I just love blog hops... they never fail to inspire. There are so many creative quilters out there! And each person's ideas and fabric choices can change a project dramatically yet be the same pattern. That is just one of the things I love about quilting...
When I signed up for this hop I had no idea what I would make. I'm not much into Halloween and witchy stuff but I figured I could come up with something...
It wasn't until I found a Harry Potter panel at a Goodwill shop and mentioned it to our youngest who grew up as a HP fan that I came up with the idea.
Harry is a Wizard... but still uses magic and spells... LIKE a witch. It may be a bit of a stretch for the theme of this hop, but I am going to run with it!
When I told Rebecca of the find, her reaction was one of great excitement... her husband's was not. He likes a modern look and clean,
So... I came up with the idea of a two-sided quilt. Well, OK, technically all quilts are two-sided when you think about it. But I wanted to have one side feature Harry for her and the other side be a traditionally pieced top with a modern look for him. I chose a jumbo Double Irish chain with no border to achieve that modern look.
If you have ever worked with pre-printed panels you know that they can be deceivingly tricky to work with. Because of the way the fabric is printed the panel can be a little skewed and far from square...
I had to work a little magic in getting the on point border to work right... and getting the corners to match up evenly and not cut of points was a real challenge.
But sometimes, as Dumbledore told Harry...
The corners required time with Jack the (seam) ripper to get them so that they didn't look weird, or lay weird... you know that whole skewed panel and not square corners thing nearly drove me nuts and I may have had big ol' temper tantrum. But I stuck with it until I finally got it right!
Sandwiching the quilt was a little tricky as well... I needed to make sure that the Double Irish Chain was placed squarely on HP as well as centered. I measured and adjusted and measured some more. When I was finally pleased with the placement I moved forward with the quilting.
I did some zig-zags in the checker board areas (which happened to remind me of the Wizard's Chess scene in The Sorcerer's Stone) and then stitched in some lightning bolts to border the large setting block. Then I found a nice looking Celtic looking pattern to stitch in.
So there you have it! My Magical Two-sided Quilt...
Have you ever made a two-sided quilt?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Piece Happy!
Melva
Don't forget to check out all of the other witchy-stitchy bloggers! Here's a complete list...
October 7
October 8
October 9
October 10
October 11
Linking with:
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty
Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More
Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy
UFO Busting at Tish’s Wonderland
UFO Busting at Tish’s Wonderland
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
You're right about panels sometimes being skewed and causing a headache, but you obviously pulled it off with the help of Jack. It looks beautiful! I've never made a two-sided quilt as detailed as yours. Wow! That was a lot of work on both sides, but what an amazing finish. Love it! Harry Potter fans would be excited to have this treasure of a quilt. From the thrift shop to an incredible quilt is something to be proud of. Thanks for sharing your Witchy Stitchy Harry with us!
ReplyDeleteGreat project and I have a panel that has been sitting languishing for just that reason. Not square and weird size, so it will require quilt math. LOL Love the double side, great way to find alternatives.
ReplyDeleteYour Harry Potter quilt is stunning! I have a niece that would flip over it.
ReplyDeleteFun quilt. You certainly worked your magic with your two sided quilt.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Harry Potter quikt! The other side looks great too. I had a friend who made all her quikts two sided.
ReplyDeleteI have never even thought of making a two sided quilt. But what a great idea. Especially for a holiday quilt. It can be used all year since the other side can be non-holiday...
ReplyDeleteI have not made a two sided quilt. Yours came together so nicely!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is amazing! My daughter would adore it!
ReplyDeleteThat turned out really nice! I love it!
ReplyDeleteSkewed panels are as annoying as jelly rolls that aren't cut straight with pinked edges. I avoid both now. You did a great job at making it all work.
ReplyDeletePat
I'm so glad you put that panel to good use. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great finished project! Well worth the obstacles you successfully overcame!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Melva! WOW. That's all I've got - your piece has left me speechless. Fabulous! And choosing between what is right and what is easy - it's obvious which one you chose. I think both your daughter and her hubby will be happy with this piece! If not, I can think of SEVERAL other people who would adore it, love it, and give it a wonderful home. HAHA! Happy Friday to you. I'm so glad you shared this with us and that you joined the hop. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteOh, Melva, this is awesome. Those panels are the pits, but with Harry Potter as the star, I would have stuck with it for sure. This would be such a great gift for a number of people on my list. I need to find one of these for next month's blog hop... I love two sided quilts, but don't really have time anymore. Great idea, thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat quilt, both sides! Thanks so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteGreat quilt! Glad you were able to make it work. I have had issues with panels also. I tend to stay away from them now. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSuper cool idea to do double sided. I am sure all of us can relate to the temper tantrums...been there, done that!! It looks awesome - great job!
ReplyDeleteBoth sides of the quilt are pretty. Great find at a thrift store, the Harry Potter panel.
ReplyDeleteHow luck were you to find that panel. I love what you did with it too. Panels can be a bit of test when you work with them. I have made a few panel quilts. They can test your patience.
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderful quilt! We're big Harry Potter fans at our house, too. I've never really intentionally made a two-sided quilt, but have seen panels used as the backs of quilts before. I can see your daughter and her husband disagreeing over which side is actually the front! :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a great quilt. So wonderful of you to think of both your daughter and son-in-law in the design. I have made one double-sided quilt, a Halloween one. My label was a 3-D ghost hanging from one bottom corner so it would work with either side.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to make both your daughter and her hubby happy!! Happy spouse, happy house!! I have a daughter who would love a quilt like this...she devoured HP novels!
ReplyDeleteI make my table quilts two-sided but never anything bigger. You did an awesome job!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea of making a two sided quilt--and even though it was difficult you kept at it--Very nice quilt!!
ReplyDeletebarbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)
Panels can be tricky. You did a fabulous job not only with the front but also the back. Fun quilting motifs to fit the theme and story.
ReplyDeletebeautiful Harry quilt.
ReplyDeleteI almost always make 2 sided quilts. Starting with scraps and maybe a leftover block or two from first side...
I am a huge fan of Harry Potter and love this quilt! You did a fantastic job! I am really impressed with how you achieved your double-sided quilt. I'm sure a lot of magic was involved.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have made a double-sided quilt -- once, and I doubt I will attempt it again.
Your Harry Potter quilt is absolutely awesome! Making a reversible quilt is no easy feat (which is why I have never done it). Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteCute quilt! I love that it is reversible! Yes, I have made a two-sided quilt - and will make more! I love how they come out! Congratulations on a fabulous finish!
ReplyDeleteSo creative!! WOW!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Sounds like you are a bit of a quilting wizard yourself to get this to come out. Thanks for sharing. And no, no two sided quilts for me, I struggle enough with the one side. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, love how you built a quilt around that panel! Very inspirational! No, I haven't done any two sided quilts... maybe one day :) xx
ReplyDelete