To Keep a Sea Lover Warm

I realised recently that I've been knitting a lot lately.  I think the reason for that is that I didn’t have the patience to learn new things in knitting when I was younger, and now finally feel capable enough to knit the sort of things I conjure in my imagination.

That being said, I've really missed quilting, and it's been far too long since I've spent a whole day with my sewing machine, so that's just what I did.

I cut out all of the fabric for this scarf about a year ago, and then between moves and being distracted by other projects, it got tucked away until very recently when I went through all of my fabric and got organised (which means there will be many sewing projects in the upcoming weeks).

The pattern itself focused on the visual motion created by the fabrics by having small consistencies throughout.  I created this consistency by having the light blue and the cream coloured triangles consistently pointing one particular direction, the fabrics being carefully sewn together to keep the direction of pattern the same throughout, and establishing balance by having either end be the exact opposite of the other.  This picture is of the layout that's been split in half in order to fit on the guest bed.  I realise it’s a very busy picture- but I feel this a good representation of my brain on quilting days.

Ensuring the arches of the background fabric so that they looked as if they were “flowing” outward was particularly careful work.  Despite it being tedious at times, it added a beautiful effect and made the fabric really pop.  

After taking care to sew all of the small and fussy pieces together, at last the face of the scarf was completed.  

Getting the gist and having the patience is all that's really needed for doing fussy piece work.  This is obviously a very simple design, but it's a good reminder that any sort of design can be translated into a quilt top.  

I backed this this scarf with a bright orange, ultra soft flannel to give it extra warmth and a nice weight, then also quilted over all of the triangles with a variegated orange/brown thread.  I wanted the orange backing to add interest to the colour palette,  but found that the thread is what really tied it together (literally and figuratively).  The outline made by the thread made all the shapes pop and added a gentle and subtle glow.

The dimensions of the scarf are a lovely 7.5" x 77.5", because I like scarves being thick enough that they cover my neck completely with one wrap, but are also long enough to wrap around twice with a little extra that hangs down.  Having lived through North Dakota winters and the Pacific Northwest oceanfront in the fall and winter, my standards for warm wears is exceedingly high.  

This will also be for sale once my shop opens, so if this looks like a must-have or something you know someone else would love, stay tuned!  I hope to have my shop opening within the next two months or so.  

Without end I find myself happy and appreciative of you being here to see and read about all of these creations of mine.  I also look forward to being able to share more of my workings with you in the future by opening up a little shop on this website of mine.  So stay crafty, stay sweet, and stay tuned.