Oh, Deer Completion

Piecing this quilt is described in my previous post dated 11/26/24. The next step, selecting my FMQ pattern for the quilting, is always a challenge for me. Doing an allover meander is probably the simplest approach except that I am terrible at meandering smoothly and not getting stuck in a corner. I generally opt for ruler work instead which is time-consuming but provides me with guidance. I compromised by doing free-hand arcs in the two bands of stars at the top and bottom of the quilt to give a tufted pillow effect. For the major section of the deer head I did something more controlled.

I used my Handi Quilter multi clamshell template for the deer portion. Orienting the clamshell "upside-down" gave the effect of the roof on a gingerbread house or draped garlands.

A portion of the deer section quilted in clamshells gives the nice effect that I was seeking.

Now, what to do in the narrow white bands on either side of the inserted blue stripe? I have a Handi Quilter wave template with an 4" wavelength and two different depths of the waves. I used the shallower 0.75" wave in the inner border and the deeper 1.5" wave in the larger outside border. I attempted to line them up relative to each other and centered on each side. I started in the middle of each edge and worked my way toward each corner. The quilting lines on the corners will fall where they may but at least they will look similar among the corners. A black and white pinstripe binds the outer edges of the quilt and relates back to the deer's antlers.

The backing was from a  fabric called Glad Tidings by the Whole Country Caboodle for Henry Glass. I thought the fabric title of Glad Tidings was clever since the hanging ornaments say "comfort and joy". I knew it would be perfect paired with the Deerly Loved pattern because of the Christmas balls hanging from the antlers. The following image is a closeup of the backing fabric. 

I made cranberry colored labels with white embroidery out of grosgrain ribbon for the two lower corners. Cranberry blended with the backing fabric better than a bright Christmas red would have. The quilt name, my name, and the year completed are recorded on the labels. The pattern by Coriander Quilts was called Deerly Loved but I have named this quilt Oh Deer. 

The back side of the quilt is also fun. The stripe on the backing ran parallel to the selvage. The height was adequate since it was the width of fabric. But, because I'd bought the remnant at a craft show already cut to a one yard length, I did not have enough width. Hence, I added the white edges. 

Here is the front view of the completed quilt. Oh Deer measures 41" wide x 40" tall. I plan to hang it on the wall of our stairwell next to the Christmas Moose canvas shown after. The canvas measure 20" wide x 16" tall. The moose is half as wide as the deer so I will have to see how they look side by side. No matter where they are placed, each will add to the festive "Deck the Halls" mood of the season.

Oh, Deer

There are many projects in my wings waiting to be completed. I was preparing to start the FMQ on my layer cake batik from July 6, 2024 when my Handi-Quilter bobbin winder ceased to function. I am awaiting its repair or replacement. I am not too bummed though. Piecing is my first love anyway and I was itching to try out this Deerly Loved pattern from Coriander Quilts.

The time it took me to cut out all the pieces exceeded my expectations, needing my investment a whole day's time. I should know this by now, but hope springs eternal. The diagram for the head of the deer is shown in the next image. Not shown to cut out are ten stars in the upper and lower bands. 

The colored fabrics added up to 105 pieces (blue letters A-U); the white background required 144 pieces (blue letters A-U + pink letters A-K) totals 105 pieces colors. I have not cut out the black border; I am undecided on my fabric choice and size for it.

I finished assembling the antlers. I was pleased that I had been able to fussy cut the black and white medallion fabric so the discs were centered along the two horizontal branches and also along each vertical branch.

I also centered a medallion in each eye and in the nose. In retrospect, I was not thrilled with my black/white medallion fabric choice for the facial features. I was so focused on achieving a contrast with the white background for the face that I was hesitant to use the beige floral called out in the pattern. The brown fabric that I chose instead had mini swirls in it that reminded me of fur, but it is dark enough that I lost contrast with the nose and eyes. Or maybe the black print is just too busy. Oh, well. I will plunge on. At the end, if I am still malcontent, I can appliqué or insert a different eye and nose fabric in those three spots. Hmm... maybe blue eyes and a red nose...  perhaps?

While pondering this decision,  I tackled the dangling ornaments in the red (L) and green (M) bubble fabrics with the beige plaid (O) for the hanging ribbons. Here they are the left pair and the right pair. The ornaments are pretty straightforward modified snowball block piecing. They are baubles so, fittingly, I made them from bubbles.

I assembled the deer face with its antlers and ornaments. Then I definitely decided I did not like the black and white medallion fabric for the nose and eyes. I kept the nose as is and did not change it to red. After all, this is a deer and not a reindeer, and so there is no reason for his nose to be red like Rudolph's. However, the eyes did not sit well with me, plus the medallions were not centered the same on the two eyes. I switched the eyes out to blue. This switch made the medallion print nose all the more distracting. I removed the nose and replaced it with solid black. Solid black is not as creative, true, but sometimes safe is more appealing than creative.

I moved on to making the bands of stars. Quite pleasingly, not all the stars were the same. The green and black ones are sawtooth stars and the red one is an Ohio Star. Those quarter square triangle units on the red stars took a bit more time to make, but the crispness of the points really paid off.

This switch to blue eyes was a bit stark being the only blue in the top. I toned it down by contemplating pupils for the eyes. Should I insert the triangles or appliqué them on top? Iron on adhesive was an option instead of needle turn appliqué and would avoid opening up that seam yet again. The seam would get stretched out no matter how careful I was. Also, with the iron on I used only one layer of fabric instead of the four layer bulk created by backed triangles. The black pupil detail was not enough to distract from the stark singleness of the the only blue in the top. I further deflected the distraction by inserting a narrow band of blue in the outer sashings to draw the eye toward the edges as well. 

I'd already planned to leave off the black borders to decrease the overall size and also because I thought them too dark and brooding. Here is the assembled top, ready to be FMQ'd. Hmm...  more decisions. Decisions are what slow me down. Next post will show FMQ, labels, and binding.