Erica's Red and Turquoise Quilt

This quilt for my niece Erica was so much fun to make (as are almost all quilts).  She told me that she really loved the colours (note the Canadian spelling) turquoise, red and white.  I never would have come up with this combination of colors myself but once I started collecting I knew it would be stunning.

I saw the quilt pattern last summer on the cover of "Fabulous Fast Quilts" by Amy Small and thought it was so cute.  It is called "Moroccan Tile".  Their version was done in blue, grey, orange and white, but as is often the case, I like my version better.

Last summer I went on several shop hops, which means I visited lots and lots of quilt shops and collected fat quarters all over Oregon and Washington.  There are four different reds and fourteen different turquoises in the center of the quilt.  That seemed to be about the right balance because the red is so strong.

There are seventy 5" pieced blocks in the quilt and as far as I know, no two are exactly the same.  They are set on point and alternate with 5" solid white blocks with setting triangles along the sides.

I purchased the inner red border and the turquoise outer border after the center was completely pieced. 

The red border is 3/4" and the outer border is about 6" (I can't remember for sure).  The finished quilt is 65" x 85", a little bigger than I like for folding up on a regular basis if you are using it as a TV throw to curl up under, but perfect at the end of a bed or over the couch.  I took the quilt down to John and June at Quiltmasters in mid April.  The quilting design is called Geometric Squares.

The backing fabric was actually the first thing I purchased for this quilt and had planned to use it as the outer border as well, but when it came time to cut and attach, it was just too busy and a little bit too green.  It still worked for the backing and gave the quilt a little more whimsy which is exactly what Erica liked.  I am so happy with the way it all came together and I have never had a more positive reaction than Erica's when she unfolded her quilt.

 

I was able to deliver her quilt in person on Canada Day.  We are visiting our family in sunny Southern Alberta and on July 1st drove to Calgary to celebrate with Brian (Kent's brother) and Nadyne.  Erica was there with her two cute kids as well as her brother Paul and his wife Julie and their three girls.  It was a wonderful day complete with lots of visiting and delicious food.  I wanted to get some pictures of all the kids but they got away before I got that done.

We spent the night and then the next morning as we drove along Stoney Trail on the way out of Calgary, about 25 minutes after we had left, a car honked as it drove up behind and passed us.  And guess who.  It was Erica on her way to work.  She works full time as a dental assistant for her dad. 

I first met Erica when she was a little girl - when I was still single - so it's hard to believe she will be turning 40 this year.  She has been a part of many of our family events over the years - family reunions, weddings, and funerals.  We always look forward to seeing her.  I can't think of anyone more deserving of this beautiful quilt and hope it makes her smile for years to come.