This finish has been a long time coming, that’s for certain. I’ve participated in at least five Virtual Quilting Bees; a group of 12 participants, duration one year, each quilter is assigned a month to send out fabric and request a block to be made for them. I even led two years of One Block Over, a Bee I created. This is the first finished quilt from any of my Bees…
In July 2011, I requested Love in a Mist blocks (tutorial link from here) and I sent squares pre-cut from my scrap basket. I think I got all but one block back, and I made a few more to have enough for the quilt. My friend, and business partner, Trina quilted it and returned it to me prior to moving in March, and it got set aside. Yesterday, I finally got around to binding it:
I’m calling it After the Rain (the rainbow, the spectrum of colors, Love in a Mist is the block name…). The quilting is fabulous, as usual… (hey, look! PURPLE! I scrounged like crazy to come up with enough purple scraps for one block!)
The backing fabric has been in my stash since roughly 2007, it’s Petal Power by Maggie & Sharon for Moda. I had several colorways of this, but about 4 yards of this magenta pink color. The full back:
For the inner border I sewed strips of scraps together and made a spectrum strip about 2″ wide around the blocks, and also added a wide strip to the back:
I added a fun Alexander Henry print called “bobby pins” for the outer border, adds to the rainbow of colors but still “reads as” white from a distance:
12″ finished block, the quilt is roughly twin size…
(Don’t let the greenery in that photo fool you, it was covered in snow yesterday morning!)
I love several things about this quilt. Every time I look at it, a different fabric or print catches my eye, and I’m reminded of the project I made out of that fabric, or of my beloved Gramma B (some of her fabric scraps went into this quilt!), or who I gave the quilt to that I made from that collection, or of friendships with long distance quilters. This one is destined to be favorite…
Makes me want to get moving on putting together my other Bee quilts!
made by a brunnette 
Love it! I can’t resist rainbow colors and stars. 🙂
Me and Baby Smoke are ready to snuggle. I can pick it up on Wednesday…
It’s beautiful Doris. Yes, I’ve been in a few bees and no I haven’t finished the quilts yet. Gotta get on it!
I love this quilt! Absolutely amazing!
Doris, what a great quilt-alogue of pictures and story. Thank you. Truly a charming work of art – yes, the bobby pins are great fun!
I’m in love! This was one of my favorite blocks we did. It turned out really great, D!
Oh, I love your quilt! It is just wonderful! So beautiful. Great name. I love the photo of it draped on the porch swing. What a great spot for photography! Lucky girl. I love that hairpin fabric. I am seriously letting you pick out all my fabric from now on.
I absolutely love your quilt – just spectacular! I joined a Wonky House bee by Jane’s Fabrics and she coordinated it all. We made the blocks, sent them to her, and she divided them and sent them on to the others in the group. It worked really well and Jane was amazing. Never been in any other – I like that you sent the fabrics to the participants. Don’t you wonder why someone would join and then not follow through and not let you know if it became impossible for them?
Very pretty! Love the colors 🙂
You are on a posting roll! 🙂
I Love this quilt. I don’t have many purples either.
Yes. Yes. And, yes! It is satisfying to have one’s group quilts finished. I love your quilt (I think I found my blocks in it), and I love the photo of it on your swing. Now I know… you bought that house so you would have a handy location for photography. Maybe your name should now be “FromtheAquaSwing.”
Oh that quilt is just beautiful! Love it! Looks like a fun block. I’ll have to bookmark the tutorial.
Pingback: How I almost ruined, and then saved, a quilt: | made by a brunnette