Who doesn’t love a heart quilt? I made my I Wove U quilt in the queen size using solids in a color scheme inspired by my logo. Measuring 94″ x 94″, it is an oversized delight ideal for a wedding quilt. In the queen sized version of the I Wove U pattern has four heart blocks set on point, blooming outwards from the center of the quilt. They are nestled in interwoven strips of sashing, punctuated by cornerstones. Made in solids, these hearts blocks and the surrounding sashing make for generous canvases to showcase some fun quilting.
Fabric choices
While my favourite thing about quilting is actually quilting, I WOVE playing with fabric pulls for my patterns.
Early in my quilting journey, I bought only what I needed for each project. Then I started stash building with fat quarters. If I REALLY liked something, I’d get a yard. In recent years, I’ve moved more toward sewing with solids, picking up multiple yards of my “brand colors” when I see them on clearance.
My stash is now so ridiculous that I feel like I can’t possibly ever NEED to buy fabric to make a quilt that’s in my head. Surely I must be able to shop my stash, right?
Alas, while that’s true for fat quarter friendly quilts, I really wanted to make this queen size quilt with a more limited palette. This is not the first time I’ve gotten frustrated with having *almost* enough of a color, or not being able to get enough gradations of a hue to create what I want. Queen size + limited palette = large cuts of a handful of fabrics!
Sooooo I pieced the queen size quilt with the yardage I had on hand, and made a mental note to buy some more bolts of many shades of the pinks that I’m gravitating toward lately!
Piecing
Honestly, I have very little to say about the piecing. These blocks are so darn big that they come together superduperfast!
Yes, there are curves, but they’re big, generous curves, which are very forgiving. But for those who need a little support on the curved piecing, I’ve got you.
How do I quilt it?
Once I got my quilt top assembled, it was time to figure out a quilting plan. I used to sketch out my quilt designs with pencil and paper. With the layout of this quilt, I was able to work way more quickly on my iPad using the symmetry option in the Procreate app.
Texture is what elevates a quilt from just nice to extraordinary for me, and it’s why I fell in love with this art form. Using contrasting textures adds interest and keeps the eye moving. If you do it right, it makes your hands just want to reach out and pet the quilt!
I quilted “flying geese” in the heart shapes to create a sense of movement where they weave in and around eachother. I left a border inside the edge of those shapes to help create some separation with the background quilting.
For all the yummy background of the blocks, I created a frame of diagonal piano keys behind the hearts (not actually diagonal on the longarm frame, but diagonal within the on-point block) and then used my favorite feathery swirly paisley filler in the middle.
In the sashing and cornerstones, I went with a dot-to-dot motif that added a new texture to the quilt but was quick and easy to execute.
I chose a medium grey thread so the quilting blends fairly well with all the fabrics.
If you want to watch the actual quilting process, I talked through all my decisions and thought process in real time for almost and hour total in tutorials exclusively for members of The Bobbin Bunch.
Want to make your own I Wove U quilt? Grab a copy of the pattern!
