Sail Away (BQF Fall 2011)

>> Friday, October 28, 2011

Blogger's Quilt Festival has arrived again, and it's pushed me to finally show this quilt. In the past, I've used the BQF to highlight a quilt I'd previously blogged, but this time you get something new. Made last spring and delivered about a month ago, Sail Away finally gets its chance in the limelight. This is the third quilt to make its way into the Stoil-Shimoni family, and they all have one thing in common: navy blue. When you've known someone for over 18 years, you know favorite colors, and Rebecca has always gravitated toward navy blue.

When I saw this pattern from Esch House Quilts, I knew it was the perfect option for Rebecca's pending child. It reminded me -- a bit indirectly, perhaps -- of sailing flags, and Rebecca loves water and sailing. Whether her kids will as well remains to be seen, but she's currently researching the history of the whaling industry so I suspect there will be some maritime opportunities for them.

As I planned the quilt, I realized that Navy was the perfect neutral solid for the half-yard of Amy Butler's Tumble Roses Pink (from her Love collection) that was sitting in my stash, and I pulled the other prints based on what coordinated with the Roses. This design offered a nice opportunity to use little bits of lots of prints, which was another highlight.

In the midst of piecing the quilt, I ran out of the Navy solid (major misremembering of how much I had + major miscalculation of how much I needed). The delay didn't really matter, however, as I knew Rebecca and her family would be moving from from Israel to Baltimore this summer, and I waited to hand over the quilt in person. The back used every last scrap of navy I had -- even after ordering more -- and a whole lot of other prints from the front.

Those Tumble Roses reappeared as part of the binding. I love how the pattern of flowers disappears and the green, blue, and pink rhythmically alternate. The quilt was a hit -- as quilt and as a rocket ship. Rebecca tells me this is her favorite of all the quilts I've made for her family, and I think I have to agree.

Head over to Amy's Creative Side to check out all sorts of other delightful quilts.

15 comments:

ormondbeach (robin) October 28, 2011 at 12:44 PM  

What a beautiful quilt for a dear friend's baby!

~Michelle~ October 28, 2011 at 1:05 PM  

That's awesome! You know, I haven't like any of AB's recent collections... that is, until I see them used! This is one more example of something that's turning my mind around!

felicity October 28, 2011 at 3:32 PM  

Beautiful! I love how the dark background makes the prints sparkle.

Unknown October 28, 2011 at 5:21 PM  

I love the navy! So pretty!

Vicki @ DottyJane October 28, 2011 at 5:28 PM  

Your choice of fabrics makes the pattern awesome! Great quilt...or rocket ship:)

Leanne October 29, 2011 at 9:06 AM  

Your quilt is so bold and graphic while still being full of soft colourful bits. I think it is wonderful!

Frogdancer October 29, 2011 at 4:17 PM  

As soon as I saw this I recognised the pattern! I made a Queen sized one for my Mum. Mine has a white background with stitched-in-dye batik triangles.

Esch House Quilts October 29, 2011 at 6:50 PM  

I love the blue background and the sailing flag idea was perfect! I'm so glad it worked for you and Rebecca :)

Eileen October 30, 2011 at 4:56 AM  

Great quilt and love the combination of background and other fabrics. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

Kit Lang October 30, 2011 at 8:04 PM  

Lovely quilt, thanks for sharing!

Karen October 31, 2011 at 12:14 AM  

I love the look you have created in this quilt. The navy works perfectly with your collection of prints.
It's a gorgeous gift.

Sarcastic Quilter November 1, 2011 at 10:17 AM  

It reminds me of sailing flags too and I love all the navy in there. Beautiful.

Sherry November 4, 2011 at 9:16 PM  

Great quilt, love the navy blue!

Martha November 21, 2011 at 8:08 AM  

Wonderful quilt...thank you for sharing.

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