Pretty Purple Puzzle Quilt

Pretty Purple Puzzle Quilt

74" x 75"

Started December 26, 2020
Finished February 14, 2021

Delivered in time for her birthday - February 22, 2021

A quilt for Sheila Bryan

I volunteered to make a quilt for my co-worker Sheila. She had seen Angela's Scrabble Quilt and wanted one as well. I told her that if she supplied the materials, I would make it and not charge for any labor.

I asked her to provide me with 12-14 words that she wanted to include. Using a website called Crossword Hobbyist, I plugged in the words and had my crossword design.

Next, we went to Joann Fabrics in Roseville so she and Kayla could pick out their desired fabrics. (I'm making a quilt for Kayla as well). Sheila picked out a lavender for the letter backgrounds, and then blocks with dark purple and a swirly purple fabric.

I began working on Sheila's quilt over the Christmas holiday. Although Tiffany, Jimmy, and Spencer were home for the holidays, there were pockets of time when I wasn't making meals or keeping up with home tasks allowing me time to sew.

Because the kids were using my sewing room, I set up my machine downstairs in the basement. With the heater going, I was nice and cozy and happily sewing along.

I used my computer to find a thick font for the letters. Next, I ironed Heat & Bond to the dark purple fabric and pinned my font "patterns" to cut them out. Then I ironed these letters onto the lavender squares. I used a tight blanket stitch around the letters. There is a lot of stopping and started to get around those curved edges.

Next, I cut out 5" squares of both purples and began sewing. I did run short on fabric and had to make a trip to Roseville to get more of the lavender. This was done when I took the kids to the airport, so I was able to make just one trip to "the big city."

Because of the puzzle configuration, the quilt was wider than it was tall (17 across x 14 down). Sheila and I communicated back and forth through text of ideas of adding borders to the top and bottom.

Finally, we agreed to meet so we could discuss in person what design she liked.

Using a Seminole design, we added a 6" border on the top and bottom. And a 2 1/2" border on both sides.

Once it was finished, I had to think about the quilting. I decided to have Val do the quilting for me for Kayla and Sheila's quilts. (I knew I couldn't quilt Kayla's quilt so if I was doing it for one, I needed to do it for both). Plus, I wanted this to be nice for Sheila. We chose a swirly design with variegated thread that Sheila had chosen. 

Closeup of quilting

Nevada City experienced a snowstorm the week the quilt was to be delivered. So, Val arranged to drop off the quilts to my office. The surprise of the quilting wasn't kept secret because everyone wanted to see the quilts.

I received it back in time to get the hand binding done and delivered to Sheila before her birthday.

Sheila was overjoyed to receive her quilt, and it did turn out beautifully.

I learned a lesson from this quilt. Sheila chose a polyester fabric. If I would do this again, I would use stabilizer on the backside of the fabric so the fabric would lay smooth and be easier to sew to the other fabrics.

Every quilt tells a story. This is the story of making another puzzle quilt for a friend, learning about the importance of stabilizer for non-quilting cotton, implementing a new border pattern, and blessing a friend.

Every Quilt Tells A Story
Whether it is the fabrics chosen, the design, the colors, the occasion, the recipient, or the people I quilt with, every quilt tells a story. This blog captures in images and words what has been created for others and for my own home through the hum and stitching of my sewing machine.