Turning Twenty Quilt

My favorite quilt.

 I can't believe it.

You haven't seen her.

I will remedy that,

but first, her story.

I used to quilt when my kiddos were wee ones. I made plenty of quilts, but was always bored with them before I was even done. I think this was for several reasons. One was partly due to the fabrics that were out there in the 80's - not very interesting. Does anyone remember all the blue, peach and ducks? Also,  the patterns for the quilts were traditional, with tiny shapes and had to be followed in every detail. As you have figured by now, I'm not a very precise kind of girl. Another reason I lost interest in quilting, was that when I finished each of them, they really didn't look quilt-ish. My family won't let me get rid of any of the old quilts I made, so here is a picture of one of them.

It lacks life. Well. How can I say that. It has lived a wonderful-good life around our home. Many memories are connected with it. Let's just say...it lacks...something visually. It has a fat polyester filling, plain muslin backing, and is only stitched "in the ditch" around each large square.

So, since I was not inspired by the fabric, designs or actual quilting done to a quilt, AND being busy with my many young ones around, I drifted away from the sewing world...

...until I went to visit a dear friend who took me to her fabric shop. What inspiration! Filled with beautifully designed fabrics, some with larger unique prints, within a few minutes I had 20 fat quarters all picked out for a Turning Twenty quilt and was on my way back to the sewing world. The pattern can be ordered from my Amazon list on the left of my blog if you so desire. Let me just say that if you are a beginner, this is a great one to start with. I had the top cut out in one night, and sewn together in another. The 'book' is only a few pages, mostly with diagrams & brief, clear instructions.

Here she is,
not quite in all her glory.

For, she is in all her glory when being snuggled under by my loves.

I used to think of selling her and have been firmly rebuked for such talk.

She is here to stay.

She likes tea, chocolate, good books, weary kiddos, and an occasional bunny.

She makes a great tent where imaginations create magical worlds.

I love the random look of it. I have decided that I personally prefer quilts with large blocks of varying colors and interesting designs. I would love to do another quilt similar to this one, only not use a pattern at all. The backing fabric is yellow with brown chandeliers. If I had to do it over again, I would have thrown some other fabrics on the back, too, but I wasn't thinking out of the traditional quilting box enough yet.

I paid to have this one quilted. She did a beautiful job.

To bring the cost of making a quilt down, I am learning to do free-motion quilting. Now little miss too-thrifty-for-her-own-good can afford to make more than one a year, plus the process of quilting it is truly enjoyable.