Winter project link party

I am so happy that Jennifer has once more started her Winter Project Link Party. I love to see what everyone is making and I love to share my own makings, too. I have added the link button to my sidebar so you can easily find your way to the Winter Project Link Party whenever you like.

My big winter project is a quilt. I have been working on it for a few weeks now, an hour here and there. It is a manly kind of quilt, not a flower or swirl in sight. All patterns are geometric. The colours are soft and comfortable with a few splashes of brightness. I really love it. I am making this quilt is for Sam.

I want to make a quilt for each of my children, as they prepare to fly the nest and start their own adventures. Sam is almost 16 and is very definitely nearing the crossroads. Already, he is his own man. He is independent and has a very clear idea of what his life should look like, now and in the future. Sam is a nice young man. Don't get me wrong, he is of course a teenager and like all teenagers he can be a bit of a pain in the but. But on the whole, he is easy going. When we argue, it is usually because he winds me up and I naively fall for it, or if every single mug in the house is in his man cave.

I have not collected any old items of clothing or baby blankets to make a memory quilt with and Sam didn't fancy my stash fabric. There was no way Sam would be seen in a fabric shop with me. It is not manly enough a pursuit of time for him to take seriously. I'll tell you a secret though: at a push, he is able to sew a zip. I think he'll make good partner material.

To help Sam choose fabric I created a favourites folder on Etsy for him. I enjoyed adding fabrics bundles I thought he might like. He dismissed most of my choices as ridiculous but he really liked  Anna Maria Horner's Loominous collection. These fabrics not only differ in colour and pattern but are also produced using different weaving methods. I think this will give the quilt an additional dimension of gorgeousness. I am a big fan of Anna Maria Horner, she is such a visionary fabric designer.

Sam originally wanted simple squares but I suggested half square triangles. He wasn't bothered one way or other and I went with the triangles, starting with six inch squares. Making those half square triangles was immensely enjoyable. I trimmed each of the 150 squares carefully to the correct size to make quilt assembly easy. Late on Thursday -a stormy night- I laid them out on my bed in the order I want to sew them together. I thought of making an elaborate pattern using colour value but a more slapdash and quick approach works better for me, I find it more relaxing. There is a bit of a pattern, can you see it? It is not perfect throughout but I do like the randomness of the layout. The photos were taken using a flash, the lighting in my bedroom is awful. In reality, the colours are more gentle. I took care to make row by row bundles with a row number pinned on each. I pinned the little note in the top left corner for orientation. I am looking forward to sewing them together.

I have some fabric left that I will use for the backing. I am thinking of a stripes down the middle, maybe on a grey flannel background. I hope to have enough for the binding, too. This quilt will keep me busy all winter. I really look forward to the quilting, which I plan to do by hand. I like making rows and rows of small neat stitches, so relaxing. There is no rush.

What are you working on? I get so much inspiration from everybody's crafts and I really look forward to popping over to yours and see what you have been making. Have a fantastic weekend. xx