Woven with Love--A 2010 Book Club quilt

Quilt Label

 "Woven with Love" is a quilt that I was inspired to finish in 2010 after reading the historical novel "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." The book is about how residents coped with the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. Author Annie Barrows lets us glimpse life though reading letters the residents wrote.

There are a number of characters in the novel and their story lines are interwoven. The interwoven theme was my inspiration. I decided to make a woven quilt. Imagine my delight when I tuned into an episode of "Fons and Porters Love of Quilting" show to see Marianne and Liz stitching a top with a woven quilt pattern! I looked for the pattern in their magazine; but, I wasn't able to purchase it. 

Fortunately, a member from The Quilt Show had a copy of the magazine and generously gave me the magazine. I had drafted the pieces. I was pleased to learn that had I not had the pattern, I would have been able to make it anyway!

I purchased the outer border fabric as well as the larger circle print. The circle print went on the back. The remaining fabrics came from my stash. I had the corn cob print fabric for many years and didn't find a use for it. This was the perfect project to use it since in the book, food became so scarce.

Close up view of quilting

Making the top went well and having the actual directions was great! Yes, it involved partial seams to make the blocks. When it was time to quilt the project, I thought about the friendship circles that were made. I decided to quilt circles across the quilt. Then I thought about how to draw circles. Once day, while I was emptying the dishwasher, I decided my plates, cup and saucer would make great templates! The large circle is the dinner plate, the medium circle is the luncheon plate.

I used a chalk pencil to draw the shape and eyeballed placement. I quilted with a variegated polyester thread using my walking foot.

When I had finished, I thought that it would make a wonderful gift for a baby. On the label, I included care information as well as leaving some space to insert the baby's name and birth information. I'm still waiting to gift the quilt; but, in the meantime, I get to enjoy it!

Back of quilt

For the backing, I pieced it using leftovers from the front. With this project, I started making a pillow case out of similar fabrics to store the quilt with the project. The pillow case also makes great gift wrap! For storing quilts, the pillow case makes it easy for me to pull the quilt that I want to display.

I wanted to bind the quilt with the teal green fabric; but, I didn't have enough. I remember realizing that I had exactly half of what I needed. At a small quilt group gathering, one of the members shared a binding technique that was one fabric on the front and another on the back.

I took notes on how to make the binding and that was how this quilt came into existence! In every quilt that I have made, I've tried something that was new to me. Sometimes there have been several new to me tries! 

I'm thankful for being part of the quilting book club group because I've stretched myself in ways I could not have imagined. I've learned techniques that I would not have attempted.

Finished quilt

I've become more confident with trying different techniques. I've also become better at figuring out what to do with the tries that failed. I've read books that I wouldn't have read on my own. I've participated in wonderful discussions about writers, plots and twists!

I'm posting this project now because I stitched it before I had started this blog. One of my goals this year is to document my book club quilts.

I'm also linking with Rebecca and longarm quilting today. I'm not a longarmer; but, Rebecca has encouraged domestic machine quilters to join her link. I'm learning a lot of tips from those that participate in the link up each week!