Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Sequoia Quilt

This quilt was made especially for our girl. Today's her birthday and she had requested a new quilt for her bed. I love that the kids both appreciate handmade gifts and that they especially love their Mama's quilts. :) I told our girl that I wanted her to have some input on this and I made her scroll through my Quilting Inspiration Pinterest board. She loved everything about the Sequoia quilt so I ordered the book (that cover quilt is on my list too!)


I fretted over fabrics. The original quilt is only  56 x 70 so I enlarged my blocks to 6", but she loved the color of the original so I went in search of something similar. I stayed with a solid black and gray, but chose textured fabrics for the lagoon and white:


 This is such a simple quilt, yet the design is striking. Simple HST's...lots of them, 176 to be exact, but I love their versatility. Simple masking tape marked the rows:

                          

I marked off each one on a copy from the book in order to keep from turning anything around and it worked like a charm:

                                   

I made them over the course of a week and I took the time to sliver trim each one:

                                 

I was stumped as to what to use for a backing, but we settled on this wide gray



 and I bound it in the lagoon.

                             
                             
 A Sarah Plain and Tall marathon was on TV as I worked on the binding. The scene I captured is when Jacob falls to the ground as it finally begins to rain, bringing an end to a prolonged drought. That's exactly what it'll be like when we finally get a good rain here:

                                        

After a run through the washer, the quilt spent some time on the line, soaking up as much of the New Mexico sunshine as it could hold for our girl:

                             

See how dry we are. Not even a weed. I especially love the quilting pattern that Jackie chose:

                             

It gives the quilt great movement and an additional southwestern design element to the graphic piecing:


When it came time to photograph it, I was stumped. My usual chicken yard fence location wasn't quite tall enough:


Although the wind was blowing quite nicely and it held up that big ol' quilt without nary a clip. Honestly, I just climbed up the ladder, laid it close to the fence, and the wind just sucked it up against the fence. It finishes at 90 x 110 so it's a pretty good size. There wasn't a spot on the hay stack that worked either, but the side of the barn turned out to be perfect:


Guess it's soaking up some of the New Mexico wind to send to our girl too:

                                             

Heck, I think it was trying to get to her without being sent in a box. Air mail...or wind mail:

                                   

I love everything about this quilt from the first stitch to the last,

                         

but the thing I love the most about it is that it was made for this pretty incredible kid:


Happy Birthday, Sprout! Love, Mama and Daddy

                                             


20 comments:

  1. Beautiful! So simple but so eye catching. I might have to try this one.

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  2. The finished quilt is gorgeous! Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter.

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  3. Congratulations!! It's so gorgeous!! Love it. We are getting some rain tomorrow. I'll try to send some your way. ;^)

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  4. You are sending your girl a bit of the sunshine, wind and Southwest feel of home. It is perfect!

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  5. I am so envious that your family loves and wants your awesome quilts!! Wonderful, cherished gift for your daughter who will snuggle under it and think of her Mama's love in every stitch. Praying for rain for all of us - there are so many wild fires in our country.

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  6. Love it!!! Colors; simple design and the backing! Your daughter is going to love it!!!

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  7. Oh thats beautiful Karin!! I love the colors as well as the design. Great job!!

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  8. Beautiful quilt. Love the design and colors. Happy Birthday to a special girl. No better gift than made by mom.

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  9. While admiring the quilt and fabric choices I also note that when viewing your television screen, to your left,your furniture is gleaming with shine!! You are one busy lady.

    I live in North Texas and cannot wait on a good rain shower that will bring some life back to the pastures; they are all crispy dry and scarily represent available torching - the cows are hungry!

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  10. WOW!! that is a stunning quilt!! and Sprout - oh so cute she is! I know she will love having the quilt from her Mama!!

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  11. Your quilt is a beauty, and I know it’s going to a remarkable young lady. Best wishes!

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  12. That is just beautiful! I was wondering where you were and now I know!! Of course she will love it! Such a wonderful relationship you have with her.

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  13. What a striking design...love the colors you chose and I know your daughter will cherish it... happy birthday to her and many many many more!

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  14. It's great! I love it. I know she will cherish it. (We're in dire need of rain here, too.)

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  15. It is a wonderful, and lovely quilt! I’m so happy for you and your daughter! My daughter wants aqua and white. I liked those movies of Sarah Plain ans Tall. . We don’t get any tv stations where we are right now, in the National forest, but there is smoke from fires. Thank you for the inspiration. No need to respond dear one. We only have a signal if we come 5 miles up a logging road.

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  16. I love your design choice jackie!!
    mom you made it beautifully!

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  17. Hi! Can you tell me how you enlarged your squares? I’m wanting to make one larger than the written pattern as well. I’ve already bought the book. Yours is simply beautiful!!!

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    1. I would also like to know how you made it bigger

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  18. Did you free motion quilt this or use a long arm? I am making my grandson one and am wondering how to quilt it?

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