Spare Time Quilts

I pick up interesting panels when they go on clearance. I seldom end up using them the way the manufacturer designs them to be used. I'll pick off little bits for applique on some other project, or I'll turn a vest panel into a pocket book, or well, you get the idea.

This panel I actually wanted to turn into a little quilt. (Tenderberry Stitches by Northcott long since discontinued)The more I looked at it however, the more I realized that the theme of the panel was really designed for a little girl but the size of the panel was designed for a crib. I set it aside, unwilling to worry at the conundrum.

Some months later I ran across these two fabrics while out shopping. (Potpourri by Artistic Expressions and the coffee fabric is by Concord Fabrics) I picked them up thinking to make myself some loungewear (drawstring pants, maybe a tank top or short sleeved shirt). The flaw there is that I just can't cope with wearing colors. Mostly I go with black or grey, so they sat on the shelf for a while.

Then one day as the saying goes, I got peanut butter on my chocolate; or maybe I got chocolate in my peanut butter. Anyway, the fabrics went so well with that little panel that I decided to piece some borders around it to make it big enough for a quilt for a little girl.

Just a week or so ago I sat down with these fabrics and selected a couple of others from my stash to round it out (gold - Quilters Only Nature Dyes by Springs Industries, PINK - Spectrix Frank Nelson, and blue - Asian Splendor by Artistic Expressions yes, all discontinued) and while my buddies were over for a quilting bee I designed the borders (with lots of input from the gang!).

I don't know who the little girl is that will be cuddling up under this quilt, but I do know that four women's expertise and two years have gone into it's creation. I hope it hugs her for a long time.