A Quilted Story (Part One)

 How does a throw-sized quilt turn into a king-sized bedcover? Leave me to my own devices without a pattern, that’s how. 

It started innocently enough, as these things do, with me spotting a fabric panel of succulents while browsing the sale section of an online fabric store this past summer. The panel was digitally colorized and printed with wonderful crisp detail. It featured colors that are probably not actually found in nature, but I’m a magpie, attracted to all that’s bright and shiny.

First thought: “I gotta get this, my sister will love it!” Second thought: “What other fabrics are in this collection? Must. Have. All.” Aaaaand we’re off. 

The store I began with didn’t have a lot in the fabric line, but I ordered the panel (okay fine, two panels because instead of FOMO I suffer from FORO, which is the fear of running out of something) and some yardage of a very bright pink and purple print from the same line. Then I googled the designer and some tags, hit images and found another print from the line, this one in more earth-colored shades that might possibly be found in nature: sage and bright greens, dusty blue-grays, rusty oranges and deep reds. I liked the contrast of the impossibly hot pinks and purples next to the more realistic colors.

A little background: my sister Laurie loves all plants, but especially succulents. They remind her of our brother John. Laurie inherited our mother’s green thumb, as did both of our daughters and my niece Lindsay.  Me? Let’s just say that I have...um, other talents. Anyway, when I saw these fabrics I thought they would be perfect to use in whipping up a quilted throw, maybe for her birthday in September. 

Now, I have been quilting for about twenty-five years - mostly hand quilting - and I know better than to use the words whipping up and quilted in the same dang sentence. Quilts take time. I know that. Well, part of my brain knows that. Apparently other parts of my brain forget that fact.

Okay, I get all the pretty fabrics delivered. YAY. I wash them. I iron them. I pet them. I dream about them. Then I plan my design. The first thing I notice is that my two panels are cut in one continuous piece. And here is where I make my first fateful design decision: I decide that I LIKE the big panel! Other than lopping off one row of blooms to separate and use as corners later, I decide that the double panel will be the center of the quilt. And this, my friends, is where the sweet little casual throw was fated to become super-sized. No pattern. Left to my own devices. Mmhmm.

Taking a cue from from the dark gray grid lines between blooms in the panel, I give the panel a slim border in Amish Black all around. Now I’m ready for those crazy hot pinks and purples, let’s do a six inch border all around! Okay, now another slim border of black and then how about those pretty earthy shades? Like maybe a nine inch border of the pretty earthy shades? Yes, that looks great!

I could have stopped there. That would have made sense. But the problem with stopping there was... I wanted more hot pink and purple! I did. I admit it. In for a penny, in for...another six inch border. Ahh, that feels better. The end result of this process was that by the time it looked right and felt right to me, I was holding a king-sized quilt top. Oh well. I mean, they do have a king sized bed so it’s fine, right?! Right.

Next installment in the series: The Thrill of the Baste! You know you can’t wait.

❤️Bonnie