Amy is graciously hosting the 3rd Blogger's Quilt Festival for the next week. Be sure to check out
the list of participants, and if you have a quilt you'd like to enter, be sure to add your post to the list (there are great sponsors providing the goods for giveaways!)
Anyways, moving along to my quilt...
If you've been reading my blog for awhile or know me outside of quiltland, you know that
I got married in the fall, which means I needed some bridesmaids gifts. So I decided I would make quilts for the bridesmaids +
the groomsmaid (groomswoman? We never did really decide what to call her).
When it comes to friends and quilts, I hate to play favorites. And I loved all the quilts I made for my bridesmaids, honestly, I did. But I loved them all for different reasons. I won't wax poetic about how much I love the other quilts and enjoyed making them. I'll save that for another post.
This particular quilt I love for many reasons.
#1 - Pinwheels. When I was pondering the idea of my first quilt and rummaging through all of Mom's books, I kept coming back to the quilts with pinwheels. Mom
didn't exactly discourage me from the pinwheel patterns, but she
did encourage the patterns without triangles, with long, wide rows of sashing, etc. A few months later, when I finally got around to secretly starting my first quilt,
I completely ignored her and made a pinwheel quilt. I've always loved pinwheels. [Note to self: Get crackin' on
The Pinwheel Sampler Quilt from
Rachel!]
#2 - The quilting. It's kind of hard to tell from the photos, but to this day, I still think that I did a much better job of choosing a complementary quilting pattern on this quilt than I've ever done before or after. This was also the first quilt where my quilting followed the pattern printed on the fabric (see border close-up).
#3 - The fabric. This quilt represents my first foray into the world of modern quilting. Up to this point, I was strictly a 3 Sisters floral and paisley kind of gal. While I still love the traditional prints and tones of more traditional designers, I'm much more willing to experiment with modern designs and prints than I was a year or so ago.
#4 - The recipient. Before the Hubz and I got engaged, I think I had met
Merissa all of twice, maybe three times. So, when the Hubz asked if I would make her a quilt for the gift, I won't lie. I was a little nervous. I didn't know her that well, but from the few times we met, I could tell that she has pretty impeccable taste and fashion sense. Luckily, she's also a fellow crafter who appreciates the resources (time, $$, love, tears, etc.) that go into handmade items. Now, due to the wonders of instant messaging and facebook, I've been able to get to know her much better and understand more than ever why the Hubz had to have her up there with us on The Big Day.
Anyways, thanks for checking out my entry in the festival! Don't forget to check out the other bloggers' quilts!!!
