The Quilt

I finally got started on the quilt I've been planning for over two years. And, it's turned out just like I imagined, so far!
When I was growing up, in my Nana Keene's house, there was a print on the wall above her couch. It was a tropical botanical, with Bird of Paradise and some white birds, if I remember those correctly. I've seen fabric quite similar to that print over the years, and it always brings back that memory.
Two years ago, I was at the Puyallup sewing expo with my sister, Charlotte, when we stumbled across this:
It's a horrible photo, I know, what with the indoor lighting and that spot light at the top. But, I fell instantly in love, and I bought the main Hawaiian barkcloth, in the pattern almost identical to Nana's print, and pattern book (on the wise counsel of my sister) on the spot.
I loved the fact that it was a quilt, but not a country or twee one. I loved the rectangles and squares (found out later that the pattern is called Picture This-providential, no?). I loved the mix of barkcloth and cottons. I loved the quilting, in a viney-botanical pattern. Just loved it.
Brought everything home and there it sat, until this last month.
I cleared my calendar and went to work. First up: getting the other fabrics. I headed out to the store and began my search. Thankfully, I have an iPhone; as I picked out bolts, I'd send a photo to Charlotte to get her imput. Brilliant! Almost as good as having her there with me.
Home to wash it all up and start cutting out.
This is where, of course, things took a horribly wrong turn. You see, there is also a pattern in the book, the first one, that is EXACTLY like the cover pattern, only the squares are 9x9, rather than 15x15. Really, you'd think that the cover pattern would be the first one, but no, you'd be terribly mistaken.
So, I get all the cotton cut out and start to measure out the barkcloth, when finally my good sense kicked in, "Hummm... this rectangle sure looks a lot smaller than the quilt I remember...."
Fortunately, I did have the good sense to listen to the wise counsel of Charlotte, and I had bought just a little more fabric than called for. The pattern directions for the wrong quilt.
I salvaged enough of the original cut fabric to avoid wasting too much, modifying the pattern just a bit to do that, and got to work sewing the blocks together.
I finished all the cotton squares before I started on the barkcloth. I kept thinking, this thing is HUGE... (Note to self: listen to that little inner voice.)
With the addition of the barkcloth squares, it was ginormous! Go back to my original mistake: the pattern I started out with included a 6" border, so I'm still working under the very mistaken assumption that I will have a border on this pattern, too.
No.
I get all the squares sewn together and I lay it out on the floor. Still not listening to that little voice. It's monstrous!
"Is a king size bed really this large?!?!?"
Check the pattern book again.
Oops. No border.
I lay it out on our bed and it's just the right size as it is, without the border I had imagined. So, the final binding will be in the red batik, jsut not in a border. I will have enough of the red left over to make some pillow shams, which I'm thinking I'll get quilted in the same pattern as the bedspread.
So, now to get the batting and backing. My plan is to take it up to Washington, to a quilter up there that Charlotte has used. And, then I get a visit with her, too. Can't wait to see how it comes out!