I met Amanda Herring 3 years ago at Park City. I then had the privilege of having supper with her and visiting her amazing office. She is generous, thoughtful and fun person to be with. When she contacted me about being a contributor to her Friendship Quilt Along, I was thrilled. This quilt is so thoughtful. Every week there is a new quality of friendship featured. As I am making the blocks I have had the opportunity to reflect on my own qualities and have reviewed aspects where I shine and other aspects where I could do a little better at.
I love the fabric line Hello Lovely used in this quilt along. I decided that I wanted to go fairly neutral and play with Riley Blake’s linens. I am not disappointed! Piecing with linen is wonderful. I am excited to experience what it will be like to free motion quilt!!
Here is my dependable block with the linen. The clean lines are so attractive. However, I couldn’t stop there. I was so pleased at how fast the block came together that I started thinking about Amanda’s fabric line Into the Garden… one thing led to another and in a flash i had this lovely quilt.
Chain piecing this together went so fast. I added a 3.5 inch sashing. The light pink thread added a nice pop of colour.
As a lover of free motion quilting I am always playing around with ideas for how to quilt it.
Things to consider when deciding on a free motion quilting design:
1. What is the purpose of the quilt? Will this be hanging on a wall or dragged around by a toddler?
2 .What is your budget? Whether you are paying a long armer or quilting it yourself, your time is valuable.
3. What is your timeline? It is better to have a finished quilt than an unfinished one folded in a pile.
Well I must confess the irony of me committing to Amanda several months ago that I would make a dependable block and me finishing the quilt at 1:30 in the morning was not lost on me. In all fairness I had my original block completed days ago, but the stroke of genius to make the baby blanket struck me and I could not let it go.
The sweetness of this quilt was totally worth it!! I supposed I can say I am dependable to make something adorable with her fantastic block. I also am dependable to do something wonderful with this quilt. I will be donating it to a wonderful cause. (to be determined…any suggestions?
This quilt along is so inspiring. What a wonderful use of my time and effort. I am being enriched as I go. Thanks Amanda, friend.
