For some reason, I cannot think about a quilting pattern until a top is completely done. I sit there staring at the top….go look at some pattern books….sketch a little….begin stitching a design….rip that out….stare at the top. This can go on for an amazingly long period of time.
In the case of this doll quilt, that’s precisely what happened. I’m finally happy with the design — I seem to prefer quilting with floss on embroidered quilts (or at least adding a little floss). Pearl cotton would probably look good, too, but I don’t have any pearl cotton, and I have tons of floss.
The center motif is outlined with 2 strands of white floss, and the borders are stitched 1/4″ inside the seams in white and DMC 891, Dark Carnation — one of my favorite DMC colors. The back is a vintage piece that is the same print, but different colorway, as the back of my Grandmother’s Flower Garden Doll Quilt. The binding is a reproduction print.
I am pretty excited to have one Christmas present already finished in the first month of 2011.
Cottage Doll Quilt
Martha Dellasega Gray, 2011
crayon and hand embroidery, machine pieced, hand quilted
20″ x 20″
