Big Top Quilt

I've made (or at least started) about 150 quilts since I started quilted nine years ago, and today I present you with Big Top, my first full-sized quilt!

So big it takes three kid sets of hands to hold it up! My oldest is in the middle and his little brothers are on either side, all on different height stools.  Even then, they are on their tippy toes to hold it up high enough (their going rate is ice cream if you are interested in hiring them).

This is based on a wonderful quilt designed by Brigit Gail and I was immediately attracted to it because of the curves and the use of solids.  I was even more attracted to it when I read that the entire thing was based on an improv-pieced design!  I also love the variety of techniques involved in making it.  Besides the obvious curved piecing, the smaller striped sections are paper-pieced.  The larger fans are pieced traditionally.  My color scheme is tweaked slightly from Brigit's original color choices.  

The pattern makes a generous throw-sized quilt.  To enlarge it, I made each wedge at 90% and added an extra row to the bottom.  Then I made half wedges for borders on the left and right.  The end result is a quilt that measures 88"x88", a slightly oversized full-sized quilt.

I decided I was going to quilt this one myself with coordinating colors.  I was a little intimidated by the size of the quilt for basting so I tried something new: my friend Lauren at Tekstil Crave thread basted it for me on her longarm!  This was amazing, I don't even want to think about how long it would have taken me to baste this on my own.  And the final result is light and airy just like I was hoping.

I'm looking forward to more crinkles once it's washed!  The binding matches the dark brown arches and the backing is a wideback (no longer available from the wideback shop I bought it from).  I like to do a bold print on the back when the front is just solids and this one gives off the right feeling.  It's so busy all my quilting from the front blends right in!

Sewing and quilting with so many bias edges was a bit more challenging than normal piecing, but I'm enjoying stretching myself with different types of projects in 2020.  This quilt is ready for bed duty!

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I'm linking up with:

Sarah at Sarah Goer Quilts for "Show Me Something With Solids"