A Really Wild and Very Green Quilt!

You guys!!! I am so so so excited to reveal this next quilt to ya’ll! Not only am I excited because I am super proud of this crazy quilt, but I’m also so proud of my photos of it! We had a simply gorgeous weekend, and it occurred to me that instead of snapping photos on our front lawn, I should take it down to the waterfront which is a 5 minute walk away. I am beyond giddy at the photos I got, so be prepared for a bit of photo overload 😉

Some of you may remember that I have challenged myself to make a quilt per month in an effort to better my quilting skills and reflect, honor and grieve my Mom at the same time. I’m a little behind my desired quota, but quite a bit of traveling and the Easter holiday set me back a bit. However, I’m still determined to keep on chugging! This crazy thing is for Henry’s new big-boy room.

This quilt was a pretty big accomplishment for me for a few reasons. One, it was the first time that I actually followed a real quilt pattern: Amy Butler’s Any Way You Slice It. I’ll tell ya what, following a pattern is so much easier than making it up as you go along 😉 Second, this quilt is my first “big” quilt – it measures 90×54″. Until now, I have only done baby/lap quilts…dealing with the weight and size of this thing was a totally different undertaking! Third, I did every lick of this thing myself…which is the case with my other quilts too, but actually quilting and binding this baby took a tremendous amount of arm strength and perseverance. I kinda can’t believe I did it!

Admittedly, this quilt is super wild. Even as I was putting it together, I wasn’t sure if I would be happy with the outcome. I mean, I love color AND pattern, but this one is about as bold as it gets. Once it was all done though, I was just smitten. I mean, can a quilt be any more wild and fun than this?!?

I actually documented this quilt, to a degree, as I went. My original plan was to do it in green, black and orange, but it was crazy busy and reminded me too much of the Irish flag, so I abandoned the orange. Since I was following a pattern, I (finally!) understood the importance of trimming squares down to size and learned how to properly use some of those fancy quilting rulers – wow do they make life easier 😉 I couldn’t help but include the picture of my little guy “helping” as I pieced it together. He was as excited about his new quilt as I was!

Even when it was done, I was a little unsure about how it would work in his room. Here’s the first snapshot I took as soon as I put it on his bed. It was love at first sight!

Things have been really moving in Henry’s big-boy room makeover, but I’m not quite ready for a big reveal. Even though I have quite a bit of work to do here still, I couldn’t help but show you the quilt on his “new” bed (courtesy of my folks’ basement…of course 😉

I’ve still got a few details to pull together here, but I think it’s gonna be pretty awesome!

Oh, and can we chat about that incredible black and white check backing/binding for a minute? Truth be told, this is the fabric that inspired Henry’s entire room re-design. My Mom had yards and yards and yards of it in her craft room, and I couldn’t help but scoop it up. It is the ultimate “perfect detail” to me!

Although quilting this thing practically broke my arms (kidding, kidding), and I was ready to swear off this crazy self-imposed quilt challenge, seeing the fruits of my labor in these pictures has me antsy and ready to start the next one! I’ve done two different half-square-triangle patterns (which I totally love the versatility in one simple technique), but I think it’s time to try my hand at something new. I’m thinking this one is next!

I’m knee deep it what feels like a million different projects, so not sure what will be up here for you next. Until then, I hope you all have a great start to your week!