Freebird Circle Quilt



Here's my latest quilt. I promise I am not obsessed with circles--OK maybe I am, but this was a total coincidence! This one is for my cute mother-in-law Kristy (the one who stood in line with me at the best fabric sale EVER for like 4 hours). A couple of months back she went to another quilt shop (look what I started) and saw a kit for this quilt and fell in love with it. She sent it to me at Christmas and asked me to make it for her for Christmas next year...so woo-hoo, I am done with her Christmas present 9 months early! Just kidding ;)
I was so excited that she picked this fabric (Freebird by Momo for Moda). I think it is so cute! The pattern for this quilt was actually supposed to just make the circle. I used the Marilyn Doheny 25" 9-degree circle ruler to make the wedges, and it was super easy. I pieced it in about a day. My only issue with this pattern was the circle in the very center. After you sew all the wedges together, there is a 10 inch hole in the middle...the instructions say to use your favorite applique method to put the circle over the hole...and mentions that the pattern for the circle does not include a seam allowance. Well, I didn't add one...because I was pretty sure I didn't need one since it was applique, but then it ended up being a tiny bit small...could have used at least an extra 1/4 inch...but I made it work, so I guess it's all good, just a little irritating at the time!
After I was done making the big circle, it seemed kinda small to me...the pattern said right on it that it made a 50 inch circle --which it did--but in my opinion it is pretty small for a quilt you plan to use for anything other than decor. I talked to Kristy and we decided to make it bigger. So I ordered a few yards of the white floral print and added the background which made it a 71 inch square. When I laid it out, I asked my husband what he thought of it and he said it looked really 70's--kinda like a circle on a sheet (ouch-seriously, why do I even ask sometimes??). Once it was quilted he said it looked better. Yes, much better.
I had big plans for the quilting of this one...I wanted to quilt it with butterflies and flowers--so I looked for a pantograph I liked but then decided to use some of the elements in the fabric to make my own pantograph--kinda like I did for my sister Lori's quilt--and it worked out quite well (I love QuiltCAD). However, the fabric in this quilt is SO busy that the quilting kinda gets lost. I still think the quilting is so stinkin' cute...even if you can't really see it....here's the pantograph:


Yay for another finished quilt! And the best part is that the kit contained SO much fabric (I could have made that circle 2 and 1/2 times) that I have plotted another quilt using the rest of it...a different quilt...and I'm a little bit excited about it.
ahhh...here you go cute Kristy!
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6 comments

  1. UnknownMarch 7, 2011 at 4:50 AM

    Isn't it fun when you get someone else hooked on quilting?? Now you just need to get her to start doing it herself;)
    And no, it does not look like a circle on a sheet...lol;) They can say the darndest things, can't they?;)
    Happy Quilting!!

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  2. AllisonMarch 7, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    That turned out really cute! Don't listen to Jeff. It looks beautiful all spread out...really stunning :D Can't wait to see what you do with the left over fabric!

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  3. Quilter KathyMarch 13, 2011 at 8:08 AM

    It's gorgeous...great job!
    I learned a long time ago to never ask my DH for an opinion about a quilt...it will always be very discouraging, even if he meant it as a compliment :)

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  4. Gigi's ThimbleMarch 21, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Ooh I LOVE that quilt! I mean really LOVE that quilt! I'm glad you stopped by my blog, because you've got some great stuff here on yours! ...this pattern is so unique. Good job on it. And I love Lori's quilt and Max's robot quilt and the cutest baby girl EVER quilt! You are one talented girl!

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  5. KMurrayApril 12, 2011 at 4:53 AM

    These are amazing! Much better than me. Do you have a long arm or do it by machine yourself?

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  6. MelindaMay 20, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    Gorgeous! You definitely have me rethinking circles!

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