The Texas Mini - Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

I've shared this particular quilt a long time ago (okay like a month ago).  But I decided that it would be fun to enter it into the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side.  So here it is, my official entry - The Texas Mini.

Prior to sewing this quilt, I had been on sort of a sewing hiatus.  I had been dabbling here and there, but I wasn't really focusing on my favorite hobby.  I don't really know what it was, but I guess I had let life and responsibilities push out my "me time".  I am a relatively new mom (my son is two years old) and I stay at home with him.  I think I ended up losing a bit of myself in that.  However, I have realized that a happy momma means a happy family, and I knew I needed to let myself enjoy the things that I had let slide.  The things that partially make me who I am.  And so I turned on the light in my somewhat forgotten sewing room and started organizing.

As I was cleaning, I started to learn more about myself.  I hadn't paid much attention to the fabrics in my stash before.  I mainly would just buy fabric that I liked when I saw it.  Or a whole set of prints from a certain line.  But with each folded fat quarter here or half yard cut there, a pattern started to emerge.  There were colors that I was drawn to.  Patterns that I liked a lot.  And then inspiration struck, and I got sewing before I could try to convince myself that I "needed" to clean before moving to another project.

It became clear that I was drawn to cool colors and smaller, stash-builder type prints.  I had very few large, bold prints in my stash, and of the ones I had, they were definitely cool toned.  Aqua, chartreuse, citrusy yellow.  Turquoise, teal, powdery blue.  And then there was orange.  It didn't really fit in, but that shock of color remains one of the colors that dominates in my stash.  So I grabbed the fabrics I loved and started hacking away at them.  I ended up with 2.5" squares, which happened to be laying on a partially folded up piece of linen colored muslin.  And it hit me - I wanted to showcase these fabrics instead of lose them in a jumble.  I couldn't wait to order some proper linen, so I started sashing with the muslin that had inspired me.

I finished piecing the top that very evening.  The next morning, I added the Texas, which is appliquéd on using Wonder Under or something similar (found it in my drawer, didn't keep the packaging!).  I stitched it down and echoed a border then started hand quilting.  That took me a few days, but I had a good time with it.  As usual, I was too impatient to go pick up some proper perle cotton, so instead I used all six strands of some embroidery floss, which is what I had on hand.  Plus I love the look of chunky stitching, so I think it was a perfect choice for a "quilt of favorites".  This was actually the first time I ever hand quilted anything, and it got me hooked.  I have yet to hand quilt a large project, but I definitely plan on it.

The backing (and the Texas) is Amy Butler Love in the Sandlewood print.  Actually, the backing was reclaimed from the nursing cover I made for myself when I was pregnant with my son.  So it was a nice way to recycle a piece of me back into my favorite little quilt.  The binding is a scrappy mess and I love it.  It's busy, but I think it does well with the wide, calm borders.  I reluctantly cut up a tiny scrap of KJR for the orange to match the stitching.  It was the only little bit of that line I ever got my hands on (given to me as a scrap sample from an Etsy purchase so long ago).  I used almost every last bit of it except some super skinny strings (which found their way into the next mini I made).

So there you have it.  The story behind my Texas Mini.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  If you like, please take a look at my recent finishes and don't forget to subscribe!

Measurements: 18" x 18"

Special techniques: hand quilting, machine appliqué

Quilted by: me

Best category: mini/doll quilts, wall hanging, hand quilted

Thank you to Amy for hosting the quilt festival!  Be sure to head over there to see all the quilty goodness and leave Amy some love.