Slow Quilting for My Sweet Niece

My 35 year old niece Jessica bought her first home last summer, I think. At the time, I asked her about her planned decorating scheme. She sent me a picture of her family room rug and I began to think about a quilt for her.

It did not take me long to organize stash and purchase the additional fabrics I needed. Then I began to think about pattern. I do love circles and so settled on a kind-of quarter circle theme. It was fun to construct the blocks.

I do not enjoy making identical blocks and so I knew that would never happen. The quarter circles created a loose theme for the quilt but I didn't let that get in the way of working in the moment. Or running out of fabric. There is always more fabric.

The top came together finally. I purchased the batting, and added a back in a fairly loose-weave cotton.

I basted it all together and began a very, very slow quilting process. 

At first there was a little structure. I traced circles with chalk from kitchen objects and then echo stitched around and around. But that got boring. 

So I switched gears and chose to go with curved loopy stitching to simply fill the spaces. That appeals to me - no tracing of stitching lines, just free motion, slow stitching. I used pearl cotton thread, primarily in 12 weight.

It still took months and months, because I kept working on other projects, you know, like clothes. That's what I really love making. 

Once finished, I photographed it and then washed it. That way, if everything goes south in the washer or dryer, I have evidence of a finished project. It washed and dried beautifully. It has a soft hand.

Now it's finished and winging its way to Jessica. I hope she hasn't changed her color scheme by now.