Friday, October 3, 2014

Sunflowers For Susan

Happy Friday!  Just in time for a visit to NJ, I finished a special Birthday Gift for my friend, Susan.  She was Jill's best friend and creative partner.

You may be thinking "that's it?"  As I approached this project, it was very difficult for me to put "me" into it.  I just wanted it to be Jill's.  This was the last thing on her design wall.  I decided to put them together and add the borders and just let it be.

My plan is to make this same quit for my sewing room.  I have to make 2 blocks first.  I wanted Susan to have all Jill blocks.

Wheel of Fortune - Blocks Made by Jill Reid 2014

I used my home made fan stencil and added an extra line in each blade.  **Stencil update**  The company I sent artwork to can not produce it because it is too large for their equipment.  I'll be pursuing alternatives.

It looks good with my cheddar nine patches that are on the design wall.

I used the border print with the lavender on the back.  Purple was one of Jill's favorite fabric colors and her collection really reflected that!


The machine quilting isn't perfect, so it's just right to me.  You can see where I backtracked.  I used my walking foot.

Have a great weekend.  My buddy Susan is coming on Sunday to assist in the swap.  Here is what the sewing room looks like - a post office!

I won ring toss last weekend at the fair, meet "Ruff"  coco isn't pleased....

And if you ever wondered, here is what 6oo pounds of butter looks like.  It took 12,000 gallons of milk.
Happy Friday!



32 comments:

Kathy in FL said...

Love the quilt! Now I've added another one to my bucket list.

Pinkadot Quilts said...

What a wonderful, special quilt for Mary, she is going to love it! The fabrics are beautiful.
I love your nine patches, great setting. I am still deciding what setting I will be using with mine.
I LOVE butter! Is it grassfed???? (-:

Heather said...

What a lovely quilt

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Gorgeous quilt! I love the fan quilting!

OTquilter said...

The quilt is just lovely, and I'm sure Mary will treasure it because it is from both you and Jill. Your setting of nine patches is one that I am considering, too. Love it!

Sujata Shah said...

Happy Birthday to Susan! She is lucky to have such a thoughtful friend. I love the quilt and your thoughts on Keeping it true to Jill's design wall. The back is perfect and so is your quilting. Too bad that stencil company did not workout.
LOVE your cheddar blocks, perfect for this season. You and Susan are in for some fun this weekend!
Where was this 600lbs of butter?

Jan said...

A labor of love ~ Jill's quilt looks perfect.
I love your cheddar nine patches and look forward to seeing this project develop!

Miriam said...

A beauiful quilt! Love your quilting. I hope you can fins someone to make your stencil.

antique quilter said...

perfect choice for the blocks, the quilt is beautiful and oh so special, I am sure it will be a quilt that Susan will treasure for ever. brings tears to my eyes.
the backing fabric is amazing. sooo pretty
sorry about the stencil I for one was looking forward to it
Kathie

Lori said...

Ah, what a sweet gift to Susan, Barb. You are the most thoughtful friend. Makes me cry thinking about the precious friendships Jill made. Still miss her!

Cheryl said...

Wonderful memory quilt...very touching.

Nifty Quilts said...

Truly a labor of love, and a beautiful quilt! Susan is very fortunate to have friends like you and Jill. So sweet.

Janet O. said...

I'll bet Susan will be completely overwhelmed by this--your kindness combined with memories of Jill.
You did a wonderful job finishing. I think Jill would be pleased. : )

Julierose said...

A really lovely finish to Jill's quilt; I love those chintz fabrics you have. hugs, Julierose

Sue said...

It's just perfect Barb and am sure Susan will love it.

Janet said...

It looks like sunshine and smiles - just beautiful!! Your quilting looks wonderful - the added texture is gorgeous. A lovely gift she will treasure! I'm sorry to hear they can't make your template - I think there are a lot of us who would be interested in a big stencil with such a useable design. Wow that's a lot of envelopes! I can't wait to see the goodies inside mine :0)

Anonymous said...

The quilt is beautiful! What a wonderful tribute! The quilting is perfect. I hope you can find someone to create this stencil. I just love Baptist fans. I need to learn a good way to do them on my long arm.

audrey said...

Ahh.. it's just perfect! Love that gorgeous gold floral with the blocks. Very striking.:)

Ann in PA said...

Well, this post has me in puddles. What a wonderful gift of friendship...the quilt is beautiful and I'm sure that Susan will treasure it as a reminder of Jill, and of your friendship as well. Your fan quilting is a perfect finishing touch! Good luck with the stencil. I would love one to add to all my smaller fans.

Kyle said...

Your choice of border fabric really set Jill's blocks off beautifully. I'm sure she's pleased and Susan will love it. The fan quilting added great texture without taking away from the pattern. And, wow, that's one chunk of butter!

Rachaeldaisy said...

There's no one that would think "Thats It?" about this quilt. It's so wonderful- it's beautiful and eye catching!! The yellow makes it glow in a sunny way. Jills blocks really stand out and are such a great pattern. Your quilting finishes it off perfectly! Have a fun day with Susan sorting out all the blocks! That butter cow is amazing!

The Rabbit Factory said...

I just love your yellow background fabric...it really suits the blocks! Just a lovely quilt!

Karen said...

How sweet of you to finish the design wall quilt and give it to Jill's very good friend. I know others who have done something similar. Warms my heart to think about it.

Dawn said...

I have been wondering what several pounds of butter looked like forever...LOL
The quilt turned out great and you seem to have captured many special memories in it, very important.
Surprised Coco hasn't, ummm, taken care of the stuffed dog!

Maureen said...

Well done, Barb! I think you were right to keep it simple and focus on what Jill had completed.
Have fun with the swap - that's a daunting project!
Just saw what Dawn wrote - LOL - coco would never!

O'Quilts said...

I really love all of it. So happy even with the sad. And the cheddar nine patches...That is on my to do list.

Roxanne said...

Really thoughtful finish to Jill's blocks--just beautiful. What IS that floral border and backing in different colorways? I would like to try to find some. Thanks ahead of time to you and Susan for all the work you are putting into sorting the swap blocks--that is quite a Saturday project.

Thimbleanna said...

Oh Barb. It's beautiful. I barely knew Jill, but she was really excited about those blocks and sent me a picture when she was working on them. You're such a sweetheart for finishing them!

Me and My Stitches said...

What a beautiful quilt and so, so generous of you to make it for Susan. I know it will be a treasure that she will have and love for a lifetime. One of the quilts that I made with Jill's pattern is made in purples!

Browndirtcottage said...

I think Jill's quilt is j-u-s-t right. So lovely, and so like our friends, not perfect in every area but we love them just as they are and feel so comfy when we are with them. The main focus you brought out was Jill's work, you were just the final hand in putting it all together. Susan will LOVE it!!

AND….about those 9 patches!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Diane said...

The quilt is just beautiful, obviously stitched with love. The nine patches are looking really good too!

Carrie P. said...

I just love the floral fabrics for the sunflower quilt.
cool butter sculpture.