Saturday, October 30, 2010

Blogger's Quilt Festival

So I was really hoping to have something new to put on for the Quilt Festival, but alas, my life got busy.  (as usual)  So after much debate, I decided to show an oldie, but a goodie :)  I actually touched on this quilt just a few days ago when I was writing about designing.

This is my "I Spy" quilt. This quilt is one of the few, and I mean very few, quilts that I have made for me or my family.  Meaning it still has residence in my home.  About 5 years ago my mother introduced me to the idea of an "I Spy" quilt and I was hooked.  I decided that day that I was going to make one large enough to take up the living room floor and allow for hours of play :)



 So I started collecting fabric.  It took a long time (especially as we were on a super tight budget while in school) to find 98 different "spying" blocks in assorted background colors. (Orange, it is a killer).  A little over a year (I wanted all the holidays represented), and a trip to my Mother-In-Laws fabric stash (thanks again Mom!)  and I had rounded up all my squares.  Then I began putting it together.

This quilt holds the record for longest time taken to put together a quilt top :)  I don't know if that is something I should be proud of, but it is true none the less.  Lets just say it took me "a while" to make it.


But oh, how happy I am with it.  My kids love to play "I Spy" and they run around in endless circles trying to find things. As they get more familiar with the quilt the "finding" gets more complex.  I am talking like "I Spy a frog that only has 2 toes" specific.   It is especially fun when it is my husband's turn and he always manages to have his hand conveniently covering exactly what the kids are spying :)



So that's my quilt!  EDIT **  I have had so many sweet requests for instructions on this quilt I just finished up a tutorial for it.  You can find it here, or under the tutorial tab at the top of the page and there is a printable version that can be found for free here :)  I hope you have enjoyed your visit here at Happy Quilting and feel free to return often :)  I love visitors!!




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24 comments:

  1. This is one of the best 'I spy quilts" I have seen. I love the addition of the black and white solid fabrics which makes it look like a normal colourful quilt then on closer inspection you see the 'I spy' fabrics.A great idea to put the fabrics into colour blocks too. Thanks for sharing this one!

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  2. This is really a great quilt. It is very beautiful besides being so functional. Love all the color and then the black and white.

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  3. Very nice. I like the black and white combo!

    Happy Festival!

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  4. Great quilt! And such fun to "I Spy"!

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  5. I love I Spy quilts! I also made them for my children. There is nothing like wrapping up your baby and playing a game of I Spy. It is like reading a good book.

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  6. LOL ... now I FINALLY know what an "eye spy" quilt is! Thanks for sharing your story and it's a great quilt!

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  7. I love an I Spy quilt. I haven't made one yet but I have one cut out and ready to put together. I love yours and how colorful it is. It looks like it is getting plenty of "use".

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  8. I wish I had one of these when my kids were little! Such a wonderful idea for them!

    Beautiful job on the quilt! :)

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  9. this is the most beautiful 'I spy' quilt I have ever seen.

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  10. Yep, this is THE BEST I spy quilt that I've seen, too !

    Outrageously gorgeous as well as very clever !

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  11. So I always thought that I didn't care for I Spy quilts. Well, that was BEFORE I saw yours! It's amazing and beautiful. I didn't know an I Spy quilt could be those things. Thanks for expanding my horizons Melissa!

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  12. GORGEOUS quilt. I've always wanted to make an I Spy quilt, but those I've seen were scattered and boring. Now I have some inspiration!

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  13. definately the best i spy quilt i have ever seen...makes me wanna make one.. i bet kids just love em!! xx

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  14. i love this one! love little cammi too!!

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  15. E' una trapunta divertente!
    Ciao Domenica

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  16. This is one of my favorites so far. I love the pattern you used to lay out your I spy blocks. Thank you for sharing. I'll be back to visit your blog again after the festival.
    There are so many quilts to see.

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  17. Wow; SO bright and beautiful! Best I Spy quilt I've ever seen, including the one I'm finishing up right now. :)

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  18. Hi there, this is amazing. I'm guessing that you created this pattern yourself? Or did you use a pre-made one? I ask because I would love to do this for my nieces and nephews!! I have never done a quilt before so I would definitely need instructions. ;) This is great incentive to actually get me over my fear! :)

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  19. I love this version of the the I Spy quilt. I think it is the most fun & colorful one I've seen so far.

    :-)

    ~ Meagan

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  20. Darling, darling.
    So dish the details: are the black and white squares finished at 2"? The contrasts and the clusters are fabulous. Congratulations to you and your family.

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  21. What a wonderful quilt for a little on. Young or old the contrast is appealing.

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  22. I really like this quilt. It's happy and fun, but not baby-ish. I can see how it would take a long time to plan out, but it sure was worth it! And thanks for the generous tutorial!

    Leslie S. in MN
    esclante at comcast dot net

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  23. I saw the quilt on the quilting board. I am so glad I came here too. The little girl is darling and what a wonderful quilt for her to play with.

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa