When I first purchased my long-arm quilt machine and started my own business I made a very simple smallish quilt for my then three grandchildren. The quilts were really nothing special. They had a center panel, all one piece of fabric, encapsulated by one or more borders. Here’s a few photos.

Even though the quilts weren’t anything special the quilting stitches, if I might say so myself, were spectacular. All three of my grandchildren instantly fell in love with their “Nannie” quilts, as they so lovingly nicknamed them.

When my fourth grandchild was born I made a quilt for her as well. This quilt, however, was much fancier. I used the Cathedral pattern designed by Villa Rosa Designs. After finishing that quilt I made a vow to myself to make a new quilt for my other grand kids using the exact same pattern but different fabrics.

The quilt I’m making for Mr. J, my only grandson, will be made using a jelli-roll from Moda called S’mores Love along with two coordinating fabrics. The first is a blue fabric called Modern Texture from the Riverwoods collection and an orange fabric from the Color Weave collection.

The best part of this pattern is that it utilizes a jelli-roll. Having the 40 2 1/2″ strips already cut makes the process of assembly go much smoother as well as much easier. I purchased the jelli-roll from the Fat Quarter Shop. The coordinating fabrics were acquired from Bungalow Quilting and Yarn.

Before starting anything I made sure the blue and orange fabrics were free of creases. After pressing them it was time to start cutting fabric. From the forty strips I cut 480 individual 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ pieces. From the blue I cut sixty 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ strips and from the orange eight 5 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ blocks. As you can tell from the cutting instructions the quilt has sixty blocks. To each of the sixty blocks four 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ strips are added. Once the blocks are ready the real fun begins.

The process of laying out the blocks into rows is the best part about making the quilt. It’s a great chance to show your creativity. Since I worked on this quilt while staying at my Little Cabin in the Woods the available floor space was minimal. I knew I would probably have to step on one or more of the blocks to be able to maneuver around to other areas so I made sure my feet were clean and bare.

After swapping this one here and that one there over and over again I finally achieved a color scheme I was pleased with. The blocks were then carefully stacked in rows to maintain the same order, then sewn together. As I finished a row I carefully laid it over the back of one of my couches. All nine remained there until morning when I was ready to press their seams. As morning light arrived I warmed up my iron and prepared to press the resting rows. All nine were retrieved, pressed and returned to their original home on the couch.

That’s all for today. Be watching for Part Two.

 Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting