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Monday, July 15, 2013

For Love of The Great Outdoors

I finished my brother in law's quilt this afternoon, and I'm pretty pleased with the result.


You know, having a nine year old wild thing means that everybody is always trying to get us to put him in Boy Scouts, and my reply is always "We are not campy people; we are beachy people," which seems to placate them for a while.

And that's really the truth.  I grew up in a very girly family (love my makeup and hair dryer), and although my Dad is an Eagle Scout, we  never camped- thankfully because my Mom feels the same way I do.  Now, give me a beach chair, some sunscreen and a book, and that's the kind of outdoors I can get behind!

I can certainly appreciate the woodland environment for a couple of hours- maybe a day hike at the very most.  But when it comes right down to it, I want a nice bed, a restroom, and a shower.  That's just me, y'all.  And before you get aggravated with me and tell me that I'm depriving wild thing of something he might enjoy- trust me, I'm not.  He likes his comforts too (and he hates bugs).


Suffice it to say that making a quilt for my brother in law, who is the ultimate outdoorsman, was way out of my comfort zone.  Anytime I make a quilt that isn't really my own personal taste, I tend to second guess myself at every turn, and I'm usually not totally happy until the last stitch is in the binding.

The pattern I chose is called Four Squared by Aunt Polly's Porch for Moda Bakeshop.  I used the pattern as an inspiration for the quilt without actually following it.  I am terrible at following patterns. Luckily, I can usually look at a quilt and just know how to create it, and how to modify it to fit my fabric and size requirements.  This pattern is not too fussy, and gives the fabrics a little bit of a more modern twist.  The frame fabric is Kona Chocolate.  I just love that shade of brown.


I went with solid Mossy Oak camouflage on the back, so that this quilt could be flipped over and really used while hunting for a little extra warmth.  I chose to quilt with stippling, as I thought it would blend the best with the camouflage on the back in case it actually needs to be called into camouflage action.

Oh, who am I kidding here?  You all know it's my favorite kind of quilting and I do it almost all of the time anyway!


Rather than using Kona White for the label, I used Kona Parchment, which blended a little better.


You can see the quilting better in this picture (the obligatory rolled quilt shot), and I have to say that this is really some of the best FMQ I think I've ever done.  I've been working on spacing and keeping my curves smooth, and I'm happy with how it turned out.  Glad the quilting shows on the front, at least!


I hope my brother in law loves it, and I certainly think it's a little more fitting for him than his bunny quilt.  :)   One more Christmas gift done.  Whoop!


41 comments:

  1. Great finish Kelly! He's going to love it!
    And why does everyone assume that because you have a boy you need to be outdoorsy?! We're not campy people either... the beach is way more fun!

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  2. Beautiful quilt, Kelly. Any outdoors man would love it!
    It's good to get out of your comfort zone from time to time. Well, that is if you're absolutely certain that you can get back into the zone. As with anything new, it's best to start slowly.

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  3. It looks great Kelly! Way to check off that christmas gift mid year. Every year I say I am not waiting until the last minute...So far, I have none of mine finished. And july is almost over! Yikes!!

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  4. This is great. Both my brother and my son would love this.

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  5. Nice Kelly! and your meander is excellent - I hope to be as even as you are someday.

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  6. Oh Kelly, it turned out beautiful! Wait...can I say beautiful about such a manly quilt? Well, it turned out manly. You are right, the stippling is really nice with this fabric and pattern.

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  7. Great job! It is wonderfully manlike! Your BIL will be so happy with it!
    I like thise pictures a lot! I liked this quilt in your last post already, but these newp ictures make it even more gorgeous!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Esther! I took the quilt to a local park with lots of woods to photograph it. I thought that would suit the mood of the quilt best. i'm so glad you like the quilt and the pics!

      :) Kelly

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  8. Your BIL should love this quilt. I'm not into hunting (unlike all the men in my family) but I think it's striking. I'll have to make one, but then which of the men will get it? Uh-oh, if I start one, I'll probably have to make quite a few more!!! Oh well, having to sew a bunch of quilts - there's worse things that could happen!!!

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  9. great man quilt Kelly! I am the same way when I try to do a project that is not totally me, I start second guessing everything! But you certainly hit the mark on this one. He will love it! Also what type of pen do you use to sign your quilts? Often I don't put a label because I don't have time to embroider one!
    But I like your labels and the fact that you always put one on your quilts.
    Great job.
    xo jan

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  10. I really love the backing fabric you chose! Kona chocolate happens to be the color of my bedroom walls and my bedskirt! The greens you chose are great as well.

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  11. What a fun quilt for a guy's guy. He will love it.

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  12. Nice!! I'm so glad to see a manly man quilt! I've got some on my list to make but I have a really hard time knowing what to pick out, is this too girlie, or too hideous? I struggle! You did a really good job at coordinating all your fabrics! Great job!

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  13. Congrats on such a manly-man quilt! Everything about this is perfect!

    BTW...my idea of camping is a hotel without a hot tub! Now that...lol...is roughin' it!

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  14. It's a great quilt Kelly, I bet he'll love it! :-)

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  15. It looks great! Good colors, pattern, size and job. He should love it.

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    1. Thank you so much Ellen! I'm glad you like it, and I hope he does as well.

      :) Kelly

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  16. Rugged and manly---you acccomplished this well!!

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  17. Wow, that is a great idea for an outdoors quilt. May I steal some of the colour scheme?

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    1. absolutely! I'm so happy you like it!

      :) Kelly
      ps- you're a no-reply blogger, so I'm responding here!

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    2. Hupps, there must be something wrong with my settings... gotta change that. Thanks for telling me.

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  18. What a neat outdoors quilt Kelly! I just finished up one I am hope my "hunter" brother will like.....if not this would make the perfect one for him!

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  19. Love the shot of the backing fabric on the forest floor! Very clever. :) What a lovely gift for a outdoorsman. Good for you for resisting girling it up. I would have caved. ("some hunter's safety, at least!" I can see myself saying. "And isn't neon PINK the ultimate hunter's safety.." HA!)

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  20. I love how this quilt just blends into the forest setting and that you went out of your comfort zone to even take those photos let alone make the quilt. You have such an eye for colour and design - another fantastic finish - he's going to love it, how couldn't he?! :)

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  21. That is ultimate outdoor quilt. Fits perfect! Great pics too. Well done!

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  22. Oh this has me in stitches! I've never seen such a quilt, but perfect for the Everyman outdoorsman! I'm with you, give me the comforts of running water, a bed, and kitchen cooked food anyday! Thanks for linking up!

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  23. Love quilt, and lovely pictures.

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    1. Thank you Dorothy! I'm so glad you like it and hope my BIL does as well!

      :) Kelly
      ps- responding here since you are showing up as a no-reply blogger!

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  24. Another great finish. A real "guys" quilt.

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  25. It's great, Kelly - I love the colors, especially the chocolate! Your brother-in-law will love it.

    Oh and by the way, I'm right there with you about camping - give me a beach chair and a good book any day!!

    Whoop whoop!!

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  26. So I've totally been meaning to comment on this all week -- seeing as my father and husband (..and brother... and uncle) hunt together everytime we're out at my parents' out east, just wanted to chime in and say well done on this finish, friend! I actually picked up an assortment of "outdoorsy/hunting" novelty prints a while back (read: several years ago) and started piecing TONS of flying geese then lost steam (so now I have a box full of pieced geese and un-pieced squares, argh!). Anyhow, this sort of puts a little jump in my step and makes me want to get back to it ;)

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  27. What a great guy guilt! It turned out beautiful (and I mean that in a "manly" way, lol). Nice nature shots of it too!

    PS - I'm with you on the comfort vs. camping thing. And of course you like that brown, what girl doesn't like chocolate?!

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  28. That is great and funny..
    my family all like it after they read this post..

    Horse Painting

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  29. Such a great quilt... it IS hard to make a "manly" quilt and you totally nailed it!

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  30. Great job! It is hard to design out of your comfort zone, but I think you did your brother-in-law justice with this one. Congrats on a great finish and thanks for linking up!

    xo -E

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  31. Great quilt. I am going to make something like this for my niece who just had a redneck wedding with all camo. This is going to be perfect for her. I will be adding photos from her wedding.

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    Replies
    1. Is there any way I could get the measurements of the blocks?

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  32. Hi Kelly!! Fantastic post for our camping theme at Tuesday Archives this week!!! Thanks for rejuvinating an old favorite:) V

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  33. Just shows to go ya, you don't need to love an activity to make a cool quilt

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  34. Hi! I love this quilt! I am planning a baby quilt for my next great-grandbaby and my granddaughter wants an outdoor/woodsy/wildlife theme. Would you mind if I used the photo of your quilt on my blog?

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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