Monday, February 16, 2009

darcy's quilt


Last summer my friend Darcy and I started working on a quilt for her. She sorted through my scrap bins and then we added a healthy dose of white fabric, which is always a winning combination in my mind. We made up the pattern as we went along. I'm not sure this is the best method to teach for a first quilt, but we are both thrilled with the results.

We were aiming for a largish lap size and the quilt ended up being large enough to fit a twin size bed. Perfect! I love that it can be used as either a bed quilt or a throw.

But even better than that, I LOVE that we made it two sided.

When we were piecing the back, the one requirement was to piece something completely from my stash. This is what we came up with. This color combination is one of my current favorites.

Here's a the detail of the back....

I'm so pleased with the one little red square. :)

I basted it, quilted it and added the scrappy binding.

Darcy is now 9 months pregnant with her first baby. She has been put on bed rest, so yesterday I delivered the quilt to her. It was fun to surprise her with her finished and oh-so-cheery quilt.

87 comments:

MichelleB said...

Another wonderful quilt! I just love the back. Congrats to Darcy on first baby.

Puppenkisterl said...

It is wonderful - and I'm sure your friends stay-in-bed-time will be easier to handle for her with this quilt laying beside her. Best wishes!

Yours, Karin!

Anina said...

I love the two-sidedness of it! Two quilts in one!

Kerri said...

so delightful!! love the back and the scrappy binding.

Jodi Nelson said...

The quilt is beautiful and i LOVE the back. That red square just totally makes it.

Valerie said...

Gorgeous! I can't decide which side I love more!

Qubie said...

What a great looking quilt. This quilt sure would brighten my stay in bed.

nettie said...

wow! this is just beautiful. I can't decide if i like the back or the front better, both are lovely. i bet darcy was thrilled!

Regi said...

Oh I love this quilt... both sides are awesome and i love the scrappy binding!

Good luck to Darcy with her bed rest, sending my best wishes to her and her wee one.

Stephanie D said...

What a perfect thing to make that bedrest just a little easier to bear! I'll be her blood pressure is nice and mellow with all that love surrounding her.

rachel griffith said...

it's SUPER cute!!!
:D

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful quilt - I especially love the back - what are the (large pieces of) blue & green fabrics?
Chris x

Marge said...

I love the scrappy binding! And I love that you use your scraps to make such beautiful quilts. I can never figure out what to do with the scraps. I am reading you every day now, and will soon have a bunch of ideas for my growing scrap piles.

Two Dogs and a Quilt said...

It is cheery! I love that dotted binding.

V and Co. said...

love this quilt so much and i love the one you have just like it hanging on your wall in your living room...maybe a quilt i try soon!!!

V and Co. said...

love this quilt so much and i love the one you have just like it hanging on your wall in your living room...maybe a quilt i try soon!!!

Thimbleanna said...

You're an awesome friend Amandajean! Love that quilt!!

Oiyi said...

Wow, I love both sides!

Anonymous said...

I agree! The little red square is the winner!

Needled Mom said...

I am sure that Darcy was most pleased with the way it turned out. It is perfect for her bedrest too. I love both sides of it.

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

You are very clever and very talented! Double sided. I can't STAND it! And a great friend to boot.

Unknown said...

This is a great quilt! How sweet for her to have such a nice friend like you - you finish it and bring it to her just when she needs it most :) I pray she and baby are safe.

Anonymous said...

GREAT!!! Wig.

linda said...

Beautiful Amandajean, the back is a quilt of it's own. Darcy got two for one. Great job!

Barb said...

Oh, I LOVE this quilt! And the back is as beautiful as the front. Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous works of art!

Susan said...

The red square adds just the right amount of interest.

KateKwiltz said...

oh my. it's beautiful! love the colors, love the binding, love the back! it's perfect!

Pamela said...

i love that quilt back is just as great as the front. a perfect gift for someone on bed rest. what a wonderful friend you are! pamela www.frenchknots.blogspot.com

Aimee said...

Love it! Both sides are equally gorgeous.

Cheryl Arkison said...

Having been on bed rest before I can say that this would be a wonderful treat. And chocolate chip cookies... Beautiful.

Sallie Gayle said...

I love it. I REALLY love the back. How creative!!!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Pretty and I LOVE the back. Now she can snuggle in her new quilt until the baby arrives.

Scrappy quilter said...

The quilt is beautiful. I love how you did the back. I'm going to start something like that for the back of my quilts. I can see is uses up scraps and that's great. I'm sure your friend is going to be thrilled with this quilt. Hope everything goes well with her pregnancy too.

GranthamLynn said...

Oh I love it. As always just beautiful and what a fun present. I pray that she has a safe delivery. I just love all your quilts. Thanks for sharing them.
Smiles,
Sherry

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

WONDERFUL! I love to see all the scraps being used up! both sides look great!

Lisa said...

I love both sides of the quilt. best wishes to Darcy too!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Love the quilt and it would definitely make it easier staying in bed with something so beautiful to cover up with.

Anne-Mettes Oaser said...

Such a beautiful quilt made with love and lots of great times added to the quilt. I am sure Darcy will love the quilt and send my best wishes to her as well as to you.

Anonymous said...

It's gorgeous! I love both sides!

Philigry said...

beautiful!
i love the wuilt,a nd all of your squares...especially the textured one.

Sara said...

I love what you do with the backs of quilts...

Very cool looking quilt!!!

Sarah said...

LOVE this quilt! And the back is so great - such a fun way to make a quilt. A very special treat for someone possibly going stir-crazy on bed rest. :)

Cristin said...

LOVE this! Very nice! Your quilts are so inpsiring!

Rachel said...

That's a beautiful quilt, I love both sides of it.
:)

Murdoc said...

I love it ! Another beautiful quilt! I wish you write a book with tons of photos of your quilts!!

Clair said...

Nice. Maybe I should be saving some of my scraps to make something like that.

Shawn said...

I love it ~ front and back!

Amy Jo said...

That turned out so beautiful. I'm sure she loved it - who wouldn't??!

Renee said...

What a wonderful, cheerful and beautiful first quilt!
Congrats to Darcy!!

Heather said...

It looks like books beckoning me to read them on the front and happy bookplates on the back.
Love it! Congrats to Darcy and the newbie to come.

katybee said...

I love this quilt. I loved it when you gave us a glimpse of it when you were quilting it. And it's even better now that I can the whole thing. It looks so very happy. Are all the rectangles perfectly straight or are some cut on an angle or does it just seem that way because of how it is hanging?

Di~ said...

Very Very Nice, I can see her now, snuggled under that wonderful quilt!

Liz said...

Beautiful - and how special that you made it together. When I was pregnant with my son I was put on "limited mobility" for a while. I bet she sure appreciated your time.

Karen said...

Wonderful quilt! What a nice surprise for Darcy.

Shari said...

I love Darcy's quilt. So bright and fresh and charming. Hope Darcy and the baby are ok!

Best Wishes

Anonymous said...

This is a really neat quilt! Hope Darcy and her baby enjoy it! :)

Vicki W said...

It's terrific - both sides!

Amanda Jean said...

chris,

i got the blue and the green solids at a mill end textiles store in Fargo, ND.

aj

Amanda Jean said...

kate,

the rectangles are not all straight. some have plenty of curve in them. most (if not all) were cut with a scissors, not a rotary cutter.

aj

Katie K said...

About the non-rectangular pieces. Do you ever have people look at your (gorgeous, stylish, awesome) quilts & think that they presume you made mistakes instead of purposely making it uneven?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!! Well done! you've both done an awesome job! What a great size too!! Love the colours and the fact that it's reversable!

our shabby cottage said...

I love this style of quilt - the colours and the white together are amazing. She would have been thrilled!

Samantha said...

Oooh, I love both sides of the quilt. I almost think the back is my favorite!

Unknown said...

A terrific two sided quilt! A wonderful gift for a friend

kellieanne said...

I am becoming addicted to your blog. Your taste and style is right up my alley. I really like this quilt and am looking forward to other completed projects. I might just live vicariously through you for a while!

Sherry said...

I love that scrappy quilt! The back is just as cute as the front. You two did a wonderful job & how great of you to get it finished & off to her. I love a scrappy binding too. Best wishes to Darcy & her new bundle of joy. :)

Katherine said...

Stunning first quilt! I love it. How exciting that Darcy will have this for her first baby. Congrats on such a beautiful quilt.

Bethany said...

Beautiful Quilt

Louise said...

I wish I had the time to make one of those - it's just so pretty and fresh! I hope she enjoys resting under it.

Anonymous said...

Looks great! I'm so happy she loved it! Well at least I'm assuming she did! Hopefully she will have her baby this Friday!! We could only hope for her sake! The quilt looks great. As always I think I should try to copy it somehow!:):) I'm such a copycat!:) Heather

Linda said...

I LOVE this quilt! Love how the colors play against the white! I wish I had more time in the day to play with fabric!

lera said...

Oh, I love this one!

Mama Urchin said...

I love those log cabins on the back

Anonymous said...

Amanda,
You are one talented girl! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this quilt and I love the eclectic feel of it. I would have the back side as the front - that is my favorite. Looks like something that would be designed specially for Pottery Barn. Love that you are using scraps.

Shanna said...

What a wonderful quilt!! Perfect for cheering anyone up :o) The back is fantastic too. I love the way you piece the quilt backs. Makes them much more appealing!

Anonymous said...

I love this quilt. I love the back just as much as the front!

Melin said...

What a lovely blog! Ypur'e quilts are incredible. Very inspiring.

Jenny said...

Amanda - you have so many GREAT quilts and ideas for quilts. I have so little time. Thank you so much for showing us yet another beautiful quilt. I have a friend that needs a quilt and this will fit the bill...

3Ms +1N said...

That is beautiful! I have been following your blog for a while now-yup.. one of what I've heard called 'lurkers' ;) I love your stuff. Your quilts are gorgeous and your use of time is inspiring!
Thanks for sharing all your fun stuff!

Unknown said...

you rock!!!!
i am always amazed at how many wonderful ideas you come up with.
you inspire me.

Chara Michele said...

Such a beautiful quilt! I love that the back is like another quilt!

Judy said...

Wow 81 comments! I hate making backs and maybe I need to get more creative with those scraps and do something more fun so I hate them less...hum off to make a nice backing!

Rebekah said...

It's so pretty! I really love how you put the back together too!

pratima said...

This quilt is so gorgeous! I love everything about it, the top, the binding and the back too :)

Anna said...

Last night my eyes catched the word "Darcy" on another blog and "swoop" I found me here :)

Its so gorgeous! So dropd-dead gorgeous that I've stolen the idea...for a small table-runner.

I started sewing this morning and just finished it.

Thank you, and I hope you don't mind...filching the idea an puting a link to your blog on mine (and reading my english)

Ronna said...

What a beautiful quilt. As usual, I find many thing to do on your site. You have inspired me to take control of my sewing room and get busy quilting. Thank You so much. ~Ronna

sulu-design said...

I hope Darcy is doing well on bed rests... she's one lucky gal to have this quilt. I love that little red square, too.