gift idea - family quilt

My cousins and I wanted to do something special for my grandmother last Christmas. She said she didn't want anything, but I got to thinking - she loves quilts (and grew up with that as a strong tradition), and she loves her grandchildren, so why not combine those things? 

I came up with the idea of doing a family quilt, with each person contributing a piece that reflects themselves. Something that would remind our grandmother of each of us when she saw it. 

Not everybody sews, so it had to be appropriate for all skill levels. And there were 13 of us, so any kind of square pattern was out. 

So instead, I asked each of my cousins to send me a strip of any kind of fabric - 6" in height (to allow room for trimming and seam allowances) and the width of the bolt. Those who sew could piece it however they like, and add on anything they liked, and those who don't sew could send me their fabric and instructions and I could help. I figured that at the very least, everyone could pick out a piece of fabric that reflected their personality, or that they just loved. 

We opened it up beyond traditional quilting fabrics, and I was so happy with what everybody sent. 

Some people embroidered their names, added initials, buttons, all kinds of things. I loved the brocade and vintage fuzzy flowers. Five siblings coordinated their fabrics - I think they were a little nervous that the whole thing would look too crazy. Even so, it works, as they all have a lot in common in real life too. Even the ones who just picked one fabric looked awesome.

I decided that, just as in life, we all get along better with a bit of space in between us. :)

I lined the strips up in birth order and picked a warm grey for the background.

The textures were just so cool.

My row - embellished with some velvet roses.

Somehow I got the whole thing pieced, quilted, the binding attached and put in the mail in time for Christmas Eve. The plan was for one of my cousins to finish hand-stitching the binding. But it turned out our grandmother loved it so much, she wouldn't let it leave the house and did it herself. :)

I'll have to get some photos of the finished quilt next time I visit. I was so happy with how it turned out that we did another one for my father-in-law's 75th birthday!

If you are interested in doing one of these for your family, drop me a line - I'd love to help!