Two of my dearest friends Mark and Anna got married last summer. It was a GORGEOUS wedding; two beautiful, wonderful, caring, funny, fun, creative, smart individuals surrounded by their adoring family and friends. And their dog Gordon. Puts a huge smile on my face thinking about it. I didn’t actually get to attend the wedding itself, due to scheduling conflicts, but I did get to hang out with them in the days leading up to the main event. Bliss.
As soon as they called to tell me they were engaged, after I calmed down and stopped shrieking with joy, I knew I had to make them a quilt as a present. I didn’t know what I would make yet, as I’d barely begun quilting, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
When I saw this fabric by Kauffman, I knew I had to use it. Mark and I both went to a little college whose colors are purple and gold. While we were both back there, working in the admissions office, Mark met Anna… and the rest, as they say, is history. She had him at hello. (Barf!! But it’s true, admit it, Anna!) Anna, on the other hand, went to a small all-women’s college whose school colors are blue and white. And this particular shade of blue, a bright and cheerful aqua, struck me as very Anna.
Here’s Mark’s favorite kitty, “helping.” Oh, Temma.
Not to be outdone, Anna’s favorite kitty Zoe pitches in to “help,” too. They miss you guys.
Nevermind Mark’s cat allergies! That’s what washing machines are made for, right? :) I’m happy with how the quilt came out, despite the million, billion half square triangles. There were many, many pieces to this quilt. Each stitched with love, though. The free motion quilting was a little more problematic. I made my way through 2 very angry spools of thread before realizing I’d made the rookie mistake of getting the wrong type of thread (hand quilting!). Sorry, guys!
You can see I still struggled a bit with the free motion quilting, see the bottom right corner of this closeup:
But I do love the texture created by the free motion quilting. It adds heft and a lovely feel, particularly after the quilt is washed.
Here are Anna and I, painting signs for the wedding site. Look at the presents she had wrapped for her bridesmaids - their wedding colors WERE purple and aqua!! SCORE!
If you’re ever in the market for delicious hand made soaps, Mark and Anna make them and sell them on etsy. They’re heavenly. And for general artful inspiration, here is their blog, Le Petit Elephant. Get in on the Anna design bandwagon, folks, it’s going to take off for the stars soon, I know it!
