I finally finished my first quilt from Carolyn Friedlander’s great book, Savor Each Stitch. This one is technically called “Facing East,” but my yard faces West, so we’ll go with Facing West. This one is a present for my parents on their fortieth wedding anniversary. I’m so proud of them for still having a strong marriage after so many years!
I loved making this quilt, and I’m delighted with the finished product. It was fun and challenging, but not too challenging. It was my first attempt at paper-piecing and my first real attempt at hand applique, and I enjoyed both.
Fabric
I used quite a variety of neutral fabrics for this quilt.
Various neutrals from Architextures, Botanics and Doe by Carolyn Friedlander
Net in Beige by Dear Stella House designer (love this one)
Art Gallery Fabrics, Prisma Elements, Prisma Element Metallic in Pearl and Gold
Makower UK, Sherwood, Outline in Sage (love this one, too)
AGF Studio, Maker, Make Drafts in Paper
Robert Kaufman House Designer, Essex Linen Cotton Solids, Essex in Linen
Other neutral fabrics
For the back of the quilt, I used Crosshatch in Grey by Carolyn Friedlander
Batting
I find this batting to be a nice balance between having enough volume for definition in the quilting, but being low volume enough to quilt without going crazy. It has nice drape as well. The one thing I don’t like about it is that it’s not made of natural materials. It’s a blend of bamboo, silk, Tencel and cotton.
Thread
Piecing, quilting, binding and hand applique: Aurifil Mako 50 in White 2024
Binding
I did my usual double fold binding stitched to the back. I used Breeze in White from Doe by Carolyn Friedlander.
Quilting
I used the Lilypad pattern from step-by-step Free-Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli. I always wonder how I can get better at free-motion quilting given that it takes me a month or two to make a quilt, so I rarely get to practice. However, I do think I’m getting a little bit better every time I give it a go. As usual, it was a tense, white-knuckle process, but I’m really quite pleased with the result. There were inevitable errors – some minor puckering, unevenness in stiching and so on, but I honestly don’t think it’s noticeable to the non-quilting population.
Sewing Machine
I’m continuing to love my Brother PQ1500s. Having the extra wide shoulder makes all the difference in the world when it comes to quilting, and unlike my old machine, it has no trouble sewing through many layers of fabric, like at the corners of the quilt when I’m attaching the binding.
