Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A quilt for "Maui"

My sister and brother-in-law went through a bit of trouble before then had my niece. Not as bad as some, not as easy as most. And when my sister got pregnant, the specialist informed her the family trip to Hawaii was a no-go. Somehow, the wee one in her belly became "Maui" for casual reference.

So, this is Maui's Hawaii-themed quilt. She'll be 10 this fall, and it's a little small for the tall girlie she is becoming. 

The quilt is foundation-pieced on muslin blocks using the technique from Barbara Randle's "Crazy Quilting with Attitude" -- if not her colors! Most of the fabric was purchased at quiltfabric.com in two of the store's earlier locations.


Love this vintage-look Hawaiian-themed fabric on the back. I think it was a thrift-store find. My sister and bro-in-law love antiques and mid-century modern, so I thought the old postcards reproduced on the back would be perfect for their taste.



I borrowed a fancy-stitch disk from my mom's 1960s Singer and to use in my 1960s machine for the decorative stitches in the sashing. Maybe the ties were overkill, but I figured a baby would love to touch them, and I didn't want the quilt to fall apart! 


The rest of these stunning photos are quadrants of the blocks, so I have the images captured for posterity. I did a weird mix of 1930s ('40s?) repro prints, batiks and odds 'n' ends from my stash. I think it works?





You can see in the picture above that the backing fabric was folded over to become the border. That's what I discovered my maternal grandmother did with her quilts, along with tying them. The batting was an old flannel sheet. My aunt or mom said that's what their mom used. I liked that the new kiddo would have a quilt constructed like her great-grandma used to make them.