indie quilt

The last time I wrote about this project was Labor Day weekend - a month before the wedding for which it was due. In true "me" fashion, I took it right down to the wire, but it got done and turned out to be a really pretty quilt that I hope my cousin will enjoy.

I like to think of these wedding quilts as 'picnic quilts' because when Dave and I first met one of our favorite ways to spend time together was on picnics with a basket full of fruit and cheese. Nothing like sitting in the sunshine on a nice day with a book, a guitar, or a nap. (Oh How California!) It does feel a bit decadent when we manage to do it now - less often, but no less appreciated.

Because it will end up on grass and dirt and ground the back is a very sturdy flat sheet I had in my stash. The red sets off all the colors nicely and will certainly hold up to use. I brought the backing around to the front as the binding as well, so this sucker is ready to go.

It's been a while, but I'm 99% sure I took this just as the finished front and the sheet for the backing to my parents' house so I could finish it before the wedding. Rather than taking a bulky batted thing along we just popped out to her Joann's and got some batting and I decided to give my trusty old machine (my first sewing machine) a break and tie the quilt instead of doing a lot of quilting. I remember at some point Dave had a tied quilt and I liked the look of it - turned out nice here too. I used salmon colored pearl cotton with some complicated knot to make sure it doesn't come undone.

Dave, my trusty photographer whenever we go on vacation, snapped a bunch of great pictures literally minutes before I wrapped it up in ribbons to go the wedding. What a sport. I loved working with these fabrics and colors. The saturated berry and teal were my favorite colors, and any one of the creative florals are just amazing. These Anita's arrowhead blocks look great with a combination of solids and prints, and I like the way the whole thing sparkles. It ended up being a nice blend of modern and traditional, something that suits my cousin really well!