Saturday, November 26, 2011

Giving Thanks


Frothy
A belated happy Thanksgiving to our American friends who are celebrating the holiday this weekend. Even though our Thanksgiving was a month ago all the hype got me to thinking about everything that I am thankful for, and that very long list includes this quilt that I finally finished this summer. It has proven to be a favourite and is now happily in use on our bed.

We have had a glorious autumn here so recently I decided it was the perfect weather for airing out the quilts and when I saw this one on the line it reminded me of just how much I like it. The pattern is Frothy by Kaffe Fassett from his book Glorious Patchwork. I started it probably 10 years ago and I remember having a hard time finding a good selection of large blue, pink and cream florals, but find them I did. This one is particularly special because was the last quilt that mom quilted for me before she passed away; all that was left to do was bind it. For whatever reason it spent the next 4 years folded (and buried) on a chair in my sewing room, patiently waiting to be finished. Really, all it needed was binding but that seemed to be a huge challenge for some reason. This summer I decided it was time to finish it off and start using it.

I had a pretty little yellow Moda print that I had wanted to bind it with but for whatever reason I was convinced that I didn't have enough to do the job (why I didn't measure is beyond me!). So I spent some time hunting for alternatives and finally found two options, but when it came time to cut the binding I just wasn't convinced, so I went back to my original option and decided to measure it. Miracle of miracles, there was more than enough so I quickly cut it before I wasted any more time.

I love everything about this quilt. The fabrics, the colours, the tiny strawberry flannel print that I used for the backing, the random swirl pattern designed by my sister D, the lasting memory of mom's handwork, and most definitely the binding. Why do we wait so long sometimes to do the simplest things that can ultimately give us so much pleasure?
...M

1 comment:

Jane C. said...

Marie, I have always loved this quilt too. You did an amazing job on it, and I'm so happy to see it finished.