Olivia's Quilt (or why I love Elizabeth Hartman and Susan Beal)

--Meredith

I found out at the beginning of October that dear friends of ours from NYC had adopted a darling baby girl. My joy on this kind of news is two fold--happy for them because of this sweet new addition and happy for me because it's time to start quilting! It's kind of meant to be because I started piecing a quilt top back in...March. For no reason other than I was totally inspired. Susan Beal had just released Modern Log Cabin Quilting and we were offering her hand-selected limited edition fat quarter packs that I totally loved because it included cross-hatch prints, Tammis Keefe crocodiles, and Lizzy House. AND Elizabeth Hartman had just made available her Mod Sampler Quilt as a pdf. I looked at the two, knew it was love at first sight, and started immediately.

Fast forward, uh-hum, 7 months later. The top has been done for quite awhile and in reality it was sitting pin-basted in my work room waiting for the day I would be inspired enough to quilt. That day FINALLY arrived. Olivia needed an awesome quilt and I was already ahead of the game. I busted out my walking foot, decided to go simple and angular and marked my top in an diamond pattern with echo lines 2" apart.

My preferred binding is a totally scrappy one. So after that is pieced, pressed, and sewn to the quilt comes my (secrectly) favorite part--hand sewing the binding to the back. This means my journey is almost done and a savor the task with a good, bad, or cheesy movie and Thread Heaven. Thread Heaven is a thread conditioner, similar to wax but different and better! You only have to have your thread tangle oh, say for YEARS, before you realize what a revelation this stuff is. Any amount of hand sewing--buttons, hems, quilt bindings--can benefit from a pass through this magical stuffs. 

And I was taught to always label a quilt, for posterity and for just the last lovely little stamp before it goes off to be enjoyed. I go really simple--Micron pen on muslin. Hand-sewn on of course, with a little magic Thread Heaven.

If you're interested in exploring the art of piecing and quilting, Elizabeth Hartman has several classes on the schedule down at Modern Domestic. She is supremely talented and a wonderful teacher. I always enjoy being there on days she teaches, to chat and be inspired. And she's got big news!