I spent most of Friday and Saturday stitching and binding this quilt. I was completely ready to finish it, no matter what, and we had no commitments this weekend. I machine stitched in the ditch around all the blocks, then made binding for the edges in a Kona Cotton Grass Green. I handstitched the binding on Saturday morning, removed the basting stitches, then washed and dried it. Done. Whew!
As I was making this quilt, I was thinking about all the fabrics I used in it and where they came from. Several of these fabrics have been in my stash for a while, and they really are like snapshots... I remember where I got them, what was going on in my life, other projects I used them in, etc. Many came from friends, literally from all over the world. Aside from a few small cuts of yardage, I didn't buy any new fabrics for this quilt, I really wanted to use what I had (which was the same goal I had when I made Emma's quilt). As I was cutting and assembling the blocks, I kept finding forgotten fabrics, shoved in the back of the stacks, that looked pretty to me again. Like the vintage feedsack fabrics I collected a few years ago during a fairly healthy obsession with finding them on ebay, mixed with pieces like thrifted curtain panels that I've been holding on to simply because I loved them, leftover scraps from other projects. This quilt is really special to me for these reasons. You can look at my Flickrstream to see notes on where the individual fabrics came from.
I think one of the best things about this quilt is the process of free piecing and not having to give too much thought to color balance, fussy cuts, or anything complicated. I sorted the fabrics, decided how many blocks I would need, cut them, sewed them, placed them on my removable quilt wall to find a pleasing arrangement, then stitched it all together. It sort of freed my brain to do a little paper piecing on the side, which is really fun (honest!) but in a completely different way. More on that later. The quilt rumpled up perfectly when it was washed and dryed. The backing is cream flannel, and I used Warm & Natural Cotton batting, my current favorite because I love how rumply it gets when its washed. And, yes, it is warm (but not heavy).
Okay, seriously, how satisfying is this image for a quiltmaker?? Emma grabbed it the minute it came out of the dryer. This is exactly why I go to the trouble of making quilts. (And Gracie's tight with Emma, so she's willing to share.)
If you're thinking of making a quilt like this, you can follow Katie's tutorial here. Its one of those projects that big, but not overwhelming. She sent me a stack of pre-cut blocks for my version of this quilt a month or so ago, I don't think she realized how I quickly I would jump in, I didn't either. It was the right project at the right time. Its a fantastic project for a beginner, the biggest challenge would be accumulating enough different fabrics for it. Although it would be just as interesting to try making this up in just a few prints repeated throughout the quilt.
OK, onto my next project. Floor pillows for the family room. The beanbag is in such high demand, we need to supplement. Have a lovely day!
