a tale of two crazy quilts

My friend Jo of Three Stories High and I have been quilting alongside each other, in different parts of the country but together still. We both made variations of the good old log cabin quilt. Both are a little crazy. Because that's us, a little bit bonkers but oh so loveable.

Today we are sharing our quilts. Here is a teaser of Jo's quilt. Isn't it gorgeous? If you promise not to tell James (for whom I made my crazy quilt), I'll tell you a secret. Promise? Ok then. If I was lucky enough to be an owner of only one of the two quilts, I would choose Jo's. I love the colours and the generous proportions of the the log cabin blocks. Most of all I really like how Jo managed to make her blocks just a little irregular. It is not something I am good at, freestyle. My brain craves pointy corners and crisp parallel lines. My heart secretly pines for wonky lines but it is not making itself heard. 

Here is my own crazy quilt. I made it for James, with fabric exclusively chosen by James. I was tempted to swap some of his choices to take the edge of the craziness. I asked you all for advice and you said I shouldn' t and I didn't. 

All the fabrics of the quilt top are from my stash. James also chose the pattern. He is not a quilt block connoisseur of course, I showed him some options from which he could choose. I must admit, I am not a big fan of the log cabin block. I love the look of it but not so much the sewing. I decided to make a large centre to get further quicker. I might not show this type of block to Alistair, who is on the list next.... I really hope he wants something with circles.

James wanted an orange back, which we bought at Ikea. Cotton sheets are good for that, and cheap, too. Unfortunately they now only sell fitted sheets. I can see why, I myself wouldn't use flat sheets on my beds. For the quilter, this is a bit of a nuisance because once the elastic is cut off and the corner seams open, there are four corners missing and it might be best to buy a sheet a size up from your usual choice. The colour range is all pastels at the moment but we found one last orange sheet on the sale shelf.

I used a 80/20 cotton/polyester wadding because I know this washes well. Little boys manage to get everything grubby very quickly. I hand quilted the quilt. The needle faces slightly more resistance with this batting than luxurious silky/bamboo one I chose for my own quilt. When I noticed this, I briefly considered machine quilting to prevent wrist fatigue. I used thick grey cotton thread to stitch across the log cabin blocks. The stitches are generous and not particularly regular because I didn't draw lines to follow (practicing wonky lines). I didn't give James a choice for the binding because I had made some with the remnants of Sam's quilt backing. It is a darkish grey, which I think works well with the bright colours.

I haven't measured the quilt but it is a good size for James. He likes to wrap himself in blankets even when it is sweltering hot. I wasn't going to save this quilt for his birthday but he was so excited to see if finished that I thought it would be cruel to put it on a shelf for a month.

Jack likes it, too. He loves to bury himself in blankets or under cushions but this morning, he chose to sleep on top, sun warming his belly.

I have two blocks left. Don't ask, numbers aren't my strength.... I am happy to give those away so please let me know if you would like one or both. I am also going to purge my stash soon. I have fat quarters that are gorgeous but just don't make me sing. I thought maybe these could go to a new home, where they will be loved and used. Watch this space :-)

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Before you get on with chores or work or whatever, you should definitely visit Jo and see her crazy quilt. See you later! x