Twelve Quilts of Christmas – #2

Bold and folky in feel, you can’t help but look at this quilt and feel happy!

Sally Perkins and her family travelled over the Oregon Trail in 1844. What a journey it must have been. I think you have an idea of her spirit of exploration looking at this quilt.

The wonderful blue that she used really makes the green and red colours absolutely pop. And do you see the tiny bit of cheddar orange that she added to each of the tulips? It is just a small part of this overall design, but it has a huge impact even though you many not notice it at first. Can you imagine this quilt without the cheddar moments? What would the impact on the design be if the cheddar was replaced with red? What colour would you replace it with if you decided to do so?

The narrow binding is perfection for me. Just the right delicate frame to the quilt design and it balances off the chunkiness of the design beautifully. Of course, you all know by now what a sucker I am for a narrow single fold binding. You can find a tutorial page you can print off on my website here, so you can try one yourself. The switch in colour of the binding at the top of the quilt suggests some repairs lovingly executed.

And finally, the quilting. Fan quilted … right. through. the. appliqué. Yes! Did you know the arching lines of fan quilting are easier to quilt than straight lines that follow the grain of the fabric? It’s true.

And what do you think of the way she resolved the setting grid at the top? Do you think it works in the overall design?

If you are new to this Christmas tradition of mine, welcome. I am so glad you have stopped by. I would love it if you could share this tradition with all your quilt loving friends. It is my gift to all of you during this holiday season.