Monday, January 12, 2009

New Year's Resolution...To Finish!



I have been trying to finish this quilt for a year. Somehow it always ended up on the back burner. The fabrics were a result of trading with my friend who passed away. We would buy a half yard of fabric and trade with the other. There would be much ooh's and aah's as we fondled them. ( I even hand dyed the pink and purple tones for one of the blocks you can see closer in the last photo.) Bev and I eventually ended up with a nice stash of jewel toned fabrics. This quilt is the memories of our happy times together. I honestly had different thoughts on how it would be finished. It actually was suppose to be longer and if you see that if it were set on it's side, you would see the Japanese lanterns, so the design changed as I liked this setting more. I had thoughts of an oriental applique of flowers on the borders at one point. I almost wished now that I had done at least some, but I am very happy with how it turned out. I also had kept it in consideration that perhaps it wouldn't be masculine if I added the flowers.




I used a blue gray thread to tone down and let the colors show through yet on the black, it would also show up the stitching. I had no clue what I was going to quilt when I put it on the machine, I just did a couple of sketches and decided to proceed and work on the border and figured that I would just wing it in the blocks with an all over pattern.




Even though it would have lent it self to an all over pattern, I just decided to treat each block separate with curls going one way and then other other. It didn't dawn on me until afterwards that these patterns actually formed hearts! It couldn't have been more appropriate with the love and admiration I had for my friend. Bev my dear, I wish you were here to enjoy it, Instead it will be given to your husband with much loving thoughts and rememberance of you!

2 comments:

morningDove said...

wow what a great beginning to the new year. love the colors.

Pattyskypants said...

That's totally gorgeous!! You are so talented! xxoo Patty