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| East coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Both my parents and my husband's parents celebrate 50th wedding anniversaries this year. What's a quilter to do? Mark the occasion with quilts, of course. Did you know that two queen sized quilts can smoosh into one carry-on sized suitcase?
You have seen this one before. Vintage Sparkle was made with my in-laws in mind.
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| Vintage Sparkle |
Their last name is quilted in one corner. "1968", "2018" and "50th" are quilted in the other three corners. I can't take credit for the idea. Liz Meimann, who longarmed this one, suggested it.
I shared a glimpse of the second quilt before I sent it off to Liz for quilting. Mom knew I was making this for her and dad but I wanted her to be at least a little surprised, so I didn't share again until I delivered the quilt. Here is Fundy Skies for my parents.
This time I asked Liz to leave some unquilted space in the corners. When the quilt came home I added some hand quilting. It was a little bit hectic around here just before we left on our trip and I didn't get as many photos of the quilt as I should have. While I was visiting, I was busy, well, visiting, so didn't take as many photos then either. I don't have close-ups of Liz's quilting, and only of some of the hand quilting.
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| Hand quilting in progress |
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| Some machine and some hand quilting |
I hand quilted mom and dad's last name, Lalonde, in one corner, Initials in another, and years in the other two.
One little note about the batting. I chose wool batting for this quilt. I had never used it before but I certainly will again. Hand quilting through the wool batting was a dream! It almost makes me want to rip out all the stitches I have already put in Laura's quilt. Almost, but not quite.
There will be a pattern for Fundy Skies soon, with wall/baby, throw, twin and queen sizes. I think it is about 95% complete. If you'd like to be a tester, please email me! (UPDATE: pattern is now available in my Etsy shop)
I will leave you with a few more picture of Nova Scotia scenery. It was so hard to leave this behind!
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| Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| Louisbourg Lighthouse, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Well, we already knew the quilt was beautiful, but your personal touches make it 1000% better! What a wonderful way to commemorate a major life event. (And makes me think...my parents 50th is next spring...) The absence is forgiven, but I hope we see more quilty goodness from you soon!
ReplyDeleteGreat quilts for two couples that have truly been committed to each other.
ReplyDeleteLove the quilted details commemorating the anniversaries.
I love the scenic shots, too.
Your patterns are so well written, and I enjoyed testing Tic Tac Who? Someday I would love to test another pattern--you have great designs. But senior parent care and physical therapy currently really restrict my quilting time.
Both quilts are gorgeous and priceless. I'm sure they will be cherished. We were in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in 2016 for the first time. We fell in love with the scenery and met some wonderful people. We definitely want visit again. ~Jeanne
ReplyDeleteThey are both just beautiful! Happy Anniversary to both couples.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful landscapes, awesome quilts. The finishing touches on them are wonderful. Such great gifts!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful quilts and such a celebration for 50 wonderful years for both parents. Hope things settle down now for you. I'll have to give wool a try sometime.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a lovely quilt and gift. Your thought and hand work really make it special.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful, meaningful gifts! I love the special quilting touches in the corners. And I agree 100% with how lovely wool batting is. I wish I could use it more often, but it isn't a great choice for my charity quilts.
ReplyDeleteI would love to test Fundy Skies for you, if I can test the baby/wall quilt size. It's a super neat design!
They are both so gorgeous. You have inspired me to getting working on my parents 50th anniversary quilt was was last year.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful and thoughtful gifts! Your hand stitching is soooo sweet! And Fundy Skies is a wonderful design!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne, those are beautiful quilts. I'm sure they'll be happy as they cuddle under them! Glad you had a good trip. It's such a beautiful part of the country :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the personal touches on the quilts.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful quilts! Great way to celebrate fifty years. Congratulations to both couples. I have hand quilted through wool batting before and agree that it is pretty wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBoth those quilts are so very special, and will be much loved! You always do such beautiful work. ---"Love"
ReplyDeleteYour anniversary quilts are both gorgeous. Love how you personalized them. Glad you enjoyed your visit to Nova Scotia. I’ll bet it was hard to leave!
ReplyDeleteJoanne, these are both just stunning! I couldn't pick one, and believe me I tried before I started writing this comment, went back and forth, studied, nope! The hand quilting touches take them from gorgeous (which they are, and Liz's quilting, just wow) to stellar. Having pattern-tested for you before, I know how superb your pattern-writing skills are; I know you'll have lots of takers. Thank you for the Nova Scotia and Cape Breton photos; one day in the not-too-distant-future, we plan to be there!
ReplyDeleteI love both of your quilts, the colors, the pattern and the quilting is so special! Sounds like a great vacation, too!
ReplyDeleteYour quilts are beautiful!
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