Commission Quilt

I was asked to make a quilt as a wedding gift for a couple in New York. The bride's family is from India and there will be a traditional ceremony as part of the celebration. It was requested that I incorporate some traditional elements, colors and/or patterns. So I eagerly began my research...

It was so interesting to learn about the colors and styles of the region, as well as the patterns. I learned some cool things about triangles and borders. Did you know that many of the quilts have zig-zag or triangle borders to represent the mountains that surround the area? So that was a 'must include'.

There were lots of bright colors and repetitive patterns. Most of the quilts were very geometric and often reminded me of tile work. It was so fun to learn about the people and their customs and how those are intertwined with their quilting.

 

I found the history book on Amazon. And I had to take another browse through Sujata's book. Her own story and heritage are so beautifully incorporated in her quilting. And she's just really awesome, so it was fun to have an excuse to look through her book again. And it just reinforced my idea that I couldn't incorporate too much color.

So I started with the colors, cut the strips, and sewed the sets. I then arranged them in a repeating pattern. I made the border the same way, but I tilted it at an angle to refer to the borders in the book that represented the bordering mountains.

This quilt is queen size. So, it took lots of strips and lots of sewing, but it was so fun to watch it come together. And I fell in love with it more every time I worked with the fabrics.

                                        

I then had the task of choosing a quilting design. I wanted something appropriate but simple. This quilt is heavy because it's a queen size quilt made entirely of 2" squares! That's lots of seams and thread. I found the perfect variegated thread, and finally settled on a quilting design called 'Marakesh' from Urban Elementz. It mimics the shapes found in architecture and the curved lines help soften all of the geometry of the patchwork.

I almost like the back as much as I like the front! Isn't this extra wide backing perfect?

I finished the binding by hand. And the label will include the couple's name and wedding date as well as who gifted the quilt. I always include a 'care instructions' card along with the quilt. I hope the people who sleep under this quilt will be blessed by the love that went into it.

Enjoy every stitch,
Diane

The details: While I always include an itemized invoice, my prices are in line with the industry standard, which is .15 per square inch. If you know someone who would like to have a custom quilt made, please send them my information or send questions to butterflythreadsquilting@gmail.com