Yes, I have been busy sewing! I had a deadline in which I needed to finish up four lap sized quilts. Here’s my secret favorite of the bunch.
I’ve loved this feather pattern from Anna Maria Horner ever since I first saw it. Pattern here.
When I saw this quilt though, I knew that I liked this idea better than a whole quilt full of feathers. (maybe I’m just lazy and don’t want to make that many feathers!) So I started out by making three feather blocks with white or off white backgrounds. Then I started piecing together large chunks of light colored fabrics to fill the rest of the quilt top.
So, the feathers were actually not hard to sew! I think I’ll visit them again sometime. Piecing the background though? This is my least favorite type of piecing. It makes my head hurt, deciding where to put each piece, how big it should be, and balancing it all out without overthinking it!
In the end, my very favorite element of the quilt top is the little nine patch on the upper left side. I’ve had that idea for a long time, inspired by an image (not a quilt) I saw in a book. To put a little nine patch on the edge of a large otherwise plain quilt.
I used a Denyse Schmidt voile on the back. I’ve started using voiles as my backing a lot lately. They are very soft and silky, which is nice, but the main reason is that they’re 54″-56″ wide, which is just so handy for these lap size quilt. Right now, you can find a bunch of voiles on sale at Hawthorne Threads (just put ‘voile’ in the search box).
I did a dense swirly free motion design for the quilting. I thought it would end up a bit stiffer because of this, but actually it’s super soft and drapey! Because of the voile back? I don’t know, but I’m definitely going to try for that feel again!
i LOVE it!!! Really it is simply beautiful and perfectly balanced 🙂
oh my!!! It is gorgeous! GORGEOUS!!!! I love absolutely everything about it. All the colors, and feathers, and that nine patch, totally amazing. You should write a book. Your ideas are so unique every time.
I caught my breath as this was slowly loading down my page. Oooooohh. It appears to have been around forever and yet the feathers make it modern. A perfect balance..
adorable …
I love the bright nine patch and feathers on that creamy patched background!
Looove this one! Your neutral background looks very random and the feathers are so cheerful. Beauty.
it's lovely!! The nine patch is such a fun, unexpected touch. Question: how do you baste with a voile backing? I tried my usual taping and pin basting, and the voile wouldn't stick to the tape.
Beautiful! I've wondered about using voile or double gauze in my quilts so I was happy to read about your success! This quilt looks like it have a lovely texture and really love the mix of bold colors and neutrals. Just gorgeous!
Just GORGEOUS!!!! My favorite part is your mix of neutrals in the background! So fabulous.
this is totally magical!! LOVE this quilt!
This is a great idea for Horner's feather quilt pattern. I love the way yours turned out.
this is the best feather quilt I've seen!!
All of your quilts are beautiful but there is something about this one that made my jaw drop when I saw it! Fabulous!
I am completely blown away. This is probably my favorite quilt of all the ones you've made.
I love the way you used your feathers- restrained but fun and modern!!
Gah!! Oh my gosh your a fantastic artist!! Brilliant, I love it so much!!
Wonderful quilt! I really love the result!
Jolana
Your design, fabrics,love everthing about your quilt.Just stunning!1
It's gorgeous. Gorgeous.
Really Beautiful!
So so so beautiful
This quilt is just totally awesome!!! I love it and everything about it. Wish I was a little bit as great as you.
This quilt is a true masterpiece of quilting! Stunning!!!
I love it! You have such a talent for designing quilts. It is really beautiful.
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Knock your socks off gorgeous! I love all your quilts.
Yum. I love the 9 patch too. Yum. This is so yum! Well done!!
It's amazing that the piecing makes your head hurt. I always admire that you do it so well. I don't. I guess we tend to think that anytime something of someone else's looks wonderful that it's easy. Nice work fooling us 🙂
This is gorgeous! Really, really stunning. I do love that nine patch, too. (Just yesterday I finished a blouse out of that same voile in green. It's one of my favorite prints.)
So beautiful! I love the nine patch and that backing is just perfect!
I love how there so much interest with the low-volume background, and them bam! feather! and then bam! Nine-patch! It just makes your eye travel the whole quilt!
oh, no, this is the BEST FEATHER QUILT ever. You and your low volumes, lots-of-white gets me every time. You did great with the improv background. It's exquisite. I'm going to have to stare at this one a lot.
It looks like a page out of an artist's sketch book! Beautifully done.
I'm surprised how much I love this quilt – I'm usually drawn to more patchwork and less negative space. Somehow though, the way you've put that low-volume background together and the pop of those feathers? Amazing. And what is that butterfly print?
gorgeous, as always 🙂
Lovely! A piece of art, really.
I hope your head feels better from all that math. It's gorgeous. Just the right amount of print, low volume and color. Beautiful.
This quilt is absolutely breathtaking. I love it.
it may have made your head hurt, but it looks so effortless. simply stunning.
I absolutely LOVE this ! When I click on "pattern here", though, I don't get anything? 🙁 Would really like to make this!
I love the bright feathers against the white. And I especially like the one feather with handwriting behind it. I like how not all the feathers have the handwritten fabric background. And I also love the sparse brights against white/cream. What a lovely quilt. Perfect for cuddling up and reading or just staring at it and daydreaming. 🙂
I L.O.V.E this quilt! just awesome!
Love it! The voile backing is such a good idea.
Wow. I really love this quilt. If you made a pattern, I would buy it.
Or would you consider a tute?
Ohhh, I love this! It really makes me want to revisit the Anna Maria Horner feathers pattern! I think the voile backing will be keeping it really soft – I've done dense FMQ like that and it definitely left my quilt feeling a bit stiff. Did you have any issues basting with voile? I have some stashed for a backing but I'm a bit nervous about the slipperiness (which is of course the reason it will feel so nice quilted it!).
This is SO BEAUTIFUL. I particularly love that butterfly print and I agree that the 9 patch is a really sweet detail. Although I will say that I actually secretly love doing quilt math. I am a total math nerd and I love that quilting involves a little math sometimes.
A work of art!! Love!! xoxo
Gorgeous! I L-O-V-E it.
Wonderful and inspiring! – Kate
I am so in love with this!!! I am working on the feather quilt myself, it's my choice for the bee I'm in, so I'm excited to get blocks back. I am going to re think how I'm putting them together after seeing this! SO wonderful.
Wow, your quilt is truly a piece of art. I love how you mixed all of the different low volume prints. Beautiful.
Love those feathers, like jewels against the light background. And even before I read your description, I thought, "I love that little nine-patch!"
I love this so much Jolene!!!
I heart everything about this quilt. I LOVE it. It is genius!
I love this quilt and all its low volume fabrics with pops of colour. I have just started collecting some low volume fabrics. I am having fun shopping.
Feathers are one of my favourite motifs and these are great. I like the background too.
I just came across this again on Pinterest and had to say again that this might be one of my favourite quilts of all time. It's beautiful. You have a way with colour, and you have a deft touch with neutrals. This inspires me.
Very very nice! Love the simplicity it it – really highlights the feathers and that darling 9-patch.