Warning: after three-ish weeks of not posting any real content, I’m about to overload this post with pictures. So, if you’re faint of heart, opt out…now.
Quilt #1: The Mother-in-Law quilt Back in October, I started what I knew would be one of two Christmas gift quilts: my rainbow Fire Drill quilt, pattern from Elizabeth Hartman’s Modern Patchwork, color plan inspired by totally copied wholesale from this pin. Again, I reiterate, I COPIED this color scheme. I didn’t come up with it on my own! I wish I’d had the smarts, but I’ll take this quilt however I came by it. Because it’s gorgeous.
(You’ll please to ignore my husband’s pajama pile in the right corner. I’ve tried, and can’t really do anything about it, so now I don’t really see it anymore either.)
Piecing this one went quickly and fairly easily, though if you look closely, I had some moderate troubles making my diamond points meet. This is a shrug-and-move-on trouble, though, because when you pull back, all you see is glorious color.
And when you look closely, all you see is lovely texture, from hours and hours of careful outline hand-quilting. With Gutermann’s handquilting thread and a #11 Black Gold quilting needle, natch.
This is also my first ever pieced-back quilt. I love, love, love it. Scraps from the front to make spectrum “drips” across the back. The neutral is actually a sand-and teal colored dot from a Riley Blake line that I picked up on clearance. It’s perfect.
And the binding is Chicopee Bleeding Heart. It was *made* for this quilt. (I actually purchased a Kaffe dot to bind this, but the Denyse was so much more appropriate, in spirit and in coloring.)
Quilt #2: The Momma quilt It wasn’t quite fair to make a quilt for my MIL when I’d never made one for my own mom. My mom quilts, though she has primarily sewn garments. When I first started quilting she gave me a HUGE box full of pre-cut scraps to start with, including about 500 axe-heads that I hand-pieced into a queen-sized monster. As my second quilt project. Ahem. Needless to say, I owed her one.
This is, coincidentally, another Elizabeth Hartman pattern, her Sparkle Punch quilt. I chose turquoises, light blues, tans, and browns to match my mom’s living room. I love this pattern. It’s a perfect marriage of traditional and modern, and I thought it was a way to make something for my very traditional mother while still expressing my own quilting style.
The “first” for this quilt is that it’s the first machine-quilted quilt I’ve ever done. I used a walking foot on my new Janome to do “straight” line quilting. I assume my lines will get Red-Pepper-Quilts-straight with more time and practice. For now? Good enough to gift, I think. (Don’t tell me if you think otherwise.)
The backing is a Denyse print from Joann’s, that I picked up off the red dot rack for less than $4/yard (I know!). It’s perfect. I chose not to piece the back because I ran out of time because I thought that might be pushing it just a little too much on the modern quilting. You know. For my mom. The binding is that brown Posie print from Flea Market Fancy Legacy, and it’s all I can do not to go and buy like ten more yards of that stuff.
Thoughts: When I went to take pictures of these (inside on a grey Massachusetts day, sorry sorry), I thought I knew which one I’d like to keep if I were being totally bad. My heart, I thought, was totally with that Fire Drill quilt. But, as I spread out the Sparkle Punch quilt, I really appreciated the texture that the machine quilting created, and I found the color scheme soothing and easy to look at.
Really, I love them both. Just like I love both my momma and my mother-in-law. I hope these quilts are much-loved, too!
Edited to link up to Crazy Mom Quilts’s Finish it Up Friday. participa
little and lots 
These are both so special. I can’t believe you hand quilt so much. I don’t have the patience. Great choice on the binding for the sparkle quilt. I think I would go with the stars if you forced me to pick a favorite but it is a difficult decision!
Thank you. I like to have something to keep my hands busy while I watch TV in the evenings. Hand quilting does the trick! Knitting does too, though, and the more I knit, I bet the less I will hand quilt. I’ve warmed up to the stars, too. A good pattern.
your quilts are beautiful! the colors and prints you choose are lovely! I just recently got into quilting myself and have only done machine quilting. I look forward to learning the art of hand quilting. I am sure that your mil and you momma will love them. I know I would š
Oh, thank you! Do try hand quilting. It does take forever, but it’s one of those love-the-process things. And you can do it watching TV (ahem Downton Abbey reruns).
These are beautiful! I know what you mean about trying to make a more traditional quilt. I made one for my mother in law for Christmas, too, and I did a sampler quilt, but I couldn’t resist the pieced backing….hopefully she likes it anyway. š The sampler style (or at least the kind I did for her) is definitely not my favorite look, but it’s a gift for her, not me.
I just love your sparkle punch– actually, I love both, but as you said, I love the soothing colors of the second quilt. I’m pinning this– I love the rainbow color scheme, too!
Thank you, Tara! I’m sure your MIL will love her quilt. I agree, sometimes quilts are about their recipients and not me as a quilter. It’s all about compromise. š
I’m sure they will both be loved and cherished! Both are beautiful and I too, would have a very hard time deciding which one to pick.
Yeah, I guess it is good I didn’t plan to keep one! It is tempting to keep both, honestly. š
Oh My goodness what a pretty quilt! Is there a pattern for the rainbow quilt? I would live to try it! ~Kare
Hi Kare, it’s the Fire Drill pattern from Elizabeth Hartman’s new book, Modern Patchwork. (She does it monochrome but it’s not hard to do organized-scrappy.) I highly recommend the book. I’ve planned a couple more projects from it for the new year!
Oh! I am currently reading her book the Practical Guide to Patchwork. I absolutely love it and Modern Patchwork is on my list of must reads. Thanks for answering my question and Happy Holiday!!
Both quilts turned out beautiful–you should be very pleased as will your mom and MIL. I find my straight line quilting ends up much straighter when I stop trying to line up my guide with the previous seam/line of quilting and just eyeball it (or maybe I just brainwash myself into thinking it’s better because it’s easier..). I received the Modern Patchwork book for Christmas and your MIL’s quilt is one of the ones I am anxious to try (after I finally do the Swoon quilt I got last Christmas).
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