{Great} Lessons Learned, aka, part one.

It's an event that actually came together, as unlikely as it might have seemed at the time- something that I could never have predicted and all that I hoped for.

If you've read the prior 2 posts (here and here) you know this is coming- the Quilt that Jacquie Gering let me finish.

Here are the lessons that I learned:

Saying yes can be a very, very good thing.

Wishes do come true- every now and then.

Be open to the possibilities, you never know when one may literally fall in your lap.

Once the door of opportunity opens, throw yourself through it before it closes.

Be observant and be flexible.

Do your research and…..
Most importantly always do your best.

This is what I did:

I took that quilt top home with me.

Once at home, I put it out so that I would see it every day, often multiple times a day.

I took the top on a field trip to the fabric store while I contemplated which fabrics would be good candidates to finish the back and complete the quilt with the perfect binding.

While at the quilt store I grabbed another copy of Jacquie's book, and really looked at her quilts again.

I observed that many of her quilts have a binding made from a material that is NOT the dominant neutral of her quilts.

Also I noticed that the quilting in most of quilts she has finished gives the quilt an incredibly rich texture, but at the same time does not overwhelm the quilt. My first reaction is often that I wish I could touch her quilts, just to see how it feels.

(While at the improv class a few of us picked Jacquie's brain regarding the quilting she used on her "Urban garden" quilt. She gave us a few pointers on that and a few other of her favorites). I listened very carefully.

When all was said and done………….. (Part one of the story of Jacquie's Quilt)

Details:
size: 40 x 44"
Quilt top- original design Jacquie Gering/ pieced by Jacquie Gering (various solid quilting cottons)
Batting: 100% cotton warm and natural

Thread: Aurifil, 100% Mako cotton, 50 wt, white (#2024), red (#2250) and gray(#2605)
Quilting: overall design, Bernina modified stitch
Binding: 100% cotton, cut straight of grain to emphasize the "stripes"
Backing……... to be continued in the next post- Part Two (Channeling my Inner Jacquie- theme and variations).

Quilting, from the front, with the contrasting white thread

Binding, and quilting. For the large solid gray and red areas of the quilt, I changed the top threads to match the fabric.
Otherwise, the quilting was done in white thread

Close up of quilting and binding, quilt front

The back of the quilt is coming next week (I promise).