Snowflake Quilt
60“ x 72”
Pattern by Nicole Daksiewicz, Modern Handcraft
Anyone who follows me knows that I am not much of a pattern (or rule) follower. Once in a while, though, something just grabs my attention and won’t let go. From the first moment I saw the Snowflake pattern I knew I would make one. I tried to resist, honestly. But the design was too good to let it slip by. Then, shockingly, I went start to finish on this quilt quite quickly. The top did not sit for months or even years. I finished the top a little over a month ago and the last stitches went in the binding last week, making it the first finish of 2020.
The pattern itself provides instructions for making it a bold two colour quilt, one with four background stripes, or this scrappy option. And if you follow Nicole or the hashtag then you can see many, many more creative options people did. Things like plaid, diagonal stripes, fussy cutting. #snowflakequiltalong
I may have been following someone else’s pattern here, but I did stick true to my style, even if it wasn’t a deliberate decision to do so. Low volume and scrappy, please, you know I like it! While I did debate a four colour linen version I ditched it because of seam lines. Like panty lines, I didn’t want them visible.
My girls helped me baste the quilt - some crappy Christmas movie their entertainment - which made me very happy. Time together and voluntary help! It went so well I asked them to help me baste a second quilt but that is a different story.
While quilting I did attempt to do something a bit fancier but not really. To emphasize the snowflake I did point to point straight lines, a mimic crystal. The hardest part was making sure I repeated correctly on other points of the snowflake. My plans for the background were more intricate, then I reminded myself that you don’t see the quilting much on a scrappy mix of fabrics, so why go through the effort? Wavy lines for texture and to remind me of snowdrifts. It does add a nice contrast to the snowflake itself. All quilted with Aurifil 2600, that beautiful pale gray.
Because I love a contrast binding I was going to choose a pale pink to finish it off. However, I used the only pale pink in my stash on the back of the quilt! Binding went on just before Christmas when hibernation mode was strong and the budget was gone. Into the stash for this lovely gray instead! I’m pretty sure the pink and the grey (plus some of the blues) are Uppercase fabrics. All the fabrics came from my stash.
A number of family members are trying to lay claim on the quilt. My husband would be glad to see another quilt out the door, but this one is going to keep me snuggled for this winter at least. It’s only January so there is a lot more winter to come. That means a lot more snuggling.
