Posted on by agilejack

Wensleydale Quilt Top is DONE! And What’s Next?

I had a great day off today. Started with some morning pickleball, then stopped by the racquet store and bought a new pickleball paddle. Then headed home for a nice lunch on the patio, then a little bit of personal to do stuff on the computer.

Then I hit my sewing room to start working on the final four seams to complete my Wensleydale quilt top.

First, I sewed the bottom three sections of two rows together. Then I ran a line of stay stitching around the perimeter of this section of the quilt, about 1/8 inch from the edge.

This line of stitching will hold the edge pieces together and prevent the stitching in the blocks from unraveling with handling. I don’t typically do this line of stitching, but with this quilt and all the angled points. I wanted to make sure they all held together.

I did this when the quilt top was still in two pieces because it’s easier to not have to wrestle then bulk of the enter top through the machine.

It really did go together quickly. Here’s the final two sections as I’m pinning them on my cutting table.

I really love the look of these blocks from the back! Everything is so clean and incredibly consistent from block to block.

Once I got that final seam pinned I rolled the two pieces up so the entire piece is about 14 inches wide, then accordion folded it all to help make it easier to move that bulk through my machine for the final seam.

Then I just put that stack on my lap and feed the fabric through.

I really enjoyed the final pressing of this quilt top. It’s so fun to look at all the fabrics close up and enjoy how they all play together.

I mean, just look at that!!

And here’s the finished flimsy! It measures 66 by 73 inches. I wish you could see it in person. The blue batiks are so pretty.

Before I put that finished flimsy up on my design wall for photos, I rolled up the front design wall and rolled down the back one and then put this on the back piece.

Why did I do that? I wanted to get my Japanese X & + quilt blocks up on the design wall so I could decide whether or not I have enough to move forward and complete the top. I put these blocks on the front design wall.

That’s six blocks by seven bocks. So a total of 42 blocks. I thought I had 42 blocks made, but I actually have 44.

I adjusted a photo of these blocks to see how the values balance.

I’ve already moved a couple of blocks around after I saw this photo. There’s a few more things I’ll change, but it’s close.

I’m sure this will be plenty big for the double bed in my guest room. So, no more blocks needed. I’ll decide on a final design tomorrow and will start putting this thing together.

And, of course, I have to show you some close ups of these blocks so you can see the amazing fabrics… all Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics.

It was actually Liza Roos Lucy, who works the the Kaffe Fassett Collection, who suggested using that green/turquiose spot for the background. Of course, I love it and love those little pops of turquoise!

I can’t stop!

And one more for good measure.

I might have to do some minor trimming on these blocks. But they are big and should go together pretty quickly.

Tomorrow, Rico has a sheep herding lesson and then I’ll take them for a nice field run in the park with the creek. They will enjoy a chance to run and get in the water.

50 Replies to “Wensleydale Quilt Top is DONE! And What’s Next?”

  2. Hi,

    I just adore your Wensleydale quilt – it’s so beautiful!!! Your blog is to interesting to read and gives so much inspiration. Thank you 🙂

    Best regards, Inga-Britt Andersson (from Malmö in Sweden)

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  3. WOW! The Wensleydale quilt is gorgeous! The blue batiks, the colourful centres! I love it! And the Japanese X & + is also fabulous with those rich rich colours! I love the contrast between the cool blue quilt and the warm orange one! Well done!

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    1. these two quilts are definitely different! But I agree….I love them both. I was looking at that brown and yellow one in the morning light earlier today and it just glowed! I can’t wait to see it done!

      Anne

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  4. Both quilts are stunning. I have never done paper piecing but would love to try the wenkeydale blocks. Kaffe fabrics are my favorite to work with!
    Enjoy your Saturday with the boys!

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  5. Just beautiful!!! I love both quilts – the Wensleydale is outstanding with those blues.
    Thank you for sharing your work – it is truly inspiring.

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  9. Both quilts are stunning! The Wensleydale is my favorite with all the blue batiks. I love looking at the way the blocks play together to make the secondary designs, and there’s always something new to see. To me, the areas where the blocks meet make the quilt look 3-dimensional. You have such a great eye for color and design. Thank you for sharing your talents and life with your readers!

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    1. I think the value difference in the blue batiks is really critical! I love all the intersections where the blocks come together. Without contrast you lose that.

      it’s all about the color for me!

      Anne

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      1. Sorry my first post got cut off Anne. Meant to see if all the Wensleydale quilts I’ve seen, yours just sparkles, excellent fabric choices!

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  11. What a Project this has been. It’s beautiful! It was a real commitment. How long did it actually take you? Not in hours but rather weeks spent working on it. Love the next one too.

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    1. I just looked back in my blog and I made the first blocks on March 25. So it took about two months. Not bad considering these blocks are sort of slow and I work full time! I just kept plugging away!

      Anne

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  13. How wonderful , both are beautiful. Congratulations on finishing such beautiful projects. Have a fun weekend with the boys . Big day for my Leo we are going to the farmers market ( leash reactive)) this is a big step for him . I’m hopeful for him .

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      1. You commented once that you had a dog that was leash reactive so you are aware of the challenges ( not many are ) any how he rocked it at the market , so hopeful for him and very proud of him it was hard for him to control himself but he did a great job

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  14. Good morning from Niagara Falls Ontario

    Your quilts are absolutely stunning, you did a beautiful job of sewing and selecting your fabrics. Nice work!!

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    div>Doreen Sherk

    Sent from my iPad

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  16. The quilt turned out beautiful. The colors and placement are outstanding. Thanks also for the video you shared a few days ago. It makes me feel like I could actually do this.

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    1. I really think I see color differently than other people do. I literally have physical reactions to colors and color combinations. I don’t think everyone experiences that! It’s all about the color for me!

      Anne

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  20. Congratulations of a finished Wensleydale top – stunning.
    I love the x and + blocks all ready to go when you make the finished layout decision, I don’t usual go with fabric having brown within the pattern but the ones you’ve used here are perfect.

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    1. I’m not usually drawn to browns myself, but these KFC browns are different. and the reason I went that way initially is because of the gold color of the walls in my guest room. It seemed easier to make a quilt to match the walls than to paint the walls!

      Anne

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  21. Congratulations on finishing the Wensleydale top! Love the colors. I have what I need to start one, inspired by you and I appreciate the tutorials you have provided.

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    1. the pattern is in Jen Kingwell’s book called Quilt Recipes. It came out last year. You can purchase the paper piecing templates on Amazon, and probably other online sites. I don’t have the book.

      Anne

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