Gorgeous!

You can use the gate design as your quilt top pattern, it would be a wonderful reminder of that lovely gate.
Regards,
MaryAnna

Deecee,

Love your quilt for mother; it's quite lovely.

I am enjoying watching your process on your "watercolor gate" piece. It is very inspiring. Cannot wait to see the finished product! I have always wanted to try one, but have my fingers in too many projects already (or so DH says! :oops: But what does HE know??? 8) )

Keep us posted,

Odessa

Gated - Paradise? FINAL EPISODE

Unfortunately the camera batteries went flat so while they were on the recharger I kept powering on.

Fused the background garden and was very pleased with it. I could have kept fussing with it forever but hubby said "for goodness sake just fuse the thing and get past it!" Done!!!

I was going to hand applique (blanket stitch) the gate but I decided to take the quicker option and machine blanket stitched it on to the background.

Now came what I found to be the hardest part - quilting around the whole gate with the dreaded monofiliament thread. After reading all I could find about using invisible thread and using hints from the Board posts regarding stopping it from tangling on the spool, I put my thread in a jar behind my machine, loosened my tension and had a trial run on scrap. Not a problem! - but once I started on my gate things became more difficult.

The thread jumped out of the thread guides or tangled itself and kinked and broke at what seemed like 5 minute intervals at first, but by going veeeery sloooowly and constantly checking that the thread was running smoothly through ALL guides, I finally finished. I wonder if sewing through the Quilt Fuse and all the seams of the background were part of the problem?

Now I only have the binding to do. I think I will take my time, relaxing and sewing this in front of the telly. ( Hopefully I can get this part finished tonight and get back to son's wedding memories quilt. )

Hope you have all enjoyed this journey - I know I have enjoyed reading your comments and encouragement. :D

Forgot to resize, SORRY!

Try again.

I'm impressed!!! Great job!!!!

Deecee, that is just beautiful! Can I borrow your idea? I just love how you have accomplished it. Not having any books/magazines that really show how this technique (the watercolor-style background, more so than the black applique) is accomplished, your photos and narrative are great inspiration.

Thank you for showing us all your creative process!

Odessa

As much as I love your Mom's quilt :D :D I am absolutely enthralled with your Gated Paradise quilt!!! WOW it is soooo awesome!!! Thank you for taking us on the quilt's journey with you!!! You have inspired me to go ahead and try one... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

You don't even have to do a watercolour to put the gate on. I have a wallhanging I did with a European type of hillside & then put the black over it. They're very striking.

Hi everyone,

thimblebug600 - You're right, the gate can be added to any type of background, it doesn't need to be a watercolour or even pieced, a pre-printed panel would still come up a treat. In the book I have, fanlights and leadlight windows are used as well.

amma - Have a go. Very satisfying to complete.

OdessaQuilts - I certainly can't claim it as my idea, but you can borrow it anyway. The watercolour is made very easy by using Quilt Fuse. It leaves you with continuous long seams instead of individual piecing of 2" bits.

The book I mentioned earlier by Dilys Fronks "Enchanted Views" goes through the watercolour process including choice and placement of fabrics very clearly, although she doesn't use Quilt Fuse to piece her backgrounds and reverse appliques her gates.

Looking forward to seeing someone elses view through their gate or perhaps window.