I had an idea for a quilt before I made the first puppy quilt, but it was very nebulous. I had always liked the Southern Belles embroidery designs. My idea was to compose (like that word!) a quilt with the Belles embroidered in pink. I actually gathered quite a few. But the Belles demanded colors - there was just too much detail to do them all in pink.
Joanne's Fabrics carries a line of embroidery transfer patterns called Aunt Martha's. A lot of these patterns are day-of-the-week designs and she didn't let me down. I found the perfect transfers for the quilt - Old-fashioned Southern Belles in just the perfect size. I did them up all in pink!
I had planned on using the Irish Chain blocks like in the red and white quilts, but the little ladies had other ideas. They wanted pink and white crazy quilt blocks! Put on my thinking cap and came up with a method using ribbon and lace to make the blocks look like crazy quilts. It worked!
The border was an accident. The original idea was a ribbon border, but a little finagling and a touch of serendipity and I ended up with something completely different (I almost ran out of fabric, too.) But that worked, too. Here is how it started:
Here is how it ended up:
So here is the Pink Ladies quilt!
And here is the sweet little girl I made it for. Her name is Gabrielle (Gabby for short). She is the daughter of my dear friend, former coworker and adopted son, Luis Torres.
And here is the pillow sham:
Luis was and is the best friend of my two sons, Luke and Joe. He and my sons grew up together all through elementary school and into high school. Somethimes I wasn't sure just how many sons I had, LOL! Which then brings me to the quilt I made when Luis got married. But that's a story for another time!
Liri
The crazy quilt alternate blocks are perfect and that little gal who received it looks pleased as can be! All the twists and turns this quilt took you through were well worth it - the quilt is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLiri, that is one of the most beautiful quilts I've seen in a long, long time! Your handwork is gorgeous! What a neat border too! What a lucky little girl she is! I remember the story of Luis' quilt. I still remember seeing the big quilt hanging on a clothesline outside, and thinking how nice of you to give Luis and his wife such a special gift! You are a wonderful friend! ---"Love"
ReplyDeleteYour little pink ladies are very sweet. That was a great idea and it turned out beautifully. Gabby seems to really love it, too. The pillow sham completes the whole picture. Great job!
ReplyDeleteMarsha
Beautiful!! I love the ladies and your little lady looks like she loves it too :) Christine
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous! The border reminds me of garden lattice, and how appropriate, as the pink belles look like they are strolling through the garden.
ReplyDelete-Alice
So cute. I love things for little girls...I have only boys!
ReplyDeleteYoue ladies are just perfect. Your crazy blocks and lattice border make your quilt not only beautiful, but so unique. Great job. Gabby certainly look happy under it in her big girl bed. Look forward to the wedding quilt story.
ReplyDeleteBeth
Adorable! I really like that border. Funny how quilts tell you what they want. The crazy blocks have worked so well. Gabby looks pretty snuggly under her beautiful quilt. Ann :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blogsite;) Forced creativity is fun...most of the time;)
ReplyDeleteI love the work you did on this. The time spent on it shows;)
Happy Quilting!!
I am enamored with your embroidered blocks!! I have always wanted to try my hand at these. The crazy quilt design with the embellishments are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog; TheQuiltersKitchen.blogspot.com today and for the kind comments. I'm thinking of buying Kailey a little mini sewing machine to get started with while her interest is still so strong. Nothing is better than to see her excitement over her work and see her early sparks of creativity come alive. so precious!
Kate
Those southern belles are so whimsical, really cute.
ReplyDelete