When a quilt talks to you....

Mrs. Z is a delightful lady, a friend of my mothers, who shares my love for fabrics. We understand when one of us makes a comment about taking fabric out of the cupboard just to fondle it. 

She loves to piece quilts, but admits that by the time she is finished, she is not sure if she likes the quilt any more. I have the same problem, especially if its a time consuming quilt top that takes a long time to put together. By the time the quilt top is pieced you are tired of the fabric and excited to start a new project. [That's when you pull the waiting project out and stroke it!]

Discussing quilting designs for this quilt was interesting. With so much open space, the possibilities are endless. Mrs Z wanted the leaves outlined,  and thought maybe feather wreaths would look pretty but beyond that she didn't really care.

She had a budget that I would respect, we wrote up the intake form, and off she went leaving her pretty quilt in my cupboard. I was pretty stoked to get this on my frame.

Anticipating a quilt like this builds up the creativity. Every quilt that was loaded on my frame while this one waited for its turn, talked to  me. They each told me that the possibilities were endless, that I needed to listen to the quilt.

So with all this "chatter' in mind, the day finally came when I could load it up, pick the thread colour, baste it, and then sit back and plan the quilting.

I had done piano keys in the border on previous quilts for Mrs. Z, so I added the swirls to tie in the new feather design I had decided on in the body of the quilt. The feathers looked so pretty in between the leaves but I wanted to add a different texture towards the centre. 

I pictured how the quilt would appear on the bed so in certain areas that surrounded the centre I added grid work that would contrast with the feathers. In the centre areas I incorporated the feather wreaths that we had initially talked about.

The end result was stunning. The only problem was that I had spent way more time on this quilt than what her budget allowed. I put it down to a learning experience. If I come across another quilt that requires similar treatment, I now have a better measuring stick for estimating costs.

Mrs Z was thrilled. She loved it and was very appreciative of the extra work. She loved her quilt once again. 

Sometimes the quilts talk.....we need to listen.....and push ourselves to go the extra mile. Its worth it. 

More pictures posted in the "Quilts" section of my website