So, a few months ago, I embarked on a new quilting project – and what was special is that it was for Johnna (and her hubs)! I knew I wanted to make them a “bed quilt” for their wedding/Christmas present, so I began scouring books, Pinterest and sites for the perfect pattern, finally settling on a Disappearing Nine Patch, because it’s pretty masculine but still pretty (Scott is not a frou-frou person).
After working out the pattern, next up was a trip to Paducah, Kentucky (one of the quilt capitals of the USA!) to find the right fabric. I spent HOURS in Hancocks of Paducah (an amazing fabric store!) until I found just the right fabrics to match their black bedroom furniture, but also their punchy teal wall and bright pillows. I also bought “green” batting, made from recycled bottles to help out the environment, as well as a specially dyed 108″ backing fabric to finish it. Hancocks has SO much to choose from, but that’s the most fun part to me! While you can certainly find fabrics at more commercial stores, for a special quilt like this one, it’s worth investing in quality fabrics. You truly get what you pay for!
Then, it was time to get going back home in my studio! I sliced and diced, pieced and sashed, then spent a couple of days laying out the squares in JUST the right pattern to be balanced and separated. This lived on the floor of my studio for DAYS until it was right!
Next up? Piecing this sucker together! I’m used to working more with smaller size quilts (wall hangings or throws) so piecing a king-size quilt on my wee Singer sewing machine was a feat, but it came together! Patience, patience is key…and having a really good audiobook to listen to!
Finally, it was time to have a professional machine quilter finish it. I have done hand quilting before (and even a bit of “cheater quilting” on my machine), but for a quilt of this size and for this special an occasion, I wanted it professionally done. The quilter I used had a long-arm machine, and used a “meander” pattern with variegated blue, green, and yellow thread throughout, and also (at my request) finished the binding with the machine for extra durability and stability.
The quilting looked AMAZING when I got it back – I was so pleased! I was finally able to give it to Johnna and Scott, and it looks great in their bedroom against this existing textiles and furniture!
(The light in their room is really yellow – in “real life”, it’s a much more green/blue quilt!)
I love how it turned out, and I hope Johnna and Scott enjoy it for years to come!
–Marissa
**
Details for fellow quilting nerds!
From Hancock’s of Paducah, I used…
- Wilmington Prints 108″ quilt backing Cosmos ($14.99/yard) – backing
- Island Batiks by Lavish layer cakes (2 sets of Layer Cakes, $44.99/each pack) – fabric for squares
- Black Moda Bella fabric ($10.99/yard) – sashing
- Dream Green Recycled Batting ($34.99/king size) – batting
I should have logged how many hours it all took, but I didn’t! Many. Many, many. 🙂
Final quilt size was 100×100, and machine quilting with binding was $175 (but I provided the backing and batting. If your machine quilter requires you to use their stock, I’m not sure how the price inflates.)
stubbornsunshine.com 
What a beautiful quilt and gift! I am sure they will treasure it for years to come😍 You are multi talented!!!!
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Aww, thanks Kim! I loved how it turned out – but I’m not gonna lie, it was a booger to piece! 😀
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