My first Quilty

Well, I think it's time you met the Quilt. After looking for the last few months for a quilt or comforter that I could take to Brooklyn with me, and being met with all plainness and ugliness (even from Anthropologie! Shocking!) I decided that possibly, maybe, I could make one all by myself.

I have no idea how one makes a quilt, or what a proper quilt is comprised of, so I just thought to myself...."Now, Emily. What does a quilt usually include? Pretty peices of fabric sewn together, with some mushy stuffing for the middle layer (the peanut butter and jelly, if you will, of the Quilt Sandwich) and then a big old backing peice of fabric. Oh! And something simple and sweet around the edges. And stitching all the way up and down. Oh yes....lots of stiching in rows and rows, to keep the whole Sandwich together."

So, with this unorthidox school of Quilting in my mind, I set to work. I made the squares very large (13"x13") to save time, and also keep a bit of simplicity throughout...don't want to be struck down with *gasp* the dreaded "over-done-itis"! So, here she is, less than a week later.

Using the wonderful Blair's technique (well, her inherited technique from the bloggy collective wisdom) I backed the quilt with a nice, chocolate brown full flat sheet with the faintest suggestion of a scroll pattern.

This is also the fabric our pillow cases are made of (thanks, Issac Mizrahi via Target!). It's so nice and substantial...it softens nicely with a few washes, too...we're only on wash #2 at this point.

Yikes, looking at this pixelated nonsense to our left, I have to make a distinct note to self: look into a better camera!

Here, I just wanted to show you my favorite "corners" of the quilt:

I love, LOVE that handwriting tablet fabric (thanks, Equilter! ) and I really must buy 5 yards before they cease carrying it like they did with my very favorite red dots on white tiny polka fabric (which can be seen in the smaller, token strip in lowe left of the picture below):

It's come to my attention recently that while it is very easy to find white dots on a red background, red dots on a white background (which I totally prefer) are suprisingly scarce! I'm so mad at myself for not buying up loads of that sweet fabric when I had the chance... If anyone has any suggestions/ideas/top secret tips for a source for red on white dotted fabric, I will love you. I will send you a wonderful present. (UPDATE: Thanks so much to the sweetie pie Carolyn & anyone who was hunting around on my behalf! The crafty-blog-lady world is such an ask-and-you-shall-recieve world, and I am so very lucky to have you guys as a resource. AND now I get to buy tons and tons of my favorite, favorite polkas @ at the lovely site Carolyn sent me, Handmades!)  I already combed through Equilter, Cia's Pallette, even the kinda gross Fabric.com.
The lesson of Saturday:
Red on white dotted fabric tips = Special Present...so please help!

Also, I am trusting you guys big time to not berate me for my silly, rogue-beginner quilt. I love it so much... It's mostly its big-ness that impresses me...everything I paint is little, and the things I sew (creatures, dolls, bags) are also small. Maybe all of those art  school professors were onto something when they advised: "I like it small, but I would love it big! Bigger, Bigger, Bigger!" I will always be a lover of tiny things, but there is a certain overwhelming power to be found in Big things. Maybe it's that they fill up your eyes? I dunno, but wow...what a ramble! :)
Happy Weekend!