Wow…. three years! That’s how long I worked on this project. Of course, it was on the back burner for most of that time.
The first quilt was inspired by “Postcards From Sweden”. I didn’t exactly follow the pattern and didn’t use as many colors, but I think it turned out just as cute. I experimented with the applique on the back, and it turned into “Colors From The Sea”. I started this for Grandchild #1 (GC#1), but she outgrew it while it was still in the unfinished pile, but GC#3 loves it! She has decided the back is really the front 🙂
I bought the fabric for “Bon Bini Sunset” several years ago and started it this year. Again, I didn’t exactly follow the pattern — I added a variety of solids and additional prints from my stash. I had fun with different quilting motifs on the quilt — sunshine in the sky, fronds and bubbles in the sea, and sand dollars on the beach. I love all the colors, and so does GC#1. For GC#2 – a cute herringbone patterned quilt with fabric from the greatest adventure on the back. I love these colors too – khaki, red, blue, and navy.
They waited, not always patiently, until I finished all the quilts. I know people who make quilts for all their grandchildren every year, but I’m not that fast 🙂 I should go ahead and start planning the next round so I’ll have them ready in about three years!
I’m participating in a Free Motion Fun group this year, and our challenge quilt pattern is High Light (available from All People Quilt). We were given the pattern and one print – the large floral (we picked from pink or blue). Honestly, the print wasn’t one I would have chosen, and I was more resigned instead of excited to be making that particular quilt. We discussed the project during our first class, and I selected the pink floral just because most of the group selected blue. I did have fun selecting coordinating fabric for the quilt – going with a real contrast for the “high light” portion of the quilt. We were tasked to have the quilt completed by December.
About four months later, I pulled out the fabric and started on the quilt. Other than the high light blocks, I really couldn’t remember how I planned to use the colors in the quilt. I just know the result is not what I had in mind back in January. I did have to buy another yard of the floral, and I also matched the back to the high light blocks to pull everything together. The blocks are large, and this quilt is a quick sew. This was a perfect pattern for this class since our goal is to use free motion quilt designs on the quilt.
As I mentioned above, I was not excited about the quilt, but that made the quilting completely stress-free since I had no expectations for the end result. I kept joking about who I was going to give the quilt to when I finished. Anyway, the more I worked on the quilt, the more I liked it. I started call it “the 70s quilt” – I know I had a dress with than pink floral back in the 70s. It also really reminded me of my grandmother (Nanny). She taught me to sew when I was a kid. She was always making something – everyone in the family has quilts that she made. In later years, she was also “famous” for some of her color combinations. I think she would have really liked this quilt. Instead of “the 70s quilt”, this became “the Nanny quilt”.
I decided to have fun with the quilting designs. I chose multiple colors for the quilting, matching the top thread color to the block. I matched the bobbin thread to the back fabric since I didn’t want multiple colors on the back. I also used a different free motion motif in each different color block. I quilted several Lori Kennedy designs (square flowers, Nora’s rose, posy medallions, dizzy daisies, strings of pearls, and more), McTavishing, and quilted text. This was my first time to try McTavishing – I’ll definitely use it again. Since the quilt reminded me of my grandmother, I decided to dedicate the four text blocks to her memory.
In the end, this is one of my favorite quilts! I had a lot of fun with the design, and I really, really, love how it turned out. Instead of trying to find someone to take it, I envision one of Nanny’s great great grandchildren ending up with it one day.
I wasn’t able to share these quilts earlier since they were ordered for Christmas presents. It’s so much fun creating a lasting quilted memory from a pile of tee shirts. The final results were amazing.
Rainy days and deadlines resulted in a tight indoor photo. This was a very large quilt with cheer tees on one side and other organization tees on the other. Beautiful…..and heavy!Close up of quilt detail Another tee shirt quilt — high school events on one side and 4H focus on the other.
Some people have ugly Christmas sweaters, but I now have an ugly Christmas quilt. Really, the quilt is cute, but the quilting didn’t quite turn out like I hoped. This quilt was two years in the making — I almost gave up several times.
This quilt was made with a free pattern from Tula Pink – Flakin’ With Our Homies (http://www.tulapink.com/free-patterns), and I also used her Christmas fabric – Holiday Homies. I love the fabric and quilt — it’s perfect for a very country Christmas.
I started the quilt TWO YEARS AGO!! I’m very pleased with the quilt, and I did learn a lot from the quilting process. I had a lot of trouble with the thread breaking — it took awhile to get the tension right for the thread weight. I started quilting before taking a class with Lori Kennedy (https://lorikennedyquilts.com/), and I picked it up again after class. I should have listened more in class! I learned that Lori is right — I should have doodled and planned more before I jumped into the quilting; however, once I started, I was committed to the design.
I was determined to finish it before another Christmas passed — success at last! We will enjoy using this quilt even if it does have some unique “design features”. Notice my cute little “quilt hangers” — they enjoyed helping hold the quilt.
