My Favorite Quilt!

In June I had the most awesome trip to Vermont where I met up with 21 other special ladies for a sewing retreat.  I still can't believe what a special time it was and I think almost daily about these ladies and what an amazing experience it was for me.  I wrote a blog post about it where I blog for MaryJanesFarm magazine.  You can read all about it there by clicking here. 

But what I'd like to share with you today is the quilt that I worked on while I was in Vermont!  

I think I've told you here before about an Instagram Sewing Bee group that I'm in where each month one of us gets the chance to have all other 10 ladies sew the quilt block of our choosing.  For my month I chose to have everyone make me a scrappy log cabin block.  I took all those blocks and added a lot of my own to make the most fun quilt top!  I had the quilt all basted to the backing and took it to Vermont with me and I began hand quilting it there!

I loved sitting in this circle of amazing women and hand quilting together in Vermont.  We had some of the most fun conversations! 

Several of the gals had participated in a log cabin sew along and they were also hand quilting on their quilts.  One of my favorite picture from the retreat was this one of all us with our log cabin quilts.  

Where my log cabin quilt was individual blocks, theirs were one giant log cabin, which honestly I would love to make someday!!  

I was super excited to quilt this with black thread in a "big stitch" style of hand quilting.  It is literally hand quilting with big stitches.  Believe me, when you've been taught from a young age to be proud of your teeny tiny hand quilting stitches this was actually hard for me to do!!!  But oh my word.  I can't even describe how much I love it!!  I just adore how the black stitches cause the pattern to just jump out at you!  

I've been offered good money for this quilt and I didn't even hesitate to refuse!  Smile!

I couldn't figure out what to back the quilt with and in a rush before leaving for the retreat I decided to back it with a vintage sheet.  I really waffled about that decision.  But it ended up being one of my favorite things about the quilt.  

And I love how the black stitches show up on the back! 

I chose to bind the quilt in a black stripe fabric cut on the bias.  I love how it ties in with the black quilting stitches.  

This quilt has become the quilt that goes with me to the porch swing, the porch bed and the couch!  

I adore the memories associated with this quilt.  From the blocks made by my Sweet Bee Quilting sisters to the blocks I made with some of my favorite fabric scraps, to the hand quilting done at the retreat in Vermont.  And even sitting and visiting with some special friends of mine as I was hand sewing on the binding.   It's really a special quilt and I couldn't love it more!  

On a side note:  all the pictures of my finished quilt were taken in our flower garden.   Its been an amazing summer in the garden.  Andrea and I have worked so hard to stay on top of the cutting, arranging and selling flowers... and the weeding, mowing, staking flowers, dead heading, and everything else required of us in our little flower farming business.  This is the first time I've photographed a quilt in the garden and I'm quite sure it won't be my last!  

I know school starts here tomorrow, but we are still thick in the summer flower season!
And loving every bit of it!