Making a patchwork quilt

Everyone seems to have a comfort blanket-teddy bear-pacifier etc etc that they remember from childhood. Mine was a patchwork quilt that my grandma made for me. I used to marvel at it and run the back of my hand against the smoothness of the material. It was light and well suited for the humid weather where I grew up. I used to tug at the fabric, just to see the patchwork squares lift away from the plainer backing fabric. I think I had it till I was about 6, and then it was tattered and the edges had started to fray. I think maybe mum threw it away. I'm really not sure. I tend to remember things by smells and colours. The base colour of the quilt was a nice jade green which had a lovely sheen to it. It was a simple quilt of squares. Each square had a border of the base jade green fabric. I don't think it had batting in it, so really it was two pieces stitched together, albeit the top (correct) side was made up of patchwork squares.

So, as an ode to my grandma, I have learnt how to make my first quilt. Its not too big, about 1metre by 0.6metre. It does have batting to suit the colder climate I now live in. The colour theme is pink (just cause) and the quilt borders are a baby blue (bias tape). It tool forever, because I didn't follow any instructions other than a few tips from the Martha Stewart (domestic goddess that she is) website. What started out as an ambitious queen sized quilt was very quickly relegated to a more modest size.

 

I took it with us on our recent road trip and it was immensely comforting. I used it to cover my lap and legs in the car (cold... brr...) and in the hotel as a pillow to hug to sleep (when I wasn't hugging my hubby).

Having now learnt how to make one, I am looking forward to making ones that fit a baby cot. I have some very nice green wool cashmere mix fabric which I think will make them all the more luxurious. More so than your average store bought ones.


xoxo