Friday, May 21, 2010

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Made with love for my youngest son

This is the quilt I chose for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It's the quilt that got my whole family tired of hearing me say "wonky log cabin."  It's the third REAL quilt I made but the first one for one of my loved ones. 

I made this quilt for my youngest son Carson to take to college with him.   He could see I was having a hard time with him leaving, and he could also see that I was really getting enthused over quilting.  One day when we were talking about college (I admit ... I may have been tearing up a little) he said that he thought an orange and purple quilt would be cool to have on his dorm room bed.

I'll never forget that he said that.

I LOVED making these squares! 

Working on this quilt gave me real purpose and was a blessed diversion after he left.  I was bound and determined to give him the coolest orange and purple quilt in the whole world.   Carson is a fun person to design a quilt for because there are so many interesting facets to his personality.  He's an awesome guitar player, a physics loving geek, a mystery science theater lover, an avid reader, a drum line member, a .... Well, I could go on and on here ....  

For the very first time I went to internet fabric shops (who knew!) and poured over the fabrics to find the perfect ones.  I even swapped for the first time when one of my new flickr friends offered to send me a fat quarter of Michael Miller guitar fabric.  I found a funky orange martian print,  some kooky birds, bright purple rings and yards and yards of kona eggplant and tangerine. 

My favorite square with the martian peeping out

I loved making the free flowing wonky log cabin blocks.  I was free to design each one individually and each one was my favorite.  Oh the excitement when I'd get the final trimming done and could see the new creation!  I felt like I had a good eye and could balance out the wonkiness perfectly.  I was trusting myself and things were coming together perfectly.  It may have been about this time I said "wonky log cabin" one too many times for a certain person.  Ahem. 





I gave this quilt to my boy during his Thanksgiving break from school.  I'm not sure how much a quilt really means to a nineteen year old boy but I know he loves that I made it for him.  When I look at it I just remember how kind it was of him to say that he wanted it. 




Ok Jada!  You can be in the back shot.   

Carson today with his adorable girlfriend Jessica.  I was making them stare into the sun. 

45 comments:

  1. BG5. I love the quilt, I love the story (it's giving me goose bumps as you could be describing a total mix of my two boys together), I love the guitars, I love the photos of the quilt but the one of him and his girlfiend holding it is the best. And I always forget to say that your rottweiler is a stunner. I don't have dogs because I'm too lazy to walk them (!) but rottweilers are the handsomest of dogs. great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It a lovely quilt, I love the colours, just perfect for a dorm bed. and what a great story behind it, you have a lovely considerate son :-)
    Kristina
    www.priscillacraft.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a sweet idea and so nice he wanted a quilt! (mine don't!!)Lovely photo of them together!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awwww. You just made me tear up.
    Beautiful story and a beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing it.
    =-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love those 'hot' colours and a lovely story too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a wonderfully celebrated memory you share with your son. I really like that he offered up his color preferences and that he thought it would be "cool" to have in his dorm room. And that you based the theme of the quilt on his personality and interests. He sounds like the kind of young man that will only grow to treasure it more, the older he gets.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The colors look amazing together. A wonky log cabin quilt is on my list of things to do. Have a super day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Everything about this quilt and it's story speak of togetherness. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cheers to wonky log cabins!!! I remember this one from the quilt along. I love how for so many of us our kids pull us towards quilting. The desire to create and comfort. It's wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Way to go for your son to suggest it and kudos for you for producing it. Interesting color scheme.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's a great quilt story! Your son will know your love in every stitch. Thanks for sharing your orange and purple, martian and guitar quilt's story :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. that story and quilt touched my heart! i have a son getting ready to start his senior year. your quilt is one he will always cherish!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This looks like it was a fun quilt to make! I love the "wonky" blocks! Such fun colors to use! Sweet inscription with the little guitar too. Good work!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your son has good colour sense too! It looks fantastic, nice bright and perfect for a teenager. Your story of him asking you to make a quilt bought tears to my eyes, maybe because I will have a hard time when my girls leave home.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Awww. You brought back memories of when I sent my daughter off to college last fall. I didn't know what to do with myself and the only way to keep my mind off of missing her so much was to keep busy so i decided to quilt more and start a blog.

    Its a great quilt (love the color combo)- you should be proud of yourself and your son!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love that story and your quilt! I'm sure it means a LOT to your son to have such a treasure with him. My neighbors taught me how to quilt when our only child was leaving for college because it would be a good hobby to fill the empty spaces.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great quilts and an even greater story. I am glad your son likes the quilt. The colors are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. this is so great!! the colors look so great together. that pattern is very fun

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fun quilt. love the orange and purple. Aren't sons sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a fun quilt! Love that your son suggested the colors and that you were able to find so many prints to involve all his interests!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wonderful story! Glad you enjoyed making it. Wonky freaks my mind out.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Orange my favorite color I love the quilt and it's story. I am sure he loves it you can tell in his face, that is pride not the sun!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh my gosh! This quilt is wonderful. Good color choices. Wonderful story. Making quilts for my boys is my favorite cause I want to have a part of me with them every day.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great quilt! I love the colors and wonky style!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great use of color. Congratulations

    ReplyDelete
  26. It's a great quilt Molly and a great story! Your son is sooo blessed!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Cute, cute quilt (and kid!) Love the purple and orange...I made one years ago and never saw another quilt with that color combo until now in this Festival-yours is the second one! We're quite a unique group...purple and orange quilters!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Very bold color choices, never would have guessed that they look that cool together.

    At the ripe age of 19 guys might not like to look too sentimental, but I am sure the thought that you made the quilt just for him with your heart and own hands means a lot to him.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Cute story and quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love the quilt and the fact that he asked for it should tell you how much he appreciates you.

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a fantastic quilt - and story! As much as I love the wonky log cabins you made (and by the way, you DO have a good eye!), I love the back just as much.

    ReplyDelete
  32. LOVE the vibrant colors and awesome modern design. Sew On!

    ReplyDelete
  33. A fabulous quilt and a great story behind it,something to treasure forever. The wonky log cabins are neat - something else to add to my 'to do' list. Thanks for sharing and thanks for visiting my blog too.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Fabulous quilt. Love the family photos too.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love this quilt-orange and purple rock. I can see how much your son appreciates it. Aren't wonky freeform logcabin blocks the most fun.
    Come see my antique quilt entries
    http://utahquiltappraiser.blogpost.com
    http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. a fantastic quilt and the story is just wonderful. yay for a kind, thoughtful son--you obviously raised a good son!! i know the feeling of someone asking for a quilt being a thrilling experience. my ddil asked for one since our little grandson wasn't willing to share his anymore with mommy. i teared up that she wanted something i made, and now a couple years later she's finally accepted my older brother machine i'd offered and is learning to sew. aren't family just wonderful? thanks for your sweet story, have a great day

    ReplyDelete
  37. Love your quilt! So special too :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. There is something about making a quilt or other item for someone you care about that makes it more special.

    I love the colors in this quilt. I'm not usually drawn to orange but in the combination I'm pulled in.

    ReplyDelete
  39. i loves me some purple! i think purple is underused and underappreciated! it's like the eeyore of quilting colors.

    fantastic job making all these vibrant colors sing together!

    ReplyDelete

I L.O.V.E. comments! Due to a recent spam attack I've changed my settings to exclude anonymous commenters. I hope this doesn't affect any real people out there, but if so please feel free to email me.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...