back.
Someday I will figure out that if you want to hide your quilting imperfections, one should NOT use a black backing, even if using a thinner thread in the bobbin.
 I was unable to print a picture on my home ink-jet printer (after two failed attempts involving serious fabric jams).  I ended up using an iron-on method.  Kasey is in her 13th year in this picture and enjoying one of her favorite activities, riding in a boat.

Quilt Facts:
Finished size:  64" by 64"
Thread used:  primarily Aurifil 2021 and Aurifil monofilament.  Bottom Line thread in bobbin for quilting.
Fabrics used:  Kona White and Kasey's Kerchiefs (sorry don't have the name of the dark paw print fabric) and a little Best of Show (with the Bernese Mountain Dog's fussy cut).

Thank you for letting me share this special quilt with you.  Linking up with Amanda Jean's finish it up Friday and Jessica's TGIFF. Also, linking up with Pretty Bobbin's I Quilt: Imperfect Perfection.

 Kathy

26 comments:

  1. Awww. So touching, your Kasey quilt. What a wonderful reminder of her. I love all your quilting on it, too. And isn't ruler work fun with fmq? I like to tape a couple of small pieces of sandpaper to the bottom of my ruler to make it stick to the fabric. Helps hold it in place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kathy, your Kasey quilt is lovely. What a wonderful remembrance. And your quilting is amazing. I am jealous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a special quilt! Love the quilting as well :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I absolutely love it. It's perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a great idea and you executed it beautifully. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wonderful quilt to be able to make! I applaud your FMQ practice...it adds so much to this quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am at a loss for words! This is a stunning quilt. It is such a happy quilt. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love it, love it, love it!
    Your FMQ is awesome!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful quilt and a wonderful tribute. I'm sorry for your loss.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kathy: I LOVE EVERYTHING About this quilt! I need to try the heart swirl quilting...I doodle it often...just haven't brought it to fabric!! LOL!!! Absolutely love the idea of the photo as part of the tag!!! I"m going to try that too....thanks for the inspiration!!! (Did I ever tell ya I use to kayak when we lived in Arizona. I loved kayak camping!!! )

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a wonderful quilt in so many ways! Beautiful quilt and beautiful dog. I do hope a puppy is in your future! Clearly another dog would be so lucky to have you as their family. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wonderful way to honor Kasey. Lovely quilt and your FMQ looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What an excellent way to keep her near you always. Beautiful memory quilt:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. A gorgeous finish and a fitting tribute to your sweet Kasey. Love all the fmq designs and that binding is perfect! Congrats on a wonderful finish, Kathy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. beauty quilt and beautiful story

    ReplyDelete
  16. This quilt is such a sweet tribute. Your FMQ is gorgeous. I can't see any imperfections. ;) Maybe you are looking too close.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is beautiful. What a tribute to a beloved pet!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm not sure I've ever seen a happier quilt! Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a sweet quilt! Great idea. Your machine quilting looks really great too.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Don't make me cry! We lost our faithful dog years ago and while it does get better...it hurts like hell! I know I was devestated and never knew I could love that 4 legged creature so much. Your quilt is a masterpiece. Its a very heartwarming way to remember those faithful companions forever and ever!

    ReplyDelete
  21. As I type this with my own beloved dog at my feet, I am truly touched by this post. Such a fantastic remembrance you have created and a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  22. How cool! It is amazing what a large hole they leave when they are gone. What a great way to honor her.

    ReplyDelete
  23. well. That made me tear up. I imagine all the time spent working on this lovely quilt was quite therapeutic. I am sorry for your loss.
    ~ Tracy

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi Kathy! Kasey looks so beautiful! I can imagine how Special friend she was. Great idea for this quilt and your design is wonderful! White for the snow is perfect! x Teje

    ReplyDelete
  25. I just saw this post about your beautiful Berner Kasey and her quilt. Having loved and lost many Bernese over the years - I love this idea of how to keep her close. As I'm sure you know, 13 is a great old age for a berner. I am currently working on a Bernese themed quilt. Just starting a blog and don't have it posted yet, but be sure to come take a look. I am so proud of what I have made so far.
    Did you get another Bernese? I have a beautiful 9 week old female puppy available - wink -wink !!

    ReplyDelete

How nice of you to take the time to comment!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...