December 24, 2014

Custom Full-Size Photo Memory Quilt {Finished!!}

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The custom full-size photo memory quilt has been finished and mailed off in time for Christmas!  

It's a fun mix of navy, gray, and white.

My customer says, "Beautiful job, gorgeous final product!
For this order, my customer gave me the overall picture of what she was after as far as pattern and fabrics by sending pictures of quilts she liked.  The first thing I did was learn how to print photos on fabric.  It just takes time and is quite simple, really.  My customer left final fabric choices to me, and I had fun shopping my local shops for navy and gray fabrics suitable for a man.  I made a few sample blocks for her approval and consulted with her regarding block structure {whether or not to put triangles in the corners of each block like a photo mount on the corner of a picture}, and she chose to leave them off.  It did seem busy with the triangles and much cleaner and crisper without them.
Most of the time I like quilts how crinkly quilts get after being washed, but this time I liked it better before washing.  I did not quilt through the pictures, and after washing they were raised above the rest of the quilt, yet still wrinkly.  It was so crisp and clean before!  Below is what the quilt top looked like before quilting and washing.
Backing is Robert Kaufman Architextures in Grey.  It is a super soft extra-wide fabric.  Extra-wide fabrics tend to lean toward crispy, but this one is a soft winner.
Scrappy binding from the navy leftovers!  They pop next to the solid navy border.
Quilt Stats:
  • Pattern:  My own, Picture Frames
  • Size:  Full size
  • Fabric:  Quilt-shop quality fabrics in navy, gray from lines such as Remix, Dear Stella, Simply Style, Architextures, Ta Dot, and many more, along with Kona White and Indigo.
  • Batting:  100% cotton, thin
  • Backing:  Robert Kaufman Architextures in Grey, extra wide
  • Quilting:  Allover medium meandering stitch in gray thread on Mrs.Singer, my antique 31-15 mounted on a quilting frame. 
  • Binding:  Leftover navy scraps.
  • Value:  Memorable!
This quilt was a custom order in my Etsy shop, Busy Hands Quilts.  You can choose the pattern and all fabrics, or you can leave the fabric selection to me.  I consult with you each step of the way unless you want me to make it as I see fit.  For some customers, it can be overwhelming to make a decision, and I'm happy to make the decisions for them!  I can work either way, depending on what you desire.

Linking to:
Quiltville
Crazy Mom Quilts
Tuesday Archives

Fresh Sewing Day

9 comments :

Sheri said...

That is a very attractive photo quilt! I like the gray scale photos.

Angie in SoCal said...

I'm amazed at how colorful this soft suave colorway looks. Beautiful!
Thanks for sharing and congrats.

Nana said...

Absolute beautiful collection of blue and grey fabrics. Any Man would be honored to receive something special like this.

Vicki Sews said...


This looks great, what an awesome way to create a memory quilt.

Micki @ 2 Dogs Studio said...

Looks great. I love the colors you choose.

Karen said...

Beautiful memory gift. I love the fabrics you pick. I am sure this quilt will be treasured for many years.

Nancy said...

The color choices work very well for the photos.

JanineMarie said...

I like your pattern and how your black and white photos look with the other colors in the quilt. And yea for quilting with an antique Singer!!

Val's Quilting Studio said...

I agree with everyone else...your choice of colors and then making the photos black and white...made this the perfect manly hug!! So glad it's linked under our Photo Quilts theme at Tuesday ARchives!