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Friday, November 30, 2012

Absolutely Mod Pop

When Julie of Distant Pickles first showed off her finished Mod Pop, I was totally wow-ed. I mean this quilt was unique and bold and fun. Not long after, I saw Leanne/shecanquilt's done in solids, and I just loved it. I really didn't consider making a Mod Pop myself, though, until Leanne came up with the Mod Pop QAL, and just for fun I decided to join in and make the baby size, just to go along for the ride and try something outside of my comfort zone.

For fabrics, I chose seven Kona solids - Berry, Crocus, Hibiscus, Lupine, Petunia, Thistle, Violet, plus another Violet of unknown origin. The chain fabric is Northcott Colorworks' Pearl, a very light gray. I purchased Julie's acrylic template set, and cut my curves out with a very small rotary cutter, which worked great. I got my first block put together at Sewing Summit.

In all honestly, I moved at a snail's pace from there. I just let those curves intimidate me. Not sure why, but I had issues getting them matched up just right. But I kept at it, and eventually the chain design really began to show itself off.
For the backing, I chose V and Co. Simply Color Ikat Diamonds Eggplant. For me, it was a perfect choice, has such a nice hand, and quilted up so nice! I really need to add more Simply Color to my stash!
I chose to use variegated purple thread for quilting the background of Mod Pop. It's King Tut "Crushed Grapes", which coordinated wonderfully! For the chains, I used light gray Aurifil.
Aurifil 100% Cotton Mako Thread MK50-2600 Light Grey
I'll abstain from much self-criticism here - the good news is I free-motion quilted the majority of this quilt (the purple background); the bad news is, I'm still learning and gaining confidence. So in no way is it perfection, but it is done, and overall, I'm pleased. The chains were done with the walking foot, basically following the design. My hera marker came in very handy here.
As for the binding . . . there was a hearty discussion on Instagram when I asked for thoughts on binding. I was simply considering either a solid or a print (the Ikat Diamonds), and was a bit taken aback by the suggestions of orange! or yellow! Oh my. It sounded fun though, and I honestly did get those solids out and audition them. But either I had the wrong shades or who knows what, but they just didn't work for me. So Lupine it is. Maybe next time . . .
I took the quilt along in the car to finish binding today while hubby and I were out and about, and finish I did. Soooo, we decided why not have an impromptu photo shoot? 
So, Mod Pop is done! It was a stretch both in piecing and quilting, but I'm really pleased to have conquered it!

Linking up with finish it up FridayAt the end of the hallway, Friday Felicities, and Fabric Tuesday. AND this quilt was on my fourth quarter Finish-A-Long list! Also linking with shecanquilt's final roundup here.

43 comments:

  1. Wow, everything about this is lovely--the colors, workmanship, and quilting! It also looks like you had a fun photo shoot.

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  2. Purple perfection, Deb. Truly. Are you keeping this one or gifting it?

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  3. Way to go sewing those curves and quilting it all yourself! It really looks divine! Love all the different photo props:)

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  4. What a fun photo shoot, Debbie! It turned out absolutely beautiful -- such a great accomplishment!

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  5. Wow- way to go pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone...I too am intimidated by curves..maybe in 2013 I will be courageous and give them a shot

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  6. Good for you Debbie. A great accomplishment. I love all the purple.

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  7. Great photos! Curves intimidate me too. I love this pattern but I will probably never make it for that reason. :P

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  8. yay for you,Debbie. It's beautiful!!!

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  9. Love how it turned out. Where is that lion?

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  10. Love how it came out, Debbie! And truly enjoyed watching the process on IG!! The pics are awesome, too...

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  11. It turned out great! Hooray for stretching out of your comfort zone :o} Fun photo shoot, too!

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  12. Oh the colors and shapes--so regally awesome. You and your quilting projects are amazing. Great photos too!

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  13. Congrats on the finish, Debbie! It looks great! And kudos to you for conquering the curves and working on the FMQ! My favorite photo is the one with the lion.

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  14. Love the photo shoot. this quilt really earned the extra attention. wonderful quilting, congrats on the finish.

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  15. It's gorgeous!! Love the colours and love that purple King Tut thread! Woohoo for a terrific project done!

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  16. Gorgeous quilt and I love your photo shoot!

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  17. The quilt looks great. I love the purple tones and I think the pale purple binding is perfect. The variegated thread is gorgeous! I think I've used it or similar king tut colours before.

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  18. What a wonderful finish! The quilting is a perfect choice for the quilt. Your pictures are great, what a wonderful location for a photo shoot!

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  19. Love the quilt pattern. The blocks combine to make an amazing affect.

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  20. I think it looks fantastic, Debbie! I really love it, and I especially enjoy your photos :)

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  21. I adore how this one came out - and I disagree with Instagram, purple binding on a purple quilt! And the backing workings perfectly too! I need to get over my fear of curves.

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  22. That backing is so perfect! Your take on Mod Pop is just stunning, I love all the different shades of purple and the light gray really pops against them. I love a bold color choice for bindings but I think you did right by using purple. Beautiful job!

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  23. What a beauty! Those curves look intimidating but the reward is worth it - great job. I'm working on a purple table runner for a gift this week and got to wondering why I don't use it more since it's my favorite color to wear. Hmmm...

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  24. I love the quilt and especially enjoyed the photos!You rock, Debbie!

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  25. It looks great, and love the photo shoot locations!

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  26. I love the color purple. The quilt turned out really good.

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  27. Conquer it you sure did! It's beautiful!!

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  28. I love it! Purple is my daughter's favorite color and I think she would love this quilt! Great finish, and what a fun photo shoot!

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  29. Very arty quilt and of course it shows off beautifully with the other art.

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  30. Love this so much and I don't even really like purple! You did a fantastic job, as always! Love the photos too!

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  31. I really love the colours. So much so that I'll admit that I have your palette saved for future use :-)
    Congrats on getting it all finished (that's always such a relief)
    E

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  32. WOW! Kudos to you for making that beauty!
    I love your photo ops. Especially the statue of the kids running. What a fun way to show off your work!!!
    Thanks for the big smile I got from your post.

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  33. absolutely stunning - I love your color choices!! great work!

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  34. Oh boy oh boy do I love this one. I am so loving using solids and your piecing and quilting are amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  35. Mod Pop is AWESOME! And what an incredible picture, on the statue of running children!

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  36. WOW I love this in purple. Absolutely gorgeous. Pinned it! :)

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  37. Oh, wow! I missed this some how last week! It's fabulous! And congrats on scoring that lovely fabric!

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  38. Fantastic! Lovely colour choices, Debbie for a beautiful finish. Mod Pop is such a gorgeous design and your version is tempting me further to give this a go, too. :o)

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  39. This is a really beautiful quilt. Sounds like a great learning experience and your photo op rocks!

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  40. Absolutely beautiful quilt Debbie! It turned out so well! It was really fun watching your progress on this one. Thanks for sharing

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