Outta the Loop

Three weeks of quilting...
25 bobbins of thread...
3,978 curse words...
5 needles...
one very tried quilter...
one very excited piecer...
Outta the Loop is finished!
Well, almost.  She still needs binding and bling.  But she is quilted and she is amazing!

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, click here for the original post.  A super quick summary for those too lazy to reread, the quilt is based off of Jacueline de Jonge's "Elements of Nature" pattern.

Anyway, I started quilting this a few days before we lost Mabel.  In a strange way this quilt has become my "peace" -- I really think all that stitching helped me focus and start healing.

Our labels for this quilt are pretty cool... I'm a lefty and Eyvonne isn't.  Eyvonne traced her right hand and my left.  We each have our own label to document our thoughts, feelings, ideas, whatever... like I said, pretty cool.  Needless to say, you will find a memory of Mabel on mine!  No worries, once they are on the quilt I'll be sure to share.

So back to the quilt... Here is the full finished quilt - front and back:

And even the best of us change our minds...

This poor guy didn't have a chance!

Fresh off the frame and ready for show and tell!

And finally, the latest pics...

It's a collaboration!

I am sooooo excited to share this...
Really...
Eyvonne, she's not so happy.
I am an over-sharer, Eyvonne is not.
We are working on a collaboration quilt.

We... well, up until this point Eyvonne's been working on her half.  Don't get me wrong, I did help pick out some of the colors (that's my favorite part).  But now it's time for my *real* half.  Not quite now, but soon.  It's penciled on my schedule for the fourth week of October -- so as long as all my other post-it notes stay on schedule, you should be seeing pics by the end of the month!  WooHoo... exciting, I know!

Here we are showing the quilt at a guild meeting.  We wanted to share with the group how much quilting can change a quilt top.

The quilt is based off of Jacqueline de Jonge's "Elements of Nature" pattern.  BUT (there's that pesky but), I don't follow directions well, nor do I like quilts smaller than 40".  Sooooo... I convinced Eyvonne we should draft out the pattern larger and add more elements to the quilt.  Eyvonne started the piecing and then each month we would look at it, remove some things, add others, etc.  Eyvonne laughs now (before she was speaking sailor) -- this quilt has been sewn, unsewn, resewn, newly sewn... until now it is DONE-SEWN!  We arrived at the based-off of theory because of all these changes.  And... our quilt is about 80" square (before quilting).

Here is a full view of the quilt - in it's unquiltedness.  See all that negative space?  I'm drooling and Eyvonne is worried.  I think it is so funny when two opposite personalities join together to create - it becomes interestingly fun!

And here is Jacqueline's original pattern - visit her website for more info.

So yes, similar but different = based off of!

Now... the name!!
I originally wanted Bad Directions.  Eyvonne said no.  She didn't want any negativity attached to the quilt, or anyone to think that Jacqueline's original directions were difficult.  Hmmm... changing the directions of the pattern, that was slightly difficult, but not negative.  Then.... hmmm.... a few other names were thrown around, but I absolutely fell in love with Outta the Loop.  So, I'm claiming the naming part in my half!  Our quilt will be dubbed Outta the Loop!  I like that - I get to name, Eyvonne, she gets to bind!  LOL

Now don't forget to check back because I will definitely be over-sharing many pics of this gorgeous quilt!