Yipee! The summer is almost over and we’ve had our long-anticipated little family wedding. MyDadLovesMeBestSister’s oldest daughter was married in a gorgeous wedding ceremony in Maine. The groom’s family owns a little cabin in the woods and they were married next to the cabin, overlooking a beautiful lake. Everything was was absolutely perfect (well, not everything — something always goes wrong — but if you weren’t in the family you wouldn’t have know about the little glitches.) We were asked not to take pictures during the ceremony (so that the pro photos wouldn’t show everyone with their phones in the air LOL) so there’s not much to show now, but I can’t wait to see the official photos. Our three little granddaughters were the flower girls and they were cute as can be. SweetiePie did a fantastic job of finding the most gorgeous dresses with some amazing beadwork on them. We need to have another occasion so they can be worn again! I LOVE this cute photo that SweetiePie shot of the girls as they were getting their pep talk from Daddy before the ceremony. Everyone is paying attention! ;-D
We’re back home now after our 16-hour each way drive (MeMum was a champ!) and I can finally share the wedding quilt that I gave the bride and groom. Unfortunately, the only place I could find to take a picture where the quilt wouldn’t drag on the ground, was in mottled sunlight. So, use your imagination and pretend those bright light spots aren’t there LOL.
CuteNiece1 is a flower farmer, so this quilt was mostly about flowers. I appliqued a vase of flowers with a man and wife, initials and year of marriage for the center panel. Then, I surrounded the center panel with a Rifle Paper Co. print that turned out to be the perfect size.
My favorite thing about the quilt is the Always and Always print by Bonnie Christine that I used for the background of the center panel and the sashing around the star blocks. The quote says “I must have flowers … always & always — Claude Monet”. When that print first came out, I knew I would have to use it for the quilt — because I imagine CuteNiece1 says that daily. The 2021 in the center block used to say 2020 — the wedding was originally scheduled for last year, but Covid delayed it a year. Fortunately, I wasn’t to the quilting stage yet when plans changed, so it was an easy fix.
I really struggled with what to put around the center panel, but finally decided to just use traditional star blocks after I saw a picture of a quilt with a big applique center, surrounded by similar stars. I machine quilted the quilt on my domestic machine and I think it took about 6 weeks working in the afternoons to finish it. This quilt is queen sized and finished about 90″ x 99″ which was a lot of wrangling under a domestic machine. The center applique is outline stitched and stippled, the Rifle Paper Co. border has a cable, and the outside border just has straight lines spaced about 2″ apart. The stars and sashing are all stitched in the ditch and I did a little free form flower in the center of each star — those were really fun to do after the tedium of all that stitching in the ditch.
I had to take a picture of my favorite star block below. For some reason I LOVE that fun fabric — I’ve used bits and pieces of it on several recent quilts and I’ll be so sad when it’s gone someday. This might be why I hoard fabric — I love so many of them and I’m afraid I’ll run out! ;-8
For the back I used a Cathe Holden Flea Market Mix floral and CuteNiece1 loved it. It was the first thing she saw when she opened the quilt and she said “Dahlias!”. She had the most beautiful dahlias in her wedding — when a flower farmer gets married, you know she’s going to have beautiful flowers! The binding is an American Jane polka dot — it doesn’t really “go” with the quilt, but I ended up loving it — it just adds to the quirkiness of a traditional star quilt with a funky flea market-ish back. I also added a little tag to the back of the quilt. I don’t usually name quilts, but if I were to name this one, I think it would be the sentiment I put on the tag – “May you be blessed with Love and Happiness”.
So, all done with this one! The newlyweds are honeymooning in Canada and will return to Ashville, North Carolina to start their new life. (If you need fresh flower bouquets, CuteNiece1 can hook you up!) Rumor has it CuteNiece2 will soon be heading down the aisle, so I need to start planning a quilt for her. It’s going to be tougher to nail down a “theme” for her — wedding quilt suggestions gladly welcomed!
Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Anna
Just the most thoughtful, heartfelt wedding gift ever.
Wow, the quilt you made is a masterpiece and so thoughtfully reflective of the couple. Your granddaughters look like little angels in the photo.
That is a beautiful quilt. You did an amazing job!
OMg Anna! You’ve outdone yourself. Most gorgeous wedding quilt ever. Love that you used both applique and pieceing. And the fabrics? Perfect, especially the “always and always” one….and all the flower ones… and the frame around the applique one….oh heck! Especially every single bit of it!
Those little grand daughters are beyond cute….
Anna, you never cease to amaze me! The quilt is absolutely beautiful. And your granddaughters are precious!
Blessing to the Newly Married!
what gorgeous little dresses.
Your quilt is an instant heirloom. It is just perfect in every way.
What a beautiful quilt and one of a kind! I’m sure the happy couple were over the moon with such a lovely gift. Also those three flower girls are adorable in their matching dresses as they listen to Daddy for the last instructions. It sounds like you all had a wonderful wedding.
What a beautiful quilt and one of a kind! I’m sure the happy couple were over the moon with such a lovely gift. Also those three flower girls are adorable in their matching dresses as they listen to Daddy for the last instructions. It sounds like you all had a wonderful wedding.
The flower girls look gorgeous….. And so much thought and detail in the quilt for the bride and groom is very special…..
Congrats to CuteNiece 1, her hubby and your whole family! I hope the groom is ready for the gingerbread house competition! Such a gorgeous photo of your son and his daughters, capturing a heart melting memory. And the quilt is awesome! Can’t believe you wrangled a 90 x 90 one! And here I thought a 75 x 75 was an accomplishment on my trusty Bernina. You rock!
Anna, you outdid yourself, that quilt is an heirloom in every way! Just breathtaking. Your granddaughters are adorable in their little dresses, listening so seriously! Sounds like a beautiful wedding!
Oh, Anna, that’s so lovely! And those sweet little girls! And I must see if I can get myself some of that “always and always” fabric. Such a lot of work, though. I hope they appreciate it…
Hopefully you got plenty of fun pictures other than the wedding ceremony. It’s a shame to not be able to capture moments that are special to you, but then I see (and experience) things like this, yikes!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/iammirco/50741285752/in/photostream/lightbox/
Beautiful quilt. The “always and always” reminds me of the Randy Travis song, Forever and Ever. :) Happy planning for the next quilt!
What a lovely post! Your gorgeous grand daughters, beautiful quilt, and wonderful ceremony! Congratulations to all involved.
The quilt is superb but that photo of daddy with his girls is one to frame. Catching those candid moments are often more important than the professional photos.
Beautiful post. You bring joy & happiness. Thank you!!! Simply beautiful your grandgirls!
Wow!! The quilt is amazing!! So beautiful. You are the most creative person I know!!
What a beautiful quilt! You do such lovely work. A treasure! Cheers!
Such a special gift! The grand babies are adorable!
That is a gorgeous quilt, just catching up on some blogs now I am settled in Spain. Glad the wedding finally got to happen, it is so lovely to be able to do normal things again isn’t it. We are still wearing masks here in Spain when inside places but other than that everything is just about back to normal. Take care. Alison xx