All Things Quilty and Artsy

I am getting a lot accomplished, quilting-wise, this week! Yesterday, I finished quilting the Lilly Pulitzer fabric quilt. This one is going to my daughter-in-law's sister Ellen, and her husband Arno. We attended their beautiful beach wedding in Nags Head, NC, in which all the bridesmaids wore their choice of Lilly Pulitzer sundress. I personally had never heard of Lilly Pulitzer, but she is the designer of many Florida-style dresses and garments using tropical colors and themes. All of her fabrics have the name Lilly hidden somewhere in the print- sort of a "Where's Waldo" gimmick. Anyway, Ellen and Arno both worked on a cruise ship and currently live in Miami. Did I mention that Ellen and Emily's mother is an interior designer? Needless to say, they both have a sense of style that won't quit. So, here is the quilt, which has yet to be bound. I am thinking of a funky curvy shape instead of just square.

Anyway, I started out with a curly free-form feather in the border, and a pantograph design in the center by Linda Taylor, called Double Rose. I thought that with the busy fabrics, an overall would be fine, and this pattern has funky flowers. This is how they look: Just a little side note here: I have not used a pantograph pattern in over a year. And I probably will not use one again. I tried twice to complete a row across the quilt, only to discover at the end that my thread had broken back at the beginning. I was having some other problems, too, and said "Heck with this!" So, I gleefully went back to the front of the machine and finished up with free-motion flowers, leaves, and vines.
The borders have funky curly feathers I made up as I went along. It was fun using this sea-green thread against the black, white, and tropical prints.
By the way, Ellen's hunky handsome husband is set to premier on television today and tomorrow as host of a show on the Food Network (Kitchen Spaces.) I think he definitely will soon be famous! If you happen to catch a handsome brown-haired TV personality named Arno, with a South African accent, somewhere on the tube, that will be him! By the way, this wedding took place in May of 2006. I am not the speediest maker of wedding presents, but I hope they don't mind too much!