Anchor Quilt


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My anchor quilt is finished!  After drawing the pattern and piecing the quilt top over the summer, at last it is quilted and bound.

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Even the backing has sat, waiting for a decision about how to quilt it.  I wanted to do something I’ve never done before, and even try something I haven’t seen done.  I also wanted some sort of quilting that would help draw attention away from the many seam lines in the white background fabric.  Recently I saw an image of a comforter available at Crate & Barrel and decided right away that I had to try this “cable” style of quilting, as I thought it would suit the anchor theme nicely.

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It took some sketching to figure out how to do it on my machine, but after free motion quilting my On A Whim , Early Bird and Choreography quilts this fall, I had more courage and went for it.  Each “cable” is made up of three lines of quilting that goes top to bottom, so it took some time to do but I’m very happy with it.  Far from perfect, but still perfect enough for me!

In fact, I was so excited to see how it would wash up that I immediately threw it in the wash to find out.  I love it.

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I love the way the anchors stand out and you hardly notice all the seams it took to make them.  The quilting is subtle but you can still see it.

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The quilt back also looks nice with the quilting, and I’m so glad I made one more anchor to use on the back.

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I decided to use gray for the binding and settled on this Heath print which I had on hand.  I think it is the perfect binding.

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I love this quilt.  Really, really love it.  As I made it, I thought about all of the people/things that serve as anchors in my life and how grateful I am for them.  The black anchor is a reminder of the greatest anchor of all – my Savior.  This quilt is so ME – and I met a lot of personal goals in the making.  It is entirely my own design, something that once seemed WAY out of my reach.  I loved the process of bringing a fleeting idea to life and hope to do more of this in the future.  It also represents another goal I set for the year, which was to learn how to use free motion quilting on my quilts.  I know I will improve in this skill as well, but I have reached my goal and it makes me want to leap for joy.  This quilt will always be special.

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And it is finished.  I have a few projects that felt like they belonged to 2013, an integral part of my life story this year, and this was one of them.  I have one more in this category to finish.  I’ve been thinking over the past week or so about how grateful I am that I found quilting, for discovering a hobby that is so satisfying to me in a stage of life when I needed something so much.  I feel very blessed.

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Stats:

Tutorial for the anchor quilt block is found here .  It is a 14 inch square block.  There is no sashing between my blocks or borders on the quilt.Measurements:  56 by 70 inches, made of 20 blocks set in 5 rows of 4 anchors each.
Fabric:  blue solid was from my stash; I have no clue regarding manufacturer.  Black arrow is Essex yarn died linen in black, houndstooth backing is from Summer Soiree by Paula Prass for Michael Miller.  Binding is Heath in gray by Alexander Henry Fabrics.

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Thanks for visiting!
Jennifer

7 comments

  • It is so beautiful. I’m happy that you love it, I do too!
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  • Lisa

    Your quilt is lovely. Thanks for sharing!

  • Kat

    Jennifer, your quilt is beautiful. Thank you for generously sharing the tutorial with us!

  • Lori Wiley

    Would you make one of these in king to sale?

  • Shannon Martin

    Jennifer, this quilt is AMAZING!!! I was sitting with my niece trying to decide what kind of quilt to make with her. We have been looking at more quilts than you can imagine! Finally she said that what she really wanted was a white top with ice blue anchors on it. I opened google and typed in “anchor quilt top” thinking I was going to have to try to figure this one out on my own….when…WALLAAAHH!!! There you are! She went bonkers! I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your awesome quilt and your generous spirit. If you have a few minutes for a question, would you mind telling me about your fabric requirements? I’ve only been quilting about 2 years, self-taught, so I’m not great at figuring that out yet! Again, thank you so much for this amazing tutorial on exactly what my niece is looking for!! One day, we will send you a photo of her with it!

  • Shirley

    Great looking quilt, i love it, thankyou for sharing, you a very talented.

  • Jennifer

    My sorority’s symbol is an anchor! I’d love to make one. This is amazing! I’m a novice here, having literally finished my first quilt yesterday. But I like the challenge. I like the quilts with just the one anchor so maybe I’ll think of something as a gift for my big sister’s daughter (something for her hope chest) and my girl ,who will be in high school. Fun!

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