Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Dancing Waters Quilt



A new quilt is completed - for a special family friend with whom I have shared over 40 years of friendship. It was the birth of Sue's first grandchild in 2010 which motivated me make my first ever quilt, then early in 2016 I made a larger quilt for her third grandchild. Later that year Sue was delighted when I offered to make a quilt for her. We created a shared Pinterest board to gather ideas for colours and style.  The inspiration quilt we settled on was made by Nicole @purlverde on Instagram

There was no hurry and a series of major life events filled my life and also Sue's. A start was made on the quilt last year, amongst wedding preparations for one of our daughters. 

Kona Cottons - mostly 1/4 yard lengths
Stingray in Aquamarine, part of Tula Pink's Zuma fabric collection - a perfect backing. 


Stacks of blocks sorted according to colour intensity
The many 'blocks' which I had sewn were stored away over the long extended holiday season. During our long road trip in October-November we spent a night at Sue's amazing new seaside home on the NSW South Coast. It was so good to envisage exactly where this quilt was destined.

Last month our family settled back into 'normal' routine and our long summer was drawing to a close. It was the perfect time to focus on adding to my pile of blocks and piecing them into a quilt top. The background sounds of waves crashing on our nearby beach made it easy to imagine ocean waters twinkling in the sunlight as I sewed fabric pieces into blocks and blocks into strips. The name Dancing Waters seemed just right!





Hobbs organic cotton batting makes soft and clean middle layer. The organic wavy quilting lines in threads of various colours blend with the fabric and add interest while adding to the water effect.

Last week Tuesday it was finished, including a label and card. The quilt measures approximately 200cm by 190cm, just right for Sue's bed. We took a quick walk down on the beach to capture some photos before carefully boxing and mailing it off the Sue. It looked like it belonged at the seaside, very happily dancing in the wind with the ocean sparkling behind.







Yesterday it arrived at its seaside destination and Sue sent this photo of it already in place, filling her home with ocean colours. A very happy end to this quilt's story - or maybe it's just the beginning....


17 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

So good to see this post from you! What a beautiful work of art this quilt is and a wonderful gift for your dear friend Sue.

God's continued blessings on you and your family ~ FlowerLady

Michelle said...

Good to hear from you! I see your talent is still pouring forth. What a beautiful quilt.

Deb Cox said...

lovely dear lady. so nice to see you here again. take care and be well. will be waiting for more posts if you feel so inclined. stay safe, and remember this is not forever.

Susan said...

What a sunny delight this is Karen! I love the freeform nature of it- perfect for a quilt reminiscent of the sea!
And your beach photos are lovely, as always!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you Michelle - it has been a while. I tend to use Instagram these days but love having my blog as a record and for those longer posts.

Karen :)

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you so much Lorraine. :)
Karen

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Hi Deb, thank you so much for your kind words. :)
Karen

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you Susan - you are always so encouraging. :)

Karen

Cathy said...

Hello dear Karen,
I have missed you posting here on your blog, so this was a very special treat. And Dancing Waters is a perfect name, it literally moves...or dances I should say! 😊
How soon is your daughter's wedding, and does the quarantine affect it?
I hope your have a blessed Resurrection Day!
Cathy

Barb said...

Karen, this is a lovely story of friendship and creativity. The quilt definitely embodies dancing waters. So lovely.

diane b said...

What a beautiful story and what a beautiful person you are to do this for a friend. The Quilt is gorgeous and my favourite so far. I love the wavy look it has.

Elvira said...

What a beautiful story of friendship, Karen! The quilt is absolutely gorgeous!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you Elvira - thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

Stewart M said...

What wonderful colours!

Hope all is well - Stewart M - Melbourne

thefisherlady said...

Here we are deep in winter~ it was lovely to look back and find this post and the ocean beauty and your Quilt !!!! What a precious gift you have given.
Hope you are keeping well through this pandemic. Here we are well and blessed by each day God brings. Blessings Karen

Kay said...

You have such an eye for colours and putting them together. I could happily curl up with this quilt. x

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you Kay - my friend was delighted with the outcome too.

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