Name: Diver Lap Quilt
Dimensions: 50" x 70"
Pieces: Front - 44
Pattern: applique pattern based off clip art found online
Technique: Patchwork, applique
Materials: 100% Quilting Cottons
Quilting: Machine quilted on my Juki
So this started, like too many of my quilts, with a friend who told me she had a fairly serious health issue. She was a professional diver in a former life before I met her at work. And oddly enough, I found out at roughly the same time as I found out about my other friend's health issue. And both of them told me that purple and blue were their favorite colors. So during one of the 2016 DCMQG's retreats, I decided to bring the printed applique pattern that I had created, and a stack of solids in purple and blue. You would not believe how long I had to search to find what I was looking for in terms of the steps to a dive (I believe this is a pike position). Once I finally found something, I blew it up to about 30 inches by 70 inches in Adobe InDesign and printed it out.
I started the second day of retreat and cut 10 inch squares from the purple and blue fabrics and arranged them to my liking. Sewed the background. Then used light iron on interfacing to transfer the divers onto my pink and yellow fabrics and then ironed them onto the top. I basted the quilt sandwich using a 120" backing fabric and then quilted it using kind of an elongated meander that reminded me of waves.
Finally I trimmed and bound it, all before heading home for the weekend. In fact, I may have even finished it in one day. It's been a while though, so I can't remember for sure. I even managed to embroider my initials and year into the corner. As soon as I got home, I stuck it in the wash, and presented it to my friend at work the next day. She approved and told me that the positions of the dive were spot on. So yay for me. :)
