Arabian Flow Quilt for Wanda

In my family, we have a rotation in place to give to each other for Christmas. I had made a quilt top for my sister, Tamia as a Christmas (2019) present, but then some revision in the rotation needed to be made and all of a sudden, (in October), I was no longer going to be giving to her, but to Wanda.  Wanda knew I was stressed because I had already invested time and money into Tamia's quilt and said I didn't have to get her anything.  I relaxed for a few weeks, but then decided I really wanted to give to Wanda! She is so kind and thoughtful. I talked with her daughter to decide pattern and color and made the quilt top before Christmas. 

Since she wasn't expecting anything that year, I figured I'd surprise her at the Family Reunion in the summer (2020) with her Christmas present. That would give me enough time after getting the longarm (in January) to learn to get good enough to quilt this. I thought a lot about how I was going to quilt it and had what I thought was a really good plan, but when I started it, I didn't like it. I think if the shapes were smaller, my plan would have been great, but with the large shapes, the quilting looked awkward. I unpicked what I had done, and went back to the drawing board. Then it hit me.

Many long years ago, I saw a beautiful jacquard fabric on some chairs. Every time I would go to that building, I would stare at the fabric and try to commit it to memory - it would make a lovely pantograph once I had a longarm. Then around Christmas 2016, a friend who worked at that building told me they had gotten new chairs that were so pretty. I was aghast. What had happened to those other chairs? They were long gone. I told her how much I loved the fabric. She did some investigating and a swatch was found which she handed to me on my birthday 2017. As I contemplated what to do on Wanda's quilt, it hit me that this was the answer. I spent the next week making this pattern.

I quilted it with a rainbow thread (Lolli by So Fine) on the front and a gray Bottom Line on the back. I love it! I got it all quilted just before the reunion (which was pretty low-key and few were there), but thanks to Covid, she didn't come.  I still have it ready to give to her, hopefully this summer. Yes, I thought about mailing it, but I'd like to be there to see it opened. So there's the story. She still doesn't know about it, unless of course she reads my blog, then the cat's out of the bag.  ;-)