it's the little things that mean a lot

I find it very interesting how I can view something -- like a quilt or piece of art, for instance -- on someone's blog or on television...and have a particular notion of what I think the size might be.

Like the following quilt, for instance. How big...or small...would you say it is?



Really? It is actually quite small. In fact, so small that when I was filling in the information for my client's invoice...I didn't even indicate the measurements! But if my memory serves me correctly...I believe this little quilt is about the size of a medium sized cutting mat. Around 17 x 24 inches.


It is darling, isn't it! So crisp and fresh looking...with its two color blue and white color scheme. I can only take the credit for the Star Echo machine quilting. My good friend and client from Texas -- Julie...of JulieK Quilts -- pieced this little wonder. Now just imagine its size...and then think of all of the seam allowances that Julie matched up and stitched through! Truly...most of the seam allowances on the back butted up to the neighboring seam allowance!

My initial thoughts were to treat this quilt in a very traditional manner...perhaps longarm quilting it in the way that it might have been hand quilted. Some cross-hatching, maybe?

Well...the more that I thought and planned and envisioned the possibilities...the more that I turned away from those plans. I knew that any little wiggle or imperfection in my machine stitching would be magnified, due to this quilt's minute measurements.

Those plain white open blocks that you see on the quilt's top? The snowball blocks. They are smaller than my fist! And those little blue triangles that create the snowball block? They are about the size of my fingertip! So...I opted away from a traditional look of cross-hatching or what have you...and turned to a simple edge-to-edge Star Echo.




Who knew that so much thought could be stitched into such a little quilt!