Giant PLUS Quilt

I love to make quilts for other people. Especially when they can appreciate the time, love and effort which goes into making  a quilt. 

My best friend and rowing partner of 25 years Betty is one of those people. She knows all my quilts and has always admired them. One day last year she had asked me if I could make her one.

This quilt was on my To-Do-List for the year. Betty didn't have any requests as to what design or colour the quilt was to have. The only request she had was that the back of the quilt should be from fleece. She trusted me with everything else. She's a good friend!

I had a colour combination in mind very quickly. And I also knew that I needed big blocks. When you have fleece back you don't want to have dense quilting, because the fleece should remain nice and fluffy.

So I opted for a giant plus design. The individual squares are 6x6", the overall size of the quilt is 55x77" (approx. 1.40 x 1.95m).

I wanted to stick with two colours, turquoise and red in different values, but I felt that the quilt needed some extra splash of colour. My husband suggested one yellow plus block somewhere in the quilt, but I didn't agree. But yellow binding, yes! That works so well! My husband is s genius!

And that's one tiny little detail on the back of the quilt which I love. The two birds from Lotta Jansdotter's fabric 'Tipu', that's Betty and me. Sitting in a boat behind each other. I first wanted to write something on it but I know that Betty will get the meaning behind it the way it is.

I gave it to her today and she loved it, and that makes me very happy! 

Finally: a finished Super Tote!

It needed a visit to QuiltCon to finally convince me: I need to make that Super Tote!

There were so many quilters with self made beautiful bags! Actually I started this bag immediately after I was back home.

I purchased the pattern by Noodlehead already two years ago but never dared to make the bag. I am only sewing since four years and mostly quilts, and this is only my third bag I made, like ever!

I had some difficulties putting the bag together but I blame my inexperience with sewing bags for that. The pattern is actually really easy to follow. 

As I bought the beautiful 'Maker' fabrics by Art Gallery Fabrics (also I guess about two years ago) I saved them for this bag. I never knew how much fabric I needed in order to make this bag, so finally the remaining fabrics can go in my stash.

The Super Tote is bigger than I thought. I divided the inner pockets in two parts on one side and in three parts on the other.

I opted for a dark grey zipper which suits the fabrics really nicely.

The sides (or gusset as it's called in the pattern) I made with a shot fabric in brown, the one side of the handles and also the piping at the front pocket is made with Carolyn Friedlander's cross hatch fabric in mustard.

Now that it's finished I don't know why I waited so long to make it! I'm actually thinking of making another one! The bag is just too nice not to make another one, or two...

I used beautiful Aurifil thread for all visible seams, also in mustard. That detail at the sides is just so gorgeous!

The back of the bag has just the simple brown fabric. All in all I think the colours go really well together.

I'm a bit proud of myself that the bag turned out so nicely, bags and zippers though are still challenging for me. But as with everything: practice just makes you better.

Linking this to Finish Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Modern Patch Monday