I made this quilt top back in 2022, and in my original blog post I wrote about how hard it was to make. It was a really challenging pattern and I had some hiccups along the way. But now that it’s done and quilted, I really like how it turned out.
This quilt features Denyse Schmidt’s Five + Ten collection along with a few Ruby + Bee solids that I needed to stretch out the fabric to complete all of the blocks.
This pattern is not Irish Chain but similar. (I probably made it more difficult.)
Even though it was difficult to make, it’s always good to try something new and push ourselves to make things that are hard. It’s how we get better!
I also have to talk about the back of this quilt. The blue floral is a piece of fabric that was in my grandma’s sewing supplies. She passed a number of years ago and I inherited all of her fabric.
The blue fabric goes perfectly with the front, but when I was measuring it out it barely fit; there were zero inches to give in the length. But was that going to stop me from trying to make it work? No. I knew it might be a bit short after it was quilted and cause me problems, but I decided to try and make it work.
Well, readers, it did cause me problems. LOL. There were a couple spots where it came up short, less than a half an inch. It was a pretty easy fix though. I had a few thin strips of the blue fabric left after I trimmed the quilt and I was able to patch them in. You really don’t notice unless you examine the back closely.
My quilts are rarely “perfect” and to me this is in the spirit of generations of quilters who ‘used what they have’ to create beautiful quilts. And I think my grandma, who was very thrifty, would approve.
As I wrap this quilt post up, shout out to my quilt-holding friend who helped take these photos with me. It was a windy day and standing on a bridge trying to get pictures was not easy! But nothing with this quilt was so it’s quite fitting.
I’ve slowly been accumulating a stack of finished quilts and quilt tops to photograph, patiently waiting for my quilt holder to have time to take some pics. We cleared our schedules and were able to head out last week to take some pics, and now I have some new projects to share. First up is my finished Wildflower quilt.
I love this fabric (Wildflower by Kelly Ventura) and I love how the quilt turned out.
It’s a simple pattern that makes a big impact, in my opinion.
It’s a repeating pattern of square-in-square blocks followed by patchworks squares, all at an angle. Easy!
When I first wrote about this quilt top I mentioned how the fabric leans a little more traditional than I normally choose. But I have to admit I’ve been gravitating towards some more traditional fabrics lately. I still like what I’ve always liked, but I guess I’ve been adding some traditional looks to my stash.
The back of this quilt also leans a little more traditional, complementing the front perfectly.
Like I often do, I used a vintage bed sheet for the quilt back. It’s a floral print like many of the fabrics in the Wildflower collection.
Unfortunately, my stash of vintage bed sheets is getting low! They make such great quilt backs so I’ll have to start working on replenishing my collection.
You can often find them at second-hand stores, but finding ones in good shape that have never or hardly been used, like this one, can be challenging some times.
I think this quilt turned out beautifully and it’s been getting some use this winter, but I’m starting to get antsy for the Spring-looking quilts. Who’s with me?
Until we’re through March, I’ll keep this one out and enjoy it a bit longer. But Spring is coming and so are more blog posts with new quilts to share. I’ll be back again soon.