My mom has been wanting us to make a quilt together for the longest time. Recently, we both having been eyeing Jen Kingwell‘s patterns, but had been (at least I was) intimidated by the large investment of work. Until we had the idea to make one together. And then we both caved and thus a new project is in the works.
My mom (Anne) and I will be working on Green Tea and Sweet Beans together. The quilt will be pieced entirely by hand (we’ll see about the quilting!). Techniques involve are hand piecing, English Paper Piecing, and applique. Anne is excellent at applique. You’ll see.
I actually dabbled in some hand piecing a few years ago. It was nothing worth showing you all and certainly not as cool as the Green Tea & Sweet Beans (GT&SB) pattern. The pattern calls for a scrappy look; one that will hopefully lend itself to the blending of two fabric stashes.
A synergistic effect I hope?!
Periodically, I will be sharing our progress here. This week my mom came for a short visit. We plotted and planned. She folded my laundry and bought me some fabric (love ya mom!). Then she left (wah!) and I worked on the first block, the Wedding Chain Block.
I cut out the first templates from the template plastic I kept from my earlier hand sewing dabblings. (Yah pack rat!)
I pulled some fabrics (purples n grays), trying to blend multiple genres of fabrics.
I cut out the pieces, incorrectly on some. (One is supposed to mark on the wrong side of the fabric. Ahem.) Then I laid the fabrics out and found my fussy cut center square is on point. Whoops! Back to the fabric stash.
That’s better!
What about you? Have you tried hand piecing? Am I crazy? It sure is nice to know my mom will be working this with me.
I LOVE hand piecing. While yes it is slow, the feeling of accomplishment when you finish a block is great. I am in the middle of a hand pieced quilt along right now and am loving it. It's not for everybody but I hope you have as good of experience as I'm having! Good luck!
How fantastic that you are working on it together. I have a love/hate relationship with hand piecing 😉
Never have hand pieced anything ever. I think I will live vicariously through your mom and you.
That is the coolest thing to have a mom to sew with:) AND she bought you fabric awesome sauce!
Have a great time with it!
love hand piecing! such a great idea to make this with your mom.
I love that you're doing this with your mom. Brilliant idea!
I only hand piece, really. It takes ages, but it's so rewarding to watch a top come together and know that you did it all by hand. Bonus would be that it helps reel in quilt costs (it's hard to justify stashing more fabric when I already have projects planned leading into the next two years). It's also delightful to zone out on the couch beside my husband with the tv on in the background and sew.