I’m so happy to finish – from beginning to the end – an English Paper Piecing quilt! I started this quilt in February of 2021 – so about 2½ years from start to finish.

Specifications
Quilt Pattern: Sunshiny Day Quilt by Jodi Godfrey – website HERE
Finished Size: 52″ wide x 70.5″ long
Total Blocks: 48
Construction/Piecing: Each medallion was pieced via English Paper Piecing (EPP), then appliquéd onto Metallic Platinum Essex linen. Blocks were then machine pieced with half square triangles creating posts between the blocks.
Quilt Piecing: Lesley Storts
Quilting: Custom quilting by Betsy at Preposition Quilt – website HERE. Betsy used 8 different colors of thread throughout this quilt.
Batting: 2 layers – wool and bamboo
Time frame to completion: February 2021 – July 2024

Because of the effort and time to make a quilt like this, I did a lot of thinking about how to quilt it. In January, I was scrolling through Instagram and my friend Betsy had changed her IG handle to @prepositionquilt. She and I had just communicated the week before about meeting up at Quiltcon so I messaged her about the change. I learned she has a longarm quilting machine and provides custom quilting services. I sent her pictures of the top, she made a plan for the quilting, and I mailed her the quilt. When we met at Quiltcon, she returned the quilt to me. My initial reaction was amazement at the quilting. Since getting the quilt back and spending time with it, looking at, holding it, and finishing the binding, I’ve come to appreciate Betsy’s talent and effort with this quilt. Additionally, I got a longarm quilting machine when I was at Quiltcon and have been doing free-motion quilting. I now understand even better how gifted Betsy is and truly a quilting and thread artist (is that a thing?). If you are looking for a custom longarm quilter, please reach out to Betsy at Preposition Quilt.

I finished the back with Spot in red, a wide back by Kaffe Fassett. The dots with the medallions on the front compliment each other!

One element of English Paper Piecing that I enjoy is fussy cutting fabrics. A lot of times, the cut pieces are used to create new patterns or shapes with the pieces that are sewn together. Other times, pieces can do something special like spell out words. Since one of the block options accommodated the word “Sunshine” and this is the Sunshiny Day Quilt, I thought it would be fun to spell it out!

The Sunshiny Day Quilt on display in my loft.

Last of all, I’m adding collage pictures of the blocks (most of them) before they were all pieced together. This is documentation and a reminder for me of the labor of love and the various fabrics that were combined to make this quilt.

Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎