Bloggers' Quilt Festival Spring 2011: Tribal

First I'd like to say a big hearty hello!  "Hello!!"  Whether you are a regular around these parts or if you are wandering over for the first time from the Quilt Festival, I am so happy to have you visit!

I am also very excited to be participating in Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival for the first time!

My festival quilt is called 'Tribal' and here are some of her (quilts can be female, right?) stats:

* finished size is about 50 by 70 inches
* pattern is from Melissa at Happy Quilting; it's the Happy Quilt-a-long pattern
* this was my second time ever hand stitching down binding
* this is also the most neutral palette I have used so far
* Tribal took me about a month to put together, but well over a year in design if you count the time I spent brewing about what to do with these fabrics

*drum roll* ......and here's Tribal!

Tribal all started with a friend handing me a box of fabrics from the trunk of her car over a year ago.  I poured through the contents of the box and adored all the new treasures that had come to me.  Even funnier is the fact that she had driven around with the fabric in her trunk for a year.  I first used the fabrics in a wild and crazy chair seat recover.

I knew when I got the fabrics that I would be making a quilt, but this idea marinated for nearly a year in my head before I finally had my ah-ha! moment and knew what design I wanted to use to show off these bold and very textured fabrics.

The textures are what really make the quilt unique.  I was nervous using all the types of fabrics together... would it be too thick to cut or quilt?  Would they lay nicely together?  Would I be able to iron everything and make the seams like I want?  ...so many worries. 

In the end, so silly to worry, as it worked out just fine.  The results are a quilt that you want to explore with your hands... the feelings under your finger tips range from buttery soft, to velvety, to sturdy ridges.

I used a higher loft batting to compliment the heavier weight fabrics.  The result is a very warm, heavy blanket that could beat off the coldest day.  I also used a pre-made leopard print binding (one of the treasures from that box of fabrics gifted to me) and I couldn't be happier with how it ties the whole design together. 

It's like living on the wild edge!!

Between the fabric weight, batting, and very soft sheet I used for the backing I didn't want to fight making an elaborate quilting design.  So, I went mega-mega simple to "let the fabrics do the talking."  It's a simple stitch in the ditch around each of the larger squares (all the diagonal lines).

All in all, I am head over heels in love with the way this quilt turned out!  It's so me with the neutrals and wild and crazy twist in fabric patterns with the edgy push in use of all the fabric weights. 

It's even puppy tested and approved!  (That's Katie, my quality assurance manager; aka 4 year old golden retriever)

You can read/see more of this quilt in this post: Tribal Quilt is Finished!

Thanks so much for dropping in and checking out Tribal.  If you like.. leave your quilt festival link and I will make my way over to see your quilt as well!  Or, if you are interested in submitting your own quilt for the festival head to this page and whip up your own festival posting!

See you all at the festival!!  I'll bring the cupcakes!

日本のための多くの愛
Much love for Japan