This commission will stand as one of my favorite projects for the year of 2020. But, let’s start at the beginning with the creation of Debbie’s Sunflowers.
The Request
A very brave man contacted me with a vision. He had seen many of my quilts online and wanted to do something special for his wife for Christmas. He didn’t know what he wanted to do.
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We began the process by asking what her interests were and what were her favorite colors.
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Luckily for me, he was adamant that she loved Sunflowers! We had a place to start.
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As many of you know, fabric can be tough to come by lately, especially specialty fabrics. I was unsure if I could find enough themed fabrics so opted to begin with a panel. Because I wanted hubby to be involved in every step of the way, I put up a web page with many panel choices for him. It did not take him long to decide upon this one:
The Design
Now that we had a starting point, it was time for me to get to work designing some choices for this quilt. As with most of my custom designs, I use Electric Quilt 8. This program allows me to create interesting proposals to present to customers. Their choices are made based on real images of how their quilts can look. I usually use representational fabrics at this stage.
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Below is the link to the actual page that I used for both the panel and design choices.
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The final layout chosen was #6 but we opted to go with the corner blocks as shown in the final image.
As soon as the design was approved, it was time to purchase the fabrics. With the panel in hand, I visited a variety of shops to find the perfect mixture of fabrics. These included sunflowers, yellow, brown, and orange.
E2E Quilting
With so much going on, a simple flower Edge to Edge design was most appropriate. The design is not super dense either which gives this quilt a little more loft. This is desirable as well because Debbie lives up north where it gets quite cold!
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This and other E2E patterns can be found on our website. The top segment is reserved for new patterns that appear regularly. Dainty Lady Floral is a newer pattern.
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I loaded the quilt on the machine and we were on the final stretch. Debbie’s Sunflowers was going to be on track to ship in time for Christmas.
Debbie's Sunflowers Close
This quilt was a summery treat in the middle of winter. I felt warmer being near it!
Quilt Back
I found such a beautiful sunflower fabric for the back. Unfortunately, there was not enough. As a solution, I did a pieced backing with a yellow that was a bit more muted but worked well.
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The label was also so appropriate and like the rest of the quilt, chosen by the husband. I apologize for the fuzzy image, but it says:
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To Keep You Warm
When I am not there
All My Love,
Jim
Last but not least is the image I was sent of a happy lady of an amazing and courageous husband. Not every man would have the guts to make all these design decisions – but I am glad he did!
Final Quilt Stats
Quilt Name: Debbie’s Sunflowers
Size: 104 x 94
E2E Pattern: Dainty Lady Floral
Thread: 27500 Wheat Glide
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