Sidewalk Chalk on Asphalt

When I flipped the calendar to 2018, I had no idea I'd be working on a bed quilt by the end of the month, and actually be sleeping under it by the start of spring. glory be! Yes, a new quilt for our bed had been on the list for at least a couple of years, but it took Rachel/Stitched in Color hosting The Big Bed Quilt-Along to actually get me going on it.



I'd been collecting low-volume fabrics for months on end, having no idea what I'd actually do with them. I had in mind maybe an improv pineapple quilt, but when I saw Meghan/Then Came June's Sidewalk Chalk pattern start popping up in Instagram, I changed my mind. It was a pattern, yes, but with an improvisational feel, and it seemed oh so doable - you know, like it might actually get done in a reasonable amount of time. And truth was, I loved loved! every version I saw. So that was settled, and I started in.

Rachel had been posting a variety of helpful posts along the way, and near the end of sewing my rows together, her Planning Quilt Size post turned on a light bulb. so I got my measuring tape out pronto and realized I would need to add an extra row and column both to make my own quilt sized appropriately for my bed. It's a good reminder to take a look at those dimensions listed on any pattern you use - they're all relative. Luckily, with Sidewalk Chalk, it was really easy, and after a good review of the pattern, even keeping that improv feel was a cinch and adding on didn't hold me up too much.

By mid-February, I had a finished quilt top! Measuring 96" x 112", it was BIG! Ie. too big for me to want to quilt myself. My decision was quick, easy, and logical (to me) - purchase a few yards of the crisscross in black wideback by Carolyn Friedlander, which was one of the low-volume fabrics in my original pull, pack it all up, and send straightaway to Rachel/Stitched in Color herself for long-arm quilting. We conferred briefly about thread color (off-white) and quilting design and density, and before long, my quilt was on the frame.

I wanted to comment since I mentioned it in a previous post - Stitched in Color uses Quilter's Dream Select batting, which I was unfamiliar with. I've always been a Warm & Natural/White gal myself, so I didn't know what to expect. But I'm more than happy with the feel and drape of the finished quilt and honestly can't really tell a difference. (yay!) 

So for binding, all 416" of it, I used more of the Backgrounds Crossstitch in Gray by Lori Holt. And with that, I have a brand new bed quilt and am ecstatic to cross that one off my list.

#BigBedQAL
Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

On & Off the Frame

There's a part of me that can't even believe I've gotten this far so fast. I'm talking about the bed quilt I've been working on. You know - I joined The Big Bed Quilt-Along hosted by Rachel/Stitched in Color back in January. Having chosen Sidewalk Chalk, a pattern by Meghan/Then Came June, three weeks later I had a finished quilt top! Now just a couple of weeks later, Rachel/Stitched in Color and her husband Brandon have long-arm quilted it for me, and I love what I see!

Photos courtesy of Stitched in Color

I knew early on that at 96" x 112" there was no way I was going to quilt this one myself. In addition to the treat of sending it off to Stitched in Color Longarm Quilting Services, it was nice to confer with Rachel about thread and quilt design choices, as well as quilting density. One of the options I was thankful to see when I placed my order was that of trimming the edges after quilting - yay! That was a no-brainer for me. Now when it gets home to me, I can get straight to binding.



Rachel included my quilt in her in the Quilting Studio post yesterday, and she commented how the  "Mirage" quilting design we chose gave the illusion of diagonal straight-line quilting. That just affirmed our choice to me as you know I love my straight-line. And being on the diagonal seems to complement the diagonals in the tree print and those Xs. Oh yeah.



So I'm eager to see the quilt in person soon. Meanwhile I'll be rooting others in the #BigBedQAL along, as I know these larger quilts are no small feat!

Making Motions with Sidewalk Chalk

It was January 25 that I posted about A Big Bed Quilt. I had fabric I'd procured over the last several months, a pattern (finally!) chosen, and Rachel/Stitched in Color's Big Bed Quilt-Along to egg me on. I hadn't anticipated this being a beginning of the year project, but all the pieces fell into place and I went for it.



I'm so pleased to say that the top is finished! I highly recommend the pattern, Sidewalk Chalk by Meghan/Then Came June. In fact, it was really fun to put together. There are several different blocks, but once you get past the half-rectangle triangles, the blocks are super simple and in geometric combinations I love. Then it's a bit of a puzzle to piece them into rows, but the kind of puzzle that totally makes sense. Wouldn't you know the largest size, Bed Size at 90" x 104", wasn't quite large enough, once I took the time to Measure Up my own bed. But no worries, I was able to add one extra row plus one column, which brought it up to 96" x 112", which was perfect, even considering a little shrinkage from quilting and washing.



For backing, I ordered several yards of the crisscross in black wideback by Carolyn Friedlander, which is one of the low-volume fabrics in my original pull, so now I'm all set.



Set for what? Set to send off to Rachel/Stitched in Color herself for long-arming. The quilt is not yet in transit, but will be soon, and I'm more than thrilled to be at this step in the process as I head off to QuiltCon. Besides finalizing decisions on thread and quilting design, I'm also anxious to see how I like the Quilter's Dream Select batting, which I have never personally tried but heard lots of good things about.



So yay! I stepped from behind the quilt in this last photo - you know, for scale! The colors are a tad off, since the quilt seems less 'creamy' in person, but I'm loving the low volume. And see those trees placed throughout the quilt top? They are from the Lagom border print, and perfect, I think, for a Pacific NW quilt. Enough already. I'm shipping it off soon and will be sharing a finished quilt with you before we know it.