Wearing Cozy Memories

 Hi There,

This was the 3rd quilt top I started in my ‘quilting career’. 

Back in 2013 I was fascinated with the traditional ‘Snowball’ (also called ‘Fleur de Lis’) block and enthusiastically cut (with home made cardboard templates!) into the fabrics I had brought with me from my birth country. Amongst them, a table cloth that had belonged to my Granny (partly stained), a table cloth, my Mum had given me for my first flat, curtains, one of my sisters had passed on to me, curtains from the last flat I had back in Germany and some left over fabric, I had bought for soft furnishings in said flat. As most of the fabric amounts were very limited, I spent a long time, arranging the pieces for a pleasing layout. 

Starting the piecing by machine, I realised I couldn’t get the pieces to match as they should, so I pivoted to piecing the blocks all by hand. Needless to say, this took some time (between other quilting projects, of course!). The top was finished in 2016, well – nearly finished. I had intended to add a border, but the only matching fabric I had left enough of (the rust orange curtain), would have overwhelmed the whole thing. So, I left the top waiting for inspiration. There are so many memories in the fabrics, I just didn’t want to mess it up.

Occasionally, I would think about what to do with it, but never came to a satisfying answer. As it was, it would have been too small for a useable quilt. But then, last year, I really, really wanted to make myself a quilt coat, but didn’t fancy, that I’d basically have to make a whole quilt for this first. Then, the unfinished quilt top nearly jumped at me from its decorative hanging place – Bingo!

All the quilt coat patterns I had looked at (and some tried), are very ‘boxy’ and do not look well on me. So, I copied the pattern of one of my winter coats and only adjusted that slightly to simplify the construction. 

The top was big enough for nearly all outside pieces, I only had to add some fabric on the sleeves and for the collar. For the quilting, I practiced my ruler quilting with a block based petal shape design. The coat actually turned out as I wanted it to be. Now I am so glad, I did not finish that ol’ quilt top before, because I love snuggling up in my wearable memories!

So, if you have any WIPs lying around for longer than you’d like, do not castigate yourself – the right idea will come around eventually.

Take care,

Rita