Baby Quilt

You wouldn't think this small quilt has 52 different fabrics in it.

baby quilt measures 30" x 42"

It is a simple, 9-patch construction, the centre square is the background fabric, here it is the colour Snow from Kona.......

and the alternate blocks are the opposite; the centre square being a fussy cut fabric- for storytelling!

The back fabric is shown below. The binding fabric is striped. I like putting stripes and florals together.

When I visit a quilt store I always look for a striped fabric to add to my stash, usually diagonal stripes which are difficult to find, and purchase a 1/2 m.  I use those for my bindings.

For this quilt, I bought the back fabric only. Everything else was selected from my stash.

My stash is primarily made up of leftover bits from other projects. Once in a while I purchase a fabric for something and realize when I get home that it won't work. That piece then gets put in the stash.

There were some leftover bits from the back fabric in this project. You know, the pieces you cut off after quilting when you square up the finished quilt.

This baby quilt is a gift for a new baby. I started quilting it by machine and decided it needed to be hand quilted.

Hope Lily likes it.

Simple Shapes

You can make so many nice quilts ...

... using the simple shapes of squares and triangles.

I used this mini quilt (12" x14") as an example in the Binding Class I taught yesterday at Ewe Knit.

Students really enjoyed the class!

You Might Like It...Eventually

I love the look of hand quilting.

My baby quilt has a few folds from being in my suitcase!

I have done very little of it myself.  My work is usually machine pieced and machine quilted, free hand. I have tried to like doing the hand quilting myself but it never clicked with me. I never had much success and it wasn't something I found pleasurable. It was definitely NOT relaxing.

Having the baby blanket up close as I quilt,  I enjoy looking
at all the scraps I used to make it.
I really do love scrap quilts,

I know how to do it...in theory, that is. If anyone asks me, I can tell them how to do it, how to hold the needle, that a shorter needle is better to use because you can "rock" it while you make the stitches, that the spaces should be the same size as the stitch length, to use hand-quilting thread that is usually a little thicker than regular thread. I can advise on what pattern would work well with their quilt design. But again, I have not made very many hand-quilted quilts myself.

I have a friend who has a shop near where I stay in Verona. In the afternoon, she sometimes sits outside if there are no customers and does hand work- knit, embroider, quilt or piece.

The other day I went out and asked her for advise on how to quilt by hand. She laughed because she could not possibly teach ME anything. But I sat beside her and we chatted and I just quilted and ...guess what? I actually DO like quilting by hand....after 25 years of trying to like it!

So I have brought my baby quilt here to the south of Italy where I am now holidaying. After four hours at the beach I come up for lunch and then do some hand quilting on the balcony.

It is very enjoyable....finally!

Personality

I wasn't sure what to call this post but PERSONALITY I think is right.

When you make a quilt where does your personality come through? (No where if you are making a quilt from a kit!)

If you are expressing yourself your person is everywhere- in your colour choice, in your placement of blocks and shapes, in your fabric selection (which I hope is yours and not the lady's from the quilt shop!)

Even in this traditional red and white pattern made by hand, the personality of the maker can come through! In this case I'd say it is in the back fabric choice.

I see a sense of humour in the person who made this cotton quilt. The back is playful. I have several antique quilts in my collection that have a plain white backing which would have worked perfectly fine for this quilt... but not as fun!

It is an antique quilt from a friend's cottage in Nova Scotia.

Sadly there is no label. No one in her family knows who made it and when. She has a complete cupboard full ...all anonymous.

I see those unlabelled quilts without an anchor, without a place in the past. I see them floating and  hovering not attached to anyone.

A name and a date is all you need to write. It's so important.

A Lesson in Hand Quilting

I am not very good at hand quilting. I am a fast person and hand work slows me! But I do love the look…so I am trying again. I never give up.

You may remember from past posts that I pieced a hexagon quilt (crib size) by hand. I started it 8 years ago as I travelled by train in Italy.

This top stayed rolled up for many months and I am now ready to "be slow" and quilt it by hand- an excellent activity to be done during the Canadian winter.

My friend Gail gave me a refresher lesson. She does not quilt using a frame. Maybe that is another reason I have not taken to the technique. I do find the frame limits my movement.

This is my back fabric choice.
I used two pieces from my stash.
It isn't something one might think of putting together
but I think it really works well. Both fabrics were
 difficult to use in a traditional quilt
so this was a perfect way to use them up.

We had a nice afternoon together sitting in her sun-filled room…sipping red wine and eating crackers and goat cheese spread. That's what quilting should be like -a "together" activity. Thanks Gail.

Love Those Hexagons

What a find!

A double-bed size quilt, vintage, from Kentucky, USA, all hand pieced and hand quilted.

The quilting is so fine that even I had trouble deciding if it was machine done or not. The stitches are so small and pretty even. The person who made this had great skill.

Too bad it has no provenance. There is no label. The little I know was told to me by the person who bought it in the States.

It is being packed in my suitcase because I am giving it to my italian "sister". She'll love it, I know. She told me she loves it...I had to send her a picture because it will take up half my suitcase and I didn't want to bring it if she didn't like it!