My Favorite Quilt

                                                  Sew Mama Sew is hosting a month long series of

and without thinking twice about it, my favourite has to be the one I made for my Mom's 90th birthday.

Best of All

When was it made, what pattern did I use and what fabrics did I choose?

I made this quilt in 2012 for Mom's 90th birthday which we celebrated in the Drakensberg Mountains in Natal, South Africa.  She lives in her own little cottage in a retirement village in the leafy suburb of Kloof.   The block pattern I used is from McCalls Quilting and is called "Best of All".  I have always loved this block and here was just the occasion to make it into a quilt.  I made a small alteration in the placement of colours in each block which is not according to the pattern.  I used mostly fabrics from my stash for the blocks and purchased the fabrics for the sashing, cornerstones and borders.


Have I shown it in any shows?

No I have not.  I finished it on the eve of her birthday and gave it to her the next day.


What memories or people does it make me think of?

Obviously it makes me think of my Mom and I remember the anticipation I felt while making it as I knew that she would be so thrilled to receive it.  I think it also makes her feel proud of "her talented daughter" as she puts it!!!


What do I like best about it?

I think because it gave me the opportunity to make a pattern that I had had for so long and because free motion quilting is my absolute passion, it gave me a chance to do many different quilting designs on it.


How did I grow as a quilter while making it?

Oh without a doubt I found I had to be extremely accurate with my cutting and piecing as there are so many pieces in each block; more so than I had ever been and so, therefore, realizing how important accuracy and ¼ inch seams are.


If I made it again, what would I do differently (if anything)?

I would not change a thing, actually I probably wouldn't ever make it again!


Where is the quilt now?

It has pride of place on my Mom's bed.  At age 92 she takes it off every evening to get into bed and puts it on every morning when she remakes it.


I have so enjoyed recalling the making of this quilt and have loved seeing everyone elses' "Favorite Quilts".  Hop on over to Sew Mama Sew  to see some really gorgeous favourite quilts.

Happy quilting,

  

Addendum:  I was so excited to have won one of three $25 gift vouchers donated by Fabricworm for participating in "My Favorite Quilt"!
 

Stringing Along!

Well now after too long a break from blogging I've been scratching the surface of modern quilting, looking at peoples' work and generally searching the internet to see what is happening in the world of modern quilting.  Christa Watson's work has been a huge encouragement and eye-opener and I also watched Elizabeth Hartman's video "Inspired Modern Quilts" on Craftsy giving me a window into what I find to be quite exciting.  Oh goodness, after 26 years or so of traditional quilting it is going to be a completely different mind set to get around, but....  I think I'm going to be hooked!  Well I tried my hand at a string quilt which is not really "modern" as string quilts have been around for yonks, but definitely a move from the traditional. 

My first "modern" String Quilt

Being quite an "orderly" gal, I felt that I had to have some kind of uniformity by keeping the gold colour strips the same width and in the same place in all the blocks, while the rest of them were cut all different widths and sewn randomly onto the newsprint squares which were cut to finish at10 inches square.  It was a great opportunity to destash and I must say quite liberating to sew.  Yes, I could go for this!

String Quilt showing backing

I used a hand dyed backing fabric from Amafu Fabrics and as it was not quite wide enough at 150cm, I learned from Glenda how to do a diagonal seam to save fabric.  A great idea I must say!

Showing fmq design

I finished it off with an all-over design which I frequently use on my quilts and finally bound it with the same backing fabric.

I love how this single size bed quilt turned out and it will probably head off to a grandchild.

Thanks for visiting.  I have another modern quilt in the pipeline......

Happy quilting,