I have three other quilts I'm working on right now, and I had considered trying to quickly finish one so I could show off a new quilt for the festival. But I decided I'd rather just take my time with them. I like to keep my sewing/crafting on the fun side, and rushing for a deadline kind of takes the joy out of it. Just ask me how much fun I'm having 2 days before Christmas when I'm trying to finish up all my handmade gifts. ;)
So instead I'm showing off the 40th Anniversary Quilt I made in celebration of my parents' wedding anniversary. I spent a lot of time finding and/or drawing blocks that are meaningful to them and their life together. Designing this quilt gave me the opportunity (or maybe the motivation?) to really think about my parents' marriage and what it means to be together for 40 years. And I think that's a wonderful way to honor an anniversary!
Pansy: Mom enjoys gardening • House: they built their house together • O: they met at the Ohio State University • Pig: they were hog farmers when I was a kid
Heart: for love! • Truck: my dad's job • Boat: boating is an activity they like doing together (this isn't the right kind of boat, but after several failed attempts at drawing a motor boat, I went with this easy-to-sew sailboat!) • Fish: fishing is another hobby they both enjoy
Not only did choosing the blocks take a lot of time, but finding just the right layout for those blocks was a big part of my design process. I wanted something more creative than a straight horizontal set. You can see some of my rejected layout ideas back in the original post.
I just love this quilt! And so did my parents, which makes all the time and effort well worth it. I even like the back:
Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats
Finished quilt measures: 40″ x 40″
Special techniques used: paper piecing
Quilted by: Me!
Best Category: Wallhanging
This is beautiful! I love how your paper-piecing looks like sepia-toned photographs...
ReplyDeleteHow thoughtful! Such a beautiful quilt!
ReplyDeleteThe truck block is my favourite :) Nice work!
ReplyDeleteGosh, that's beautiful!! I love the colors you used. What a wonderful gift.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and special quilt this is! One of my favorites in the Festival!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a special quilt. I love that you made the paper pieced blocks in sepia, a bit like old photos.
ReplyDelete