New York Subway Quilt - Throw Back Thursday...errr Friday

Today's post is in honor of the trend "Throw Back Thursday" although it's technically Friday...  

Here's a two year flashback to review my NYC Subway quilt.  I was (and still am) inspired by Oh Fransson's Tokyo Subway Quilt.  My husband grew up in NYC and I wanted to pay tribute to his subway adventures.

I chose to follow a simple grid layout and used the actual MTA Subway layout with Central Park, the central (hehe) focus of my quilt.  I could go on and on for hours on how much I love Central Park.  Ready?  

My husband and i while we were dating, next to the Alice in Wonderland Statue, 2006

Ok, maybe next time.

Here are pictures that I took at the time I created quilt. After I cut the squares, I laid out the quilt by grids and smaller squares 8 x 8.

2000 2" squares later, I created the quilt top and fairly accurate piecing.  It took me plenty of time, but I was (am) very happy with the results.  The letters were raw appliqued onto the white squares with a zig zag stitch.

Here is the finished project!  The back is a squiggly line print to reflect how a tourist feels when they come out of the subway... a little disoriented.

This quilt was my first experience with my local quilt shop and I was nervous.  Luckily the ladies were understanding and helpful, even though they didn't like my original plan to put minky on the back.

The long-arm quilting pattern is called "sprung" and also evoked the movement of "The City."

We held a raffle for the quilt at Christmas in 2011 and my Father-In-Law won!

Thanks for indulging me! I hope you've enjoyed my little trip down memory lane.  I promise that I'll have some current updates next week, including a tutorial.


Also, I now have a Facebook page for the blog!  If you're interested in having some additional project updates and more quilt pictures, please like my page Quarter Mile Quilts.

Vintage Modern Quilt - A Finish!

Just in time for last week's travels, I finished my Vintage Modern quilt featuring Bonnie & Camille's fabric line of the same name.  I promise, there are times that I am better at naming quilts, but this time nothing came to me.   Perhaps it's because there is so much pink and red?  Hmmmph.... 

Luckily this number (along with a smaller I-spy quilt) fit nicely into my carry-on luggage.  Tip for future craft travelers: if you're worried about having room for souvenirs pack a craft (quilt) or two as gifts for your hostess.  You'll then have room to bring back your fabric purchases souvenirs.

The Road to Tennessee quilt block was a perfect pattern for the two charm packs of Vintage Modern.  A few yards of Kona White for the top, an aqua print (not pictured - oops!) that I can't remember for the backing, and a Kona red for the binding.

Looking back, when I was, oh-so-young (ok, it was only last year) I only used the Kona white.  Now, I think an off-white would be a better choice.  While the white is crisp, I think an off-white would blend better.  What do you think?

One of my favorite classes at the Sewing Summit was Stash Mixology.  We discussed different ways to use and cultivate our stash.  I am practicing being a bit more honest and critical of my fabric choices.  Check back in a few days for a dedicated post coming up on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!