Sweet Sugar Swirls {Finished}

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Gosh.  It's been a while, eh?  Sorry I've been a little M.I.A. lately.
It's Spring Breaks' fault.  We headed down south to sunny, St. George (Utah) for some wonderful R & R that our family definitely needed.

But, I learned something about myself while on that trip.  I learned that I actually don't do good with too much R & R.  So the minute we got back home I got right back into finishing two quilts and starting about 5 more!

Speaking of which, I've got one that I'd love to share with you today.  This project has been in the works for a few years so I am really happy to say she's finally finished!!!  Yay!!!  It was seriously touch and go there for a while :)

So this quilt has a story behind it.  
It all started with a contest.  Joanna (over at Fig Tree Quilts) was having a contest to see who could come up with the best name for one of her patterns.  I won (or at least was one of the winners).  I honestly can't remember which pattern it was that I helped to name though.  Like I said ~ it was years ago.  But as the prize, she sent me some patterns and a cute little Patisserie Honey Bun (remember those pre-cuts that Moda use to sell? Like a Jelly Roll - but smaller 1-1/2" strips).  I bought some additional fabric to make this Sweet Sugar Swirls pattern and then the kit sat.  And sat.  And sat.  I sold other kits that I had accumulated but I couldn't bear to see this one go.  I loved the fabric and the pattern so much that I hung onto it for years.  I worked on it once or twice but just couldn't seem to make any headway on it.  Until the quilt retreat I went on a couple of months ago.  I was able to get the top finished there and then quickly got it quilted.  I got the binding finished last weekend and did a little photo shoot yesterday.  Care to see some pics?   


You can see the back (mostly a solid cream fabric with a few leftover printed strips pieced in the middle) and some of the quilting here.  Can I just say that I LOVE the quilting on this?!?  Linda Childs at Just Sew quilted it for me and did a fantastic job!  Just perfect for my taste!


Oh.  I also HAVE to mention that while I was working on this at the quilting retreat, I called it my "Don't Look Close" quilt.  I was having a horrendous time getting my blocks to lay flat!  I tried so hard to make sure that all my points matched up nicely but the centers of most of the blocks kept poufing up!  I was stressing big-time but figured it had something to do with all those bias edged pieces.  I was really quite embarrassed that that was happening so I told everyone that it was my "Don't Look Close" quilt.  I asked around as to what I should do and a few people told me to just starch the heck out of my blocks.  So I did.  It seemed to work.  And then the quilting helped to fix the rest.  I honestly can't tell that there was any kind of poufing problem to begin with.


Isn't this a cute little gate?  It's in my neighbors yard.  
So welcoming, I think (especially with a quilt hanging over it!:)




Well, since it took me so long to finish this quilt, Patisserie fabric had come and gone.  I couldn't find any more of it for the binding.  But lucky for me, Avalon arrived in stores right before Spring Break so I picked up some of this cute little red polka dot print.  It wasn't a perfect match to Patisserie's red but I thought it was a close second choice.  As you might be able to tell from some of the pictures, there are a couple different reds in this quilt so I think it works.


I'm so glad Sweet Sugar Swirls is finally done.  It's actually one of my favorites, I think.  It's a beautiful design.  And really wasn't that hard once I got going on it (just wish I could have done something to avoid that poufing problem though).  But seriously, that Joanna ~ she sure is genius.


Happy quilting!
~ Amber

31 comments:

  1. Gorgeous....really, really gorgeous! No more stressing about the 'poufing'- it looks to be all gone- starch and quilting will do that!

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  2. That is OH MY GOSH so gorgeous. Love love love it. You can't go wrong with Patisserie, it's one of my most favorite of Fig Tree's lines.

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  3. It's stunning. Piffle on the poufs! A little pouf never hurt anybody, and the quilt is beautiful.

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  4. What a beautiful quilt and such soothing fabrics. I can see why you wouldn't part with this kit. This quilt already has that soft aged look that the very best snuggling quilts get.

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  5. I love the colors in this quilt, so pretty! And, the quilting pattern is gorgeous, complementing the front, and shows beautifully on the back.

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  6. Lovely, just lovely. And your prints are just the accent for the blocks. Well done!
    There is a saying: Once you begin, you are half finished.
    Bravo!

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  7. Wow Amber, it's gorgeous! Quilting usually works out the kinks in a quilt top. You sure can't see any poufs from here. Beautiful job!

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  8. What a swirly quit and no sign of poufing!

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  9. It's absolutely stunning, even if you do look closely! This is one of my alltime favorite fabric lines, and your quilt sets it off perfectly. I think the binding choice is great, and I'm very familiar with those varying reds...this is a pick that is not predictable, and it makes it a super quilt!

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  10. I really love this one Amber. Really love. I'd love to make it. It is so pretty.

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  11. Wow, Amber. That is really beautiful. :)

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  12. What gorgeous shots at the gate! It's a perfect backdrop for this quilt, which is absolutely beautiful. The binding fabric works terrific with the others.

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  13. LOVE THIS QUILT!! Patisserie is my all time favorite (to date) Fig Tree line and I am still hoarding my layer cakes and jelly rolls.

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  14. So Beautiful... I headed over to figtree and I think the patter is 'sweet sugar swirls'. Your version is lovely.

    http://store.figtreeandcompany.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=750

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  15. Amber, I love, LOVE it! SO adorable! And to think you've been keeping it a secret for all this time. Glad you shared with us!

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  16. What a beautiful quilt and is so soft and feminine looking. It is gorgeous.

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  17. that is beautiful!! just stunning, I love the colours and the pattern, and the quilting just sets it all off!! Very nice

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  18. Es precioso, me encanta!!!
    Anna

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  19. I loved reading your quilting success story...it inspires me to shake the dust off of a few projects I have hiding around here! The quilt is so lovely and I'm certain you love it the more for everthing you have been through together! :-D
    Good for you!!

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  20. I loved reading your quilting success story...it inspires me to shake the dust off of a few projects I have hiding around here! The quilt is so lovely and I'm certain you love it the more for everthing you have been through together! :-D
    Good for you!!

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  21. Gorgeous. Stumbled on your work today, Will subscribe. Love your details, fabric selection and photos :) Happy quilting chris

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  22. Oh, this quilt is simply stunning! The colors and quiting. . . .WOW! Thank you for sharing!!

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  23. Lovely finish! Can't tell there was any problem with the centres now.

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  24. Your quilt is so beautiful Amber!!
    I would never want to put it away.

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  25. I love everything about this quilt and all the awesome photographs!

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  26. This is such a pretty quilt! =)

    Im a new follower!!

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  27. I love the quilt and that polka dot binding rocks!

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I ♥ to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment. I read each one and try to respond as often as I can. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Amber