Fair Isle Quilt Top

It's done! It's done!! I can't believe it! (Warning: picture heavy!)

The reindeer row! I love how the snowflakes turned out.

Check out the sparkles!! I chose this fabric specifically because of the sparkly snowflakes. They are very subtle, you can only see them in the right light. I'm in love! :)

I nicknamed this quilt the "$500 Dollar Quilt", any guesses why?? ;) Truly a labor of love and if I sell it (and that's a very big IF) I won't take a penny less than that.

I found this flannel sheet set at the thrift store for $3! I'm going to piece together the back using it. For the batting I'm using Warm and Plush so it's going to be extra warm and snuggly. :)

Once the backing is pieced this baby is off to the long arm quilters to get the sweater treatment (ie a cable quilting pattern!). I can't wait to show you the finished product!

If you are making this quilt here are a few tips that I've learned along the way:

1. Starch is your friend. Seriously. Starch all your fabric before cutting for accuracy and then after piecing the blocks/rows starch the back side and iron. It makes your seams lie really flat. 
2. Get yourself a strip cutting ruler (any size will do). I so wish I had this ruler when I first started but it was a huge life saver for the last few rows. Go get one. Now!
3. Stay stitch the blocks with lots of pieces. Especially on the reindeer. Stitch 1/8" away from the edges to make sure all the seams stay together. Something else I wish I would've done. I ended up hand stitching a handful of seams closed.
4. Sew your blocks into rows as you go. Give yourself one less thing to do by the time you get to sashing. 
5. Definitely check out the sew along for more tips and tricks for each block. You especially want to check out the post on cutting.

Stats:
Pattern: Fair Isle by Freshly Pieced
Fabric: Quilter's Linen in Silver by Robert Kaufman
           Raphael Snow in Pearl by STOF Fabrics

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WIP: Fair Isle Reindeers

I'm so close! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I finished my reindeer row last week. Woo! :)

When I first cut my fabric (almost a year ago) I did it according to the pattern and then I had a little *facepalm* moment. With all the math I did just to figure out yardage for two colors, I should have included cutting for non-pixelated reindeer. Oh well, I pushed it out of my mind until after I finished the zig zag rows. Then I sat and stared at all the little 1.5" cut pieces and I made the choice to re-cut the blocks using larger pieces. Let's just say I'm very happy I had extra fabric! I barely made it but I was able to squeeze out what I needed with very careful cutting. And you know what? I'm so happy I did it.

When it came time to piece it all together, I did it a little at a time over the course of several days. First the snowflakes, then the heads, then the bodies, then putting the blocks together and finally putting it into the row. It came together very quickly with those larger pieces.

I'm in the middle of sewing all the sashing onto the rows and then it will be done!! :) I can't wait to share it with you.

Linked up!

Quilty friends...

...make the best pen pals. Thank you Amy for some beautiful happy mail! I hope you like bright colors. ;)

Oh and I finally found a way to get on Instagram without a smartphone! :D You can find me @gracelovequilt, although my feed is looking rather pathetic at the moment. ;)