Dad's Fish Quilt

I am getting ready to sandwich and pin-baste Dad's quilt today. When he first moved into long term care, one of the few things he asked for was a quilt from me to hang on the wall. Most of my own quilts were away at a quilt show at that time, so I took him one that has wool applique flowers on it, in front of a big old house on a hill, just like the one I grew up in, and a caption that says Home is Where the Heart Is. It is a place holder for his own quilt.

Then I decided that since the aides at the facility always use his log cabin heart lap quilt to cover his bed, he really needed a bed quilt that fits, so his lap quilt can stay in his recliner for day use. Thus began the fish quilt.... I spotted a wonderful fish pillow at my local quilt shop, and purchased the pattern which included a wall hanging that would be perfect for Dad's room. My mind kept playing with the fish theme, and I ended up designing a quilt in EQ6 based on the same pattern. Back to the quilt shop I went and found most of the fabrics I had liked so well in the original pillow that had caught my eye, and added a few from my stash as well. I found a wonderful flannel plaid for a cozy back and it was even on sale.

There were a few problems with machine buttonhole applique as I created the blocks but that quest for help led to other tips that greatly improved my stitching skills. The next problem was a math one, as the borders in my plan didn't seem to match the size of the blocks. Finally I gave in and just sewed. The original bullrush appliques I had prepped now seemed out of scale so I made new ones in a larger scale and set the first ones aside for the wall hanging. Finally the top was completed and pressed.

Now I will pin-baste and start the machine quilting. Soon it will be ready to keep Dad warm at night. I can hardly wait to show it to him! The dryer buzzer just went, so the batting is relaxed and ready to use.