I come from a long line of sign writers and am happiest with a brush and some paint! Add
paint to fabric and I get really excited!!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

A quilt from start to finish

I really enjoy quilting other people’s projects. I also love dyeing fabric, screen printing, carving stamps, painting fabric, designing. I even enjoy hand sewing bindings. But, there really is a certain satisfaction in completing a quilt from start to finish.
This quilt is for a friend of my daughter. The girls have spent the last two years, well, 26 months to be exact, studying at Dal University in their quest to become physiotherapists. They graduated with their MA’s this October and along with the rest of their class, have now joined the working world. My daughter asked me if I would consider making quilts for two of her best buddies from this class and this is the first quilt completed. The girls have offered to pay for the materials and I am offering my sewing and quilting skills as a thank you for all the times they have provided my daughter with a place to stay, the times they have given her drives, the times their parents have entertained, fed, helped my girl make connections.
This was not a difficult quilt to piece. I used fat quarters, cut 4.5 inch strips, sewed them together randomly, cut these new strips into 8.5 inch blocks and then sewed them together randomly.
The request was for a purple quilt and I think I have accomplished that. Simone helped me choose the fabrics - many which had to be purchased because I soon realized I didn’t actually own that many purples - and the new owner gave me an idea of the simplicity she wanted in her design. 
Once I finished piecing and quilting (I used a panto pattern for this), I used the left over bits from the fat quarters to piece together the binding, achieving a nice scrappy look.
Because it is Friday and because I actually finished a project of my own, I am joining M-R and all the others in at Quilt Matters for TGIFF.

4 comments:

  1. I'm sure your daughter's friend will love it! What a great quilt! Easy and perfect... love your choice of panto... well executed!

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  2. Thanks, Lorette!! I think it looks better up close and personal, too. Still fussing with getting the correct lighting when I take quilt photos.

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  3. Michèle-Renée CharbonneauDecember 15, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Yay! I love purple quilts and this one is no exception. My BIL just started that same program at Dal in September. It's a gruelling program. Congrats to your daughter and her friends!

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  4. Thanks, M-R! And yes, the program is very demanding! It is delightful to have my daughter “back” and share as she enjoys having some free time again. After 7 years of school (she did her undergrad at McGill), she is so happy to have time for herself! Good luck to your BIL - he has chosen an excellent career and school!

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