Friday, February 5, 2010

How they win your heart...










So the first real quilt was for our granddaughter (the second grandchild) Aimee. I really pondered this one, since I had worked on another with a lot of machine embroidery with bright primary colors...and then discovered my daughter-in-law didn't like primaries for babies' rooms. Sigh...She said that I could do whatever I wanted, but I wanted this to be used and loved.

So when I found Patched Stars by Kaye England, it definitely looked like this had real possibilities. The colors were all wrong, but pastels would probably be perfect.

So I began buying fat quarters. Some I didn't even care for, but I needed a lot... And if you haven't guessed by now, those are one inch squares! Pretty foolish for a first, you say?


We took the pics on a somewhat cloudy day and the colors don't look as vibrant on the full view, but I was truly pleased with this one. And Aimee can use it for years--it even makes for a nice lap quilt as she gets older.

Her mother even asked if I would do a valance for her room (some 100 plus inches long), so I knew she really liked it too.

I even managed to play with my software program and digitized matching stars for the borders, so I was able to use the embroidery machine after all.

This was for her very first birthday and the best part: when Aimee opened the package, she knew exactly what it was for...she crawled onto it and laid down. They don't have to do much to win your heart! And all that piecing is worth it...

8 comments:

  1. This is beautiful with all the little squares. So many colors and patterns. I love it!

    Marsha

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  2. I love it! Quite a beautiful first! ---"Love"

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  3. Yeah, grands really suck you in, don't they? The quilts I made for my grands are twin-sized 'cause I wanted them to be able to use them for many years. I get so tickled when I see them on their beds. Love your quilt!

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  4. I love it too! I like how there are different stars along the top. As for the little pieces - there are MANY quilts I would have NEVER made if I had stopped to calculate the number of pieces or level of difficuly involved before I started. I swear I'll never do it again every time I get into one like that, but that resolution never lasts long...short memory!

    And it is fantastic when the recipient loves the quilt. You may remember my story of a wedding quilt where the groom hugged it to himself like a long-lost teddy bear and made everyone at the reception look at it! It makes all those little pieces worth while.

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  5. I love this! Those small patches were worth it. So glad your granddaughter appreciated it right away. I'm sure it will be treasured for a long time. -Joanne

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  6. What a marvellous story for your quilt and it's such a lovely one too. That is a veratile pattern and would look good in all sorts of different fabric colour combinations. Ann :-)

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  7. Your stars look great, I love the tiny pieces in the center. Even better than the quilt is the story that goes with it. That one really does melt your heart!
    Thanks forsharing.
    Beth

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