Quick Quilt

Hey, all!  May is halfway over, can you believe it?!  I so want to enjoy this time in my life, savor each day, enjoy each little kick my son gives me as if to say, "Hey, mommy, just so you know, I'm here."  It's a struggle to find that balance, isn't it?  Looking to the future, but staying in the moment.  I succeed more often than I fail, but I still fail. 

As you know if you've read my blog before, I'm a quilter.  If you have not read my blog before, it should be noted that I am not by any means some sort of professional quilter.  I quilt for me, and for special people in my life, and that's pretty much it.  I have no grand dreams of someday seeing my masterpieces in some quilting show.  The dedication required to get someone to that point just doesn't exist in me.  I come up with designs on a whim, and being impatient by nature, I want the finished product now.  Spending more than a week or two on a single quilt is horribly boring for me.

In any event, I do enjoy making quilts for friends, and this is my go-to pattern for giveaway quilts because it's fun, lovely, easily customized, and something you can just snuggle underneath.  I had wanted to make a pattern that you could easily download and duplicate, but instead I took a photograph of my original design that could serve the same purpose.  If you would like to make this quilt and have questions, please either comment or email and I'd be delighted to help you however I can.

This version of my pattern was for a sweet friend who had surgery recently.  Food and flowers are nice, but I like quilts because it's something they can keep even after their recovery time as a reminder that friendship is always around them.  When I asked her what her favorite colors were, she gave me almost a dozen answers.  I selected a few that worked together, and Jayson helped me pick these fabrics.  All basic quilting fabrics, with the exception of the fleece backing.  The last quilt I made for myself had a fleece back, and I love it so much that I plan to use it from now on.  So soft, so warm, and I think you can get away with no batting inside because the fleece is thick enough.

 

And now, the quilting process as documented by my photographs:

No, I don't have man hands.  Those are Jayson's... he helps me
tie my quilts because he's the greatest husband in the world.

I may be something of a rusher, but it took me a total of 5 evenings to complete, one each for cutting, sewing squares, layout, piecing the top together, and edge.  It's such a nice gift to give to someone, and it's really not that time-consuming to do.  Please feel free to use my pattern for yourself, or for someone special to you.  And please comment if something isn't clear. 

Enjoy May before it runs off, too!

~ Sarah