A Different Quilt for Our Bed

The long and the short of it is this: I have a different quilt on our bed this week. The story is potentially a long and convoluted one, so keep reading if you are interested.

How it ended up on our bed begins with my bringing out my stack of Christmas quilts for use in decorating. It's a classic case of one thing leading to another.

First, you should know that for years I have had a wrought iron ladder over which are layered three quilts. I made all of them years ago and Grandma hand quilted them. She's been gone since 2015; she had mostly stopped quilting by 2010, so these quilts have been hanging out on this fixture for awhile.

Back to my story. So, I'd brought down a huge stack of red and white flimsies (they are multiplying; not sad about that!). It occurred to me that maybe instead of just refolding and stacking them on the bucket bench, might I try draping some over the wrought iron ladder? Yes, I liked that idea, so the 3 quilts currently living there needed to be relocated.

The top quilt always becomes my Christmas tree skirt. Every year I gather it around the base of the tree and Gracie immediately claims it as a new spot for napping.

The next two quilts were moved upstairs. The middle one hasn't been given a new home yet, and the bottom is now on our bed.

The bucket bench with a stack of Christmas quilts.

The quilt is HUGE! Our bed is queen-sized, and this thing dwarfs it totally, measuring a whopping 84" x 108".  I will use it for a week or so, then bring out the Christmas quilt that usually appears this time of year.

The pattern is from The Thimbleberries Book of Quilts by Lynette Jensen (1998). The publication date narrows down when it was made. I know I wanted to make it as soon as I got the book, but I took forever in deciding on fabrics. It was possibly early 2000s when I at last made it, and had Grandma quilt it.

And can we just take a moment to appreciate that fine, fine hand quilting? Grandma opted to stitch-in-the-ditch for the pieced flower blocks. In the setting blocks, she used a design which was a standard for her on hourglasses.

The borders afforded her the opportunity for a couple of her favorite chain designs. Just like those hourglass setting blocks, we could locate many quilts of hers with these same designs.

I like the look of this quilt in our bedroom. It is exceedingly warm, so we must've used a good wool batting, and even though the pattern is called Cottage Flower, it has a Christmas-y look with the burgundy and green making it festive in an understated way.

The revamped ladder with the flimsies draped over looks pretty good, too. I clothes-pinned a wall hanging to the top; my late Aunt Margaret made that little Christmas tree, and it has become another special piece of my annual decorating.

 Hope you are having a glorious Friday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!