Sometime a while ago I started my second quilt. My
first quilt was made using
Larissa's scrappy log cabin tutorial and it is a family favorite. I think however, that it has been upstaged by my second quilt. Not because my second quilt is better, but because it is longer. And in our family...a longer quilt is a good thing!
We are a tall family. I am 5'11", my husband is 6'3" and my kids are still growing....with my middle one tipping the ruler at 6'. So. We need a quilt that can cover those long legs when snuggling on the couch. When I was laying out my squares for this quilt, I realized that it wasn't going to be long enough for our height. So, I added some borders which in turn added some length and width. It ended up being 54" by 67". I used
Allison's Hourglass Quilt tutorial and a group of fat quarters that I bought in Lancaster, Pa several years ago.
To freshen up the fabrics, I bought a tiny green and white polka dot fabric that shows up in the border and on the back as well. I really like how it turned out....so soft and romantic. It's quite the departure from my usual khakis and greens and reds. There isn't much in our home that it actually 'matches'.
But that's OK...it's getting lots of use and that makes up for it's lack of coordination. I was laughing with Mckenzie because I originally bought the fabrics to make a quilt with her...but she didn't like them. She didn't think they were bright enough. (She's my tutti fruiti pink girl) But it's Mckenzie that I find cuddled under this quilt each night...sweet irony!
My favorite part of this quilt is the scrappy edging. I used every piece of fabric that I bought in Lancaster. There wasn't a bit left over. That is fabulous! I love using things up!
I also love that I quilted this quilt all on my own. It's just quilted with straight lines but I did it myself and that was a huge sense of accomplishment for me. It was a fun process....and Allison's tutorial was very helpful.
I just followed the straight lines and diagonals on the hourglass blocks and then used straight lines around the borders. My back was too large for one piece of fabric to completely cover it so I used a strip of patchwork to connect the two pieces so that I wouldn't have an obvious seam running through the back.
I really enjoyed most of the steps involved in making this quilt...I wasn't in a hurry and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. That's not typical for me...Usually I'm all about checking things off my list. I may need to adopt a less hurried mindset when working on big projects more often. How about you, do you have a 'hurry and get it done' or 'enjoy the journey' kind of mindset?
