Adventure Quilt: Grand Finale

When I think of adventure, my mind’s eye imagines someone scaling a mountainside or riding the rapids. So writing about a quilt, my Choose Your Own Adventure Quilt, seems tame in comparison to such remarkable outdoor experiences. Nonetheless, piecing this quilt was an undertaking with unknown risks. Could I accurately stitch all those tiny pieces together? Would I persevere and complete this seemingly daunting project? Would I like this quilt after spending months assembling it? After all, the pattern was a mystery that was revealed week by week.

St. Olaf College’s Old Main, my alma matter, served as a fitting background for this quilt. It was a place where I dreamed and plotted the course of my adult life’s adventure.

Thankfully this quilting adventure has a happy ending. I started piecing the quilt during the summer of 2018 and finished in July 2019. Nancy of Grace and Peace Quilting stitched the “Random Clams” pantograph on the quilt for me during August, and I immediately bound it and placed it on my bed. However, I didn’t photograph my adventure quilt until this fall. Since it’s my favorite finish and brings me such joy, it deserved a few glamour shots.

Adventure Quilt Details

The free instructions for this quilt are available at the Moda Bake Shop website. Each week of the sew-along, there were two options to choose from, which meant each maker designed her quilt as the sew-along progressed. This was a very popular sew-along! In fact, Jessica Dayon hosted an updated version called the Spooky Sew-Along in October 2019.

Can you spot the birds in the Nest fabric?

I primarily used the “Nest” fabric line by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. However, I added some depth and brightness to the color palette with charcoal and yellow prints from Corey Yoder’s “Pepper and Flax” fabric line and a yellow print from Kate Spain’s “Bungalow” line.

The “Nest” fabric line was so popular that Vanessa Goertzen took inspiration from it when she created her newest line, “Bloomington,” which will be released during spring 2020. I’m sure this will be very popular! In fact, the Fat Quarter Shop chose “Bloomington” for its 2020 Designer Mystery Block of the Month Quilt.

Life’s Adventure: One Thousand Gifts

Perhaps everyday life is our greatest adventure. We prepare and chart a course, yet most of our lives depend on how we respond to the things that are unplanned, unforeseen, and even unwanted. How thankful I am for my husband and partner in life’s adventures!

He spends a Sunday afternoon holding a quilt in a wide-open public space and tells me how much he likes it.

This year, to prepare my heart for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I signed up for a free online study, “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.” I already read the book shortly after it was published (2010), and it was a healing balm after one of the most difficult years of my life. And now I’m reading it again with the study guide. There’s still time to join in! If you’re looking for a heart change that you can do at your own pace in your own space, click the link and sign up. We’re on week one.