find somethin' on this blog.

6.02.2010

an earthy plain spoken quilt.

(Alternatively titled; One Quilt, Many Photos: A Tale of a Blanket That Needs a Good Ironing). Luckily my mother was out of town when I went to her house to snap some shots of this quilt(she'd die knowing I shared it with you in this state). I made it back in December 2009 as a Christmas gift to my parents. It sits neatly folded on the back of their big leather chair in their earth-toned family room.

The pattern comes from the book The Modern Quilt Workshop

My mother is a big fan of the American West and my childhood family vacations inspired the colors used in this quilt. It reminds me of driving through the Badlands at sunset. At least that's what I was going for when I was fabric shopping.

I've seen a lot of wonderful plain spoken quilts out there, but my absolute favorite was made by Rebekah of Don't call me Becky. You can find Rebekah's gorgeous quilt and others on Flickr.

I used some Robert Kaufman cotton sateen for the back which makes for a heavier quilt all around. I also quilted it using variegated thread which I actually loved (I was a bit hesitant). I used "straight" line quilting in a wonky fashion 'cause that's how I roll.

I hope you can get past all the wrinkles!

~Go make something!

18 comments:

Kelly O. said...

wrinkly quilt are yummy and cozy!

ma zawi said...

i really enjoy the wrinkly look...

chris baker said...

all the wrinkles add to the beauty of the colors in the quilt!! love the simplicity and great earth tones.

Molly said...

I love your wrinkly quilt! What a thoughtful gift for your parents. I'm sure it brings back lots of great memories of your family trips.

Leslie said...

this is gorgeous!

Terriaw said...

This is such a gorgeous quilt! I love the way you arranged uneven bars, and the colors feel perfect for your Am. West inspiration. I think the quilting goes well with the block design, perfect to curl up under and read a book.

Mary said...

What a cool quilt! I really love the pattern and all the solids. I'm a huge fan of wonky straight line quilting too . . . it's so easy, and ends up looking really cool!

I'm sure your parents just love this!

Joanne Huffman said...

I'm old; I hope everyone finds wrinkles attractive. This is a beautiful quilt.

Sooz said...

It is lovely. I totally get Badlands at sunset. How did you like working with all solids? Did you ever get, i don't know, bored? I'm intrigued to try an all-solids quilt, but I fear my attention span might bottom out.

It really is a beauty.

Stephanie said...

I love this! Those colors are so warm and cozy. The quilting is perfect for this, really beautiful! I was just telling Rebekah that I want to make an all solid fabric quilt, and I had never seen hers before, but you're right... it's gorgeous.

Rebekah said...

It's beautiful! You totally nailed the earthy colors with this one and I think it looks great wrinkly!

Glad that you were able to finish it in time :)

ayumills said...

This is so beautiful that I am sure your parents love it! I really like the winkles. They make a quilt look more natural and handmade!

sewtakeahike said...

love, love it Erica! I really need to do a quilt with just solids. I'm always drawn to them, but have never made one!

Carla said...

The wrinkles are the best part of a quilt! I'm not a "beige" type of girl but I love the colors you used in this quilt. Great pattern. I'm going to have to check out this book.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I love love love this quilt! I have gotten into quilting with plain colors and wasn't thrilled with the results I was getting, but this is just beautiful! And it definitely reminds me of looking into the Grand Canyon with the colors in there!

PS Wrinkly means well loved! :)

MandMStudio said...

So stunning:)

mermodfreres said...

I think it's a great quilt -- a friend of mine likes really modern stuff and this pattern would be great for her!

mermodfreres said...

I think it looks great -- a friend of mine likes modern furniture/style. She'd love this one!