The story of Kate's Plaids quilt

This is the story of Kate's Plaids quilt. 

Kate is my co-worker. We live in and work at 2 different offices but in the same department of one company.  Kate is a person I escalate job related issues to when an additional approval is needed or when a particular negotiation needs another's expertise. She's my "go to" person and has been for a few years.

Normally, I have work acquantainces, a professional relationship that once we go our seperate ways, we aren't likely to chat with each other again.  Kate is more than that.  She has become a work friend and confidant. Kate has helped me through personal issues on the job, has been a good ear when I'm babbling on about family and has been a wonderful cheerleader to my quilting (and fitness) efforts.

Kate is, in short, a wonderful person and I've long wanted to tell her how much she is appreciated. I hope I've done that by returning the favor of being a friend, as much as she's wanted me to be, but I also wanted her to have a tangible reminder and thus, the idea of creating a quilt for her was born.

For many months, I pondered what to make her. I thought it would be great to surprise her but I could never quite settle on colors or design. Instead, I asked her. I told her I wanted to make her a quilt and she let me know her color and style preferences. Then it was on!

One night, after a guild meeting, several guild members and I set about to find the perfect fabrics to compliment the pattern I chose, "Plaid Parade" by Jaybird Quilts. Cutting and piecing went together fairly quickly.

I pieced the back to give her two minkee colors instead of just one and since this was to allow for lounging the AC in the summer, I did not include batting. Just the top and the minkee for a soft and lightweight quilt.

Then came the quilting.  What to do, what to do?  I initially thought to quilt in all the negative space but thankfully, common sense stepped in and reminded me I'd lose the specific kind of cuddly feel I wanted out of the minkee if I did that.   Instead, I quilted diamond ropes in the white sashing of the blocks and just an orange peel type of curve in the colored squares.

 I am more proud of how this quilting looks on the back of the quilt than the front.  I love it when a minkee has a quilted design within it!

Finally, I tried a new technique to label it. I took a leftover piece of binding and machine stitched "Handmade by" on one side and my name on the other.  Then I sewed it into the binding.  I like this method a lot. Simple and inexpensive.

There are numerous errors in my quilting (so much so I thought maybe I should rip them out and redo it all). I pushed myself to a perfectionist expectation because I wanted Kate to be blown away but that was (is) just foolish.  I'm not a professional and I don't mark up my quilts to quilt on them (well, maybe for the custom paid quilts). I also free motion everything. My quilting is always tied to my mood, how relaxed or distracted (or not) I am. So, I've had to remind myself a lot during this one why I quilt in the first place. I quilt to provide a gift that brings comfort and I send them with the sentiment to use them and feel the love and happiness that existed in creating them.  So, I sent it on as is. I'm not perfect and I know I will never have a quilt that is either. That's what makes them unique and special.

So, here is Kate's Plaids. I hope she enjoys it and I truly hope she knows, how much she is appreciated every day, even when we haven't chatted in a while. 

And Kate, if you are reading this. Thank you for being you.

Cheers!
Beck