As I’ve mentioned before, I took a beginning quilting class earlier this year. I learned a few things, kept a few (possibly bad?) habits, and finished a quilt that I really love.
Between signing up for the class and actually starting the class, I found out that a dear friend was expecting a baby. And all of a sudden, I knew exactly what the quilt would be for – her! I had browsed fabrics before and nothing was speaking to me, but when I went back with her and her baby in mind, fabric nearly jumped off the shelf at me.
The first fabric that I really fell in love with was this gorgeous alphabet fabric. I loved the vibrant colors and cute illustrations that went along with each letter.
I picked out some coordinating fabrics, making sure I incorporated a variety of the colors that were in the alphabet fabric. I ended up choosing a white with some rain drops on it instead of going full neutral for my background color. I love that fabric, but I won’t lie, a few times during the making of the quilt I wondered if I should have gone with a plain white. But once it was all together, I knew it was the right choice. I wanted this to be a bright, happy quilt.
And so, every Tuesday, I spent two hours plugging away on the quilt and learning a few tips. By the end of the last class, I had done everything but the binding. I stalled for a bit there, undecided on what I wanted. Originally, I thought yellow, and then I thought that was too light. Then I wanted to find a solid purple that matched the purple in the quilt, but I couldn’t find the right shade. Finally, as I was driving in the car (because that and the shower are the only places genius strikes), I thought GREEN. It should have been so obvious. Green is my friend’s favorite color, and there was some green in the quilt, and it couldn’t hurt to up the green factor. So back to the fabric shop I went, and I was able to find a green that was from the same fabric line as the purple polka dot I had used in the quilt, so it was a perfect match.
I know I’m biased since I made it, but I think it was the fantastic choice.
We had my friend’s baby shower at our local yarn shop (of course!) last week, and I think she really liked the quilt. We had a really lovely time, and NOTHING beats a shower that is attended only by makers. I loved seeing what everyone had made. This baby will certainly be wrapped in love when she arrives.
knitsnips 