Garden Party Quilt

My sister, Amy, was whose name I pulled out of the hat for Christmas gifts last year.

I was pretty excited. I hadn't given to her for Christmas yet. Not since we'd started the names-in-the-hat method.

And really there is no hat. We are more sophisticated than that. I don't know how mom does it, but I'm sure it's sophisticated. You know, so we don't end up giving to the same person multiple years in a row. (....or maybe she does use a hat...?)

But I knew I wanted to make her a quilt. (I have a goal to make each sibling a quilt..just a small throw size.)

And Amy...well she's such a fun person.

Amy is "Cheeseburger" and my Owen is "Chicken Nugget." Those are their names for eachother. In fact, if I talk to Owen about Amy I have to say Cheeseburger to remind him who Amy is.

A quilt for Amy....

Amy is happy, friendly, crazy, bold, quirky, dramatic, silly, wild, embarrassing ;), the life of the party. I'm sure there are times each sibling has thought of Amy as the favorite sister. :) We love her.

Anyway, I have a quilt book I bought a few years back, "Material Obsession" by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, that has a quilt I knew she'd love. I thought of her the second I saw it.

It's called "The 'Burbs." I think of it as a little garden party. It's cute and sort of quirky too. Very Amy. She likes a lot of things and this scrappy, silly, fun quilt is perfectly HER.

I found a site that has pictures from this awesome book (there are so many I want to try).

I really hesitate to post it, because their quilt is sooooo cute. I love, love, love it. That fabrics are unique, look vintage, and are probably expensive. Poor Amy got one made with my scraps and a few cheap filler fabrics I found at a chain store. I can't afford the fabric in those amazing specialty quilt shops. Anyway, click here if you wanna see it. (The bright one for my sister Ally was inspired by one of these too, though again, I couldn't find those amazing fabrics to fit my budget.)

And here's my lame attempt at "The 'Burbs" or as I like to think of it "The Garden Party"...

I love it, but when I look at the one in the book and then the one I made, I sadly like it less. Sigh... (So maybe I don't want anyone to see the book's quilt!)

Here's what they wrote about it: "The one thing to remember about this quilt is...let yourself go! This quilt is a recipe, not a pattern. There are no set sizes for the dolls or houses, so there is no set size for the quilt."

And let me tell you, that makes for a pretty time consuming project!

One day while the kids were at school and even after they were home, I pieced the quilt and watched about 8 episodes of Veronica Mars (such a great show, in case you are wondering). I was at it all day! By the end, I didn't care to see it ever again! Ha ha. (Of course it's been a year now and now I miss it!)

So, needless to say this quilt is not for the meticulous. The person who like exact measurements, precise corners, etc...Stay away! In fact, it's sort of a pain to get the pieces to fit together!

That's probably why it matches my sister so well. She isn't what I would call meticulous or precise. :) I wouldn't call her a pain either, though! That would be mean. Ha ha. Just teasing, Ame.

Those are hats on top of each lady's head. As the book said, "Any well-dressed suburban lady wears a hat to go out, and there are a few ways to make her one." (So in case you're a "well dressed suburban lady" and didn't know that, you may need to go get yourself a hat. I don't need to as I am not "well dressed." So there.)

I like that wild flower dress! And notice the little bird house dress up there...she has a bird hat! Hee hee.

Some hats are bigger than others. I wonder which ones are the most envied among the ladies...

How 'bout a polka dot roof?

Anyone I have made a quilt for, may recognize many of these fabrics. That orange dress and purple hat, and probably many others can be found in Ally's Quilt.

I want a red gingham house!

I love you, Sister!