Amazing double wedding ring quilt, SERIOUSLY!

Robyn from Bolo Head linked this quilt up to fabric Tuesday a couple weeks ago. I did a little 1 photo feature of it along with a couple others that really popped out to me.  We got a lot of comments and emails about the quilt, so I quickly emailed Robyn and told her we must feature her quilt! Be sure to check out her blog, she is an incredibly talented seamstress, and just a well rounded crafty lady!

I feel so honored to be asked to talk about my quilt here today.

I am Robyn and I blog over at Bolo Heads Bolo is Hawaiian for bald and since I was born in Hawaii,  and did not have one hair on my head, that was my nick name. I am a mother to four beautiful girls, and have a great husband. I am a very blessed woman.

This is the story of how my quilt began.

I found out about the Riley Blake contest five days before the Garment division was over.

I am really a garment sewer, particularly children's clothes.

I knew I could have won that. I was making up a design in my head when I got a call to make a wedding dress, yes a wedding dress, in the next five days.

So I was out of the garment division.

While I was shopping for wedding dress supplies I found this book.

I totally fell in love with the cover and thought to my self,

maybe one day....

Maybe one day when I am a better quilter.

Maybe one day when I learn how to applique.

Maybe one day when I have enough money to get the perfect fabric. Maybe one day when I have the time.

When the Wedding was over I started thinking about it again and changed my mind to say,

Why not...

Why couldn't I make that quilt.

I could make that quilt, I've got skills.

I could make that quilt red and white,and use Lori Holt's new fabric. If I had a deadline, I would finish it for sure. So that is what I did I started  to gather supplies, asking how to do it, and figuring it out. I stated this quilt on June 17, and finished it the day of the deadline August 17. We were going on vacation so this is how I spent my time.

I had taken down with me all the templates that I made.

(with a circle cutter and template plastic)

I made all my circles that week, and then got to appliqueing.

One thing that I learned about making the circles is this.

1- have a lot of templates. I made 46 of them.

2- a tiny iron doesn't iron them dry.

3- the hot wind will air dry them to keep a perfect circle.

So after it was all done stitching on all the circles,

 and I had to make all the red circles this is what I did.

I put them in the hot oven to dry, and that is how we did it.

Step one get the girls to paint on the homemade starch.

Place them in the warm oven, and wait about 8 min.

Let them cool, pop out the template.

A perfectly round little circle, and no need to iron.

I did iron the back to hold down the ruffles,

but I think I am sold on this crazy way to make them.

I am not an advanced quilter my any stretch of the imagination.

I just told myself I could and did.

Now for the fun part...

Closeup shots of the quilt.

There are a total of 525 circles

 64 petals

It is square and measures roughly 90"

I was curious on how many stitches I did.

I averaged out how many blasting stitches,

 and how many applique stitches there were, and the grand total was.

32,907

That is not counting the binding stitches.

Here is the photographic evidence of the last circle stitched.

The craziest thing about this whole process is I want to do it again.

This time a Christmas version.

Green rings, white centers and red joining pieces.

I want to have all different Christmas fabrics to look like the "lights"

I am having a swap to get all different Christmas fabrics, no repeats

 if you want to help out come on over.

Thanks again for letting you share in my quilt journey. 

If you decide to make one, let me know.

I would love to see what happens. 

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