And I’ve fallen back in love with it

A very windy and sunny day!

Some of you might remember that I started this quilt over six months ago.  It was what got me back into quilting. I have always been crafty but in terms of sewing I mostly stuck to bags and clothes.  Then when living in China I made some baby quilts/play mats for friends using traditional Chinese fabrics.  I had no idea how to quilt so I just kind of made it up and it worked.  I used the thickest, puffiest, most synthetic wadding known to quilters and I didn’t have a walking foot!!

When I was pregnant with Little Miss I did a couple of beginners quilting classes.  I made a sampler cot quilt (which now resides on Little Miss’s toddler bed) and pieced a very simple quilt top (which will forever remain a work in progress because it’s so not me!).  I loved taking the classes; me time, learning new skills, me time, meeting other women, me time.  You get the idea.

Although this quilt isn’t really me, I made it dreaming about my baby girl and it is very special <3

Then earlier this year I decided I wanted to make Mr 4 a quilt, not the quilt that I had planned and bought all the supplies for before we left Australia, but a fun, modern quilt.  I had recently purchased Elizabeth Hartman’s book, Modern Patchwork and I decided on “Kitchen Windows”.

I loved it, everything was from my stash.  White linen from my time in China, some gorgeous organic Birch prints that I had saved for something special.  Some coordinating prints and a few other prints, such as the retro space babies, that I loved to much to cut into.

The quilt top came together really fast.  I spent a few days designing the back and came up with something a little more mature and simple in the hope that Mr 4 would use the quilt for years to come.

The quilting was done super fast.  I got so excited about stippling that I went a bit overboard LOL. It was a lot of fun.

Then I folded it up and it has sat with my other projects.  I’d even selected the binding fabric, a fun orange pindot by Lecien.  But I don’t like hand binding.  And the longer it sat as a WIP the less I loved it.  Sure, I still liked it, but I wasn’t so keen on the stippling.  I mean, why did I stipple white over the black borders?  I thought that toned them down, but over time it didn’t seem right.

Then I got all over ambitious with the OctoberQuest challenge at TGIFF and the daily blogging with Blogtoberfest.  So last night I prepared my binding and today I finished it off.  And I love it.  I love it as much today as I did when I started it.

I love that two of my children now have quilts on their beds made by me, especially for them.

Please ignore the ugly ensemble.  Nice beds are on the list…

As soon as I put Mr 4′s new quilt on his bed to photograph it I knew it had to stay there.

Lovely!

But then I started to worry.  Mr (almost) 6 really wants me to sew him something, quilt has been mentioned quite a few times.  He turns 6 in two weeks and when I try to get to gift ideas the response is generally along the lines of, “um, a magic horse and a hypnotising watch and a computer game”.  I’m thinking a quilt might be the better option.  So, to prevent any major meltdowns when Mr (almost) 6 came home to find his sibilings have Mummy made quilts, I set his bed up nicely with the sofa quilt aka colour therapy.

Both my boys love their Spiderman pillowcases made by me.Let’s pretend it goes with the quilt LOL

So now all three of my babies have quilts made by me on their beds

Every time I walk into this room I think of the Three Bears

Doesn’t their room look lovely now?  It makes me so proud to see their beds all nicely made with quilts by me.  When Mr (almost) 6 got home from school I explained that he could use my special quilt until I had one ready for him with his name on it.  He was going to get one anyway, it might just get moved up a little in the to do list.

So, the all important details
Pattern: Kitchen Windows by Elizabeth Hartmann.  Published in her book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork.
Size: 51″ x 66″
Fabrics: linen (white sashing), quilting cottons and organic quilting cottons.  Summer weight 100% cotton batting.
Quilted: with Gutermann cotton, although I now use Aurifil so the binding is done with Aurifil.
Machine bound (I love Red Pepper Quilt’s tutorial on machine binding!  If you haven’t already, check it out.)

All ready for sleep with Mr 4′s favourite friends.

I’m very happily linking up with TGIFF over at Better Off Thread, make sure you pop over, she has finished the most stunning mini!  I am also continuing with Blogtoberfest.