Posted on by agilejack

Ice Storm Quilt is Really Done… ALL DONE!

I sat down last night and watched the final season of The Crown and stitched the final side of the binding on my Ice Storm Quilt. It feels really good to. have it done. It’s been long time.

I’m so glad that my friend suggested using that Octopus fabric for the backing. It’s really quite perfect. And since several people have asked, the fabric is a Brandon Mably design called Octopus in the black color way. It’s a Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabric. I think it’s getting a little tricky to find, especially in this color way.

I bought a couple of large pieces of this fabric a couple years ago. I found some on sale and bought enough for a quilt backing, then decided to buy another big piece because I love it so much. So I have more than enough to make another backing some day.

This is one of the quilts that was quilted in trade for finished quilt tops by Cindy Rich. It was a great deal for me. This photo shows the quilt design nicely. The quilting pattern is called Curly Weave. I don’t know the designer.

Now I need to get this into some good light and trim off all the stray threads. Then it will be ready for gifting to my pickleball coach.

And a couple more photos just cause I love this so much.

I’m feeling better every day, but my cough is still lingering but is quite productive. I did manage to get out of the house Friday and Saturday. It wasn’t raining Friday and my work schedule allowed me to join a group of friends for a pickleball lesson. It felt so good to get out and move around. But my body certainly wasn’t in prime form.

I also went out early Saturday to play pickleball before Rico’s sheep herding lesson. I felt so much better and played better and we were lucky that the rain held off. So I got a good 1.5 hours of play in before hitting the road to find some sheep.

I’m going to play for an hour or so this afternoon. Then I’ll come home and get some house work done. I want to put up a little bit of holiday decorations and I hate doing that in a messy house.

We’ve got some decent weather coming up over the next ten days so I’m looking forward to a little more activity and not being stuck in the house.

46 Replies to “Ice Storm Quilt is Really Done… ALL DONE!”

    1. This was made from batiks that I picked up in many different places over many years. since batiks don’t have selvedge, I have no way of knowing what they are. The low value white and black fabrics were purchased over time from many different places. I just buy stuff I like and let it pile up in my sewing room!

      Anne

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  7. Stunning quilt! I love love the octopus fabric and as I’m working on a sea animals theme quilt soon, bought enough for a backing off Etsy. Living in Victoria as I do we caught the remnants of your rain yesterday which was biblical! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hmmm. it’s 6 blocks by 7 blocks and the blocks finish at 12 inches. So that makes it around 72×84 inches. I would have used around 5 yards of fabric for the backing. I usually buy 5.5 or 6 yard pieces for a backing. It’s better to have more than you need than not enough!

      Anne

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  10. It’s a beautiful quilt, actually gorgeous. I imagine your instructor will be very surprised. Glad to hear you are better. My friend just got Covid again and the cough is terrible. Her family also has it too. Rest helps but I imagine playing pickleball is good for your spirit.

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    1. I was talking to a new mother at pickleball tonight and she’s just come out of her THIRD case of covid! She said it was the worst case yet. I’ll be happy if I don’t get it again!

      Pickileball is good for my spirit AND it really clears my lungs out. So win/win!

      Anne

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    1. thanks! It’s so different from what I usually make, but I love it. Might have to make more lighter quilts. I have a ton of low volume black and white fabrics I bought a few years ago. Better get cracking!

      Anne

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  14. Hooray 🎉🎊 ice storm finished and your coach will be amazed and grateful ♥️
    Yay for some nice days ahead! I haven’t been motivated at all this year to put out decorations 😔.
    Hi Rico and Bender 🥰

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    1. I’m finding it a little tough to get into the holiday spirit this year. I haven’t even put up my LED tree yet and I LOVE having that light in the house. I hope to get it up this week. I usually leave it up until the time changes in the spring.

      Anne

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  15. Glad you are feeling better. The holidays are not a good time to be sick. Your octopus backing is perfect for this quilt. Your coach will be thrilled!

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  17. Hi… wanted to write to you earlier (your last post) telling you what a great idea it is to say “I’m gonna retire in 24 months instead of 2 years”…LOL.. I did the same and then 6 months before I turned 65, I was able to stop working and did NOT sign up for Social Security until I was 65 to get most of the benefits.

    Was able to live on what I had for 6 months and then started getting SS payments a couple months after I signed up. My mental fatigue (and all the BS that goes along with working) was just too great to continue another 6 months…a few of my friends did it that way so its something to think about.

    I’m also loving your quilts, handbags and pincushions!!! Especially the pincushions because of that K. Fasset fabric…:)

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  19. Gosh I am not so sure I could part with such a beautiful quilt. Absolutely Stunning! I know the coach will really appreciate this quilt.

    Good for you getting out and going to pickle ball. It looks fun and definitely have on my bucket list.

    Keep getting better and let us know how the pickleball is going and those boys of yours.

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    1. I love pickleball, It’s so good for me in so many ways. It keeps me physically active. It is challenging to learn so keeps my brain active. and it’s very social so it keeps me connected. I’m so glad I found it!

      Anne

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  20. Brandon’s Octopus fabric is absolutely perfect for your Ice Storm Quilt. You couldn’t have made it match any better if you picked it from the start. The subtle colors are perfect. Thank you!

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  21. The Ice Storm Quilt is really gorgeous! And I love that octopus backing, too. So jolly to have the octopi.

    I have a question about whether to prep batiks before piecing and/or quilting. Some sites recommend pre-washing batiks in order to remove wax residue that could damage home or long-arm quilting machines. This leads to the following questions:

    Do contemporary batiks have wax residues at a level that removal is advisable in order to prevent damage to home machine and long-arm machines? 2. If so, is home laundry in warm water and regular detergent sufficient to remove wax residue? 3. If the batiks are pieced along with non-batiks, should all the fabrics to be pieced together be pre-washed?

    Thanks very much!

    Veronica Speedwell

    >

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    1. I’ve never heard that about batiks. I do occasionally see some wax on a batik fabric. I’ve never heard of it being an issue for sewing or for a long arm quilter.

      As far as combining batiks and regular fabrics. Remember that batiks are washed and washed over again in the dyeing process. So they may behave differently from non batik fabrics. So you will need to make a decision about pre-washing your fabrics if you combine them.

      I never pre-wash fabrics, with teh exception of wide backings. And that’s just because someone warned me that they can shrink substantially.

      Good luck!

      Anne

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    1. Thanks! I just love that backing. and the quilt is very different from my usual project, but I love it. I’ve been thinking I need to make another low volume quilt.

      Anne

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