Past and Present Quilt Projects

A few years ago, a woman passed away who was the closest friend of my friend Laura. And knowing that I make quilts, Laura asked what I could do with her late friend's medical scrub tops. I had recently been to a memorial quilt trunk show, so I had an idea of what could be, but I told her we would need much more fabric than was provided in the 8 tops she had brought over.

So, Laura went to the local secret quilt shop and bought (if I remember correctly) 30 different prints of everything that reminded her of her friend and their many decades of friendship, raising kids together, being neighbors etc. It was quite a variety. Fish, lighthouses, flowers, farm animals, you name it, it was there. And she wanted 4 quilts made. One for her, the other 3 for her friend's children and grandchildren.

Unfortunately I only have pics of two I made for Laura, but they all came out quite nicely. Laura's was the largest. The others were lap size or smaller.  This one is Laura's. It is a split square with a strip of contrasting fabric sewn in between. Sort of like making the stem piece of a leaf block. The border fabric is footprints in the sand.

Sorry the pic is sideways here.

This second one is from a book I have called "Coffee Time Quilts" but I have also seen this pattern from Heather Mulder Peterson in her "Fat Quarter Five" book. Of course, after this was all done, I spotted several mistakes. My eyes must have been worn out while I put this one together. Don't tell Laura. I don't think she's noticed yet - or she's just too nice to ever say so. Probably the latter.

Which leads me to the Present Projects, meaning currently in the works. Laura and I picked out a bunch of family related prints for her new grandson's first quilt. Another big mix of themes. It is going to be great though. A full sized I Spy quilt, and I should have enough leftovers to give him a baby quilt to coordinate with it. I am using the Lantern Bloom quilt pattern from Fons and Porter's Spring 2010 website. It is a free download here: .http://www.fonsandporter.com/userdocs/FonsandPorter/design/Lantern_Bloom.pdf

Lastly, since Laura is the theme of this post, here is a pic of the quilt top I just finished for her granddaughter. It is full size also, and currently being longarm quilted for me. This one was fun to put together. I bought all the fabrics online and am so pleased with their combination. The long strips are alternating panels of cowgirls and ballerinas. The border fabric is pink Florida Gators (college football) and the back is not pictured, but it is pink and brown John Deere.

So, if you think you have to have fabrics all from the same line to make a cute quilt, think again. Rise to the challenge! Throw in more colors or prints until it is so mixed that it is actually "together!" That's how I do it.