Friday, October 26, 2012

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.

Amy's Creative Side

18 comments:

  1. Such a lovely quilt! The colours and the hand-stitching are gorgeous :)

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  2. This is such a great idea! I might have to make a Michigan one!

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  3. Lovely!!! So glad you entered one :) The hand quilting is the perfect touch!

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  4. I love the hand stitching on this pretty little quilt! It adds such a great effect.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading your post Kristan - as a SAHM, I totally understand! That is a wonderful quilt - I love all the colors but I especially love your choice to use the bright orange for hand stitching!

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  6. Its very nice - the red lines really make Texas pop dont they! Thanks for sharing. #263

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  7. It's lovely! The Texas addition is unique and looks fabulous!

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  8. This is such a fun mini quilt! Love your hand stitching.

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  9. Beautiful! I love the chunky hand stitching as well.

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  10. I love your mini texas quilt. the colors are lush, and the pick stitching adds a nice touch. I'm in Klein!

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  11. What a lovely little quilt. These are totally my favorite colors, too.
    I also love the hand quilting. It´s absolutely ok to use embroidery floss for a wall hanging, but I learnt the hard way that it´s better to use perle cotton thread on a quilt you want to use and wash. It´s much more sturdy. (just wanted to tell you before you had to make the same bad experience than me) ;-)

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  12. I really like the stitches round Texas. Without focusing on some creative time, I completely lose "me" to family responsibilities--I understand and think it is important to find the time!

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  13. Gorgeous mini - beautiful colours and stitching!

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  14. adorable quilt & funny bit about what emerges from your stash. When we packed up & moved here (from Houston!), for every read-as-solid fabric, I had a polka dot & completely bizarre novelty print (hot dogs dressed in b-b-q aprons grilling hot dogs, that kind of thing). My husband said that if he were just looking at the fabric stash & nothing else, he would think I was mentally ill.

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  15. I love this MINI! Especially since I am from Houston and all now! And the hand stitching makes it all sing!!!!

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