Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Purple, Black and Horses?

      When I asked a mom to tell me what her daughter liked so I could make her a comfort quilt, she said, "Purple, Black, and Horses." Yikes, I did not have any of those fabrics. I am sure Alycia would know what to do about the horses, but I started browsing fabrics. I have been supporting Quilted Twins because of their dedication to helping Ukranian refugees, both with quilts from the US and supplies from Becky in Poland. So, I started with them and found a line of fabric by Ann Lauer called Horsin' Around. I admit that I am not a big fan of that style fabric, but this quilt is for a young girl that is. I ordered three whites and three blacks, two panels- one black, one white, and purple and blue background fabric all from the same line. I hardly ever do that, but I thought it was necessary for this project.
    The pattern that I used, Crown and Anchor, was one that I had made some sample blocks using indigos. I thought it would work well. Instead of the recommended fat quarters for the quilt, I tried to use the panel horses for the center columns and the different yardages for the two outer columns. I even drew up a nice graph paper map. I numbered the fabrics and tried to proceed in an orderly fashion.


     Maybe it was the roofing job going on, maybe it was the infected dry socket from a tooth extraction, but there was mental confusion, and I had the hardest time cutting the pieces to go in the right places. Eventually, I just cut out all the pieces for one block before I cut for another and put them on the wall.  Complicating matters was there was not enough purple available for all the background, so I had to use the blue and cut very carefully. For whatever reason, this was one tough quilt to put together. It measures 64 x 81 before binding.




With a small border so the points won't end up in the binding

    So, finally all sewn together. I luckily found, on sale for $3 a yard locally, the small tossed horse print for the backing. I can't believe how hard this was for me to get all in place. I am satisfied with it, but I don't love it. I am not making this pattern again. Yes, I know, I discovered a big smudge on the camera lens when downloading all the photos which is why there is a blur in all the photos in the lower right.

9 comments:

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

WOW! That sure is pretty! I'm sure it will be loved - ;))

Gene Black said...

I can't tell you how much I love this. I would prefer stronger colors, but I adore the setting and layout you used for it. I hope you don't mind if I "borrow" that partial star idea at some time in the future.
I am sure that she will love this.

O'Quilts said...

very nice...lovely, in fact. xo

Quiltdivajulie said...

Even without an infection from a tooth removal and roofers overhead, this one makes my eyes dizzy just thinking about how to put it all together. Congratulations for getting it done!

Anonymous said...

Like composing a sonnet, working within limitations is a true test of creativity. Congratulations!

ceci

Vicki W said...

I've made quilts like that that I didn't like at all but I knew the recipient would love...and the did. This will probably be one of the most loved quilts you've ever made!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That totally fit the bill!!! What a great quilt!! she will LOVE it!

Mystic Quilter said...

I think you did a darn good job hunting down fabric, dealing with that particular pattern whilst coping with an infected tooth socket, no wonder there was mental confusion!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

That doesn't look like a simple pattern, but pretty difficult, since everything has to go the proper direction. It turned out nice, despite the difficulty.