Double Wedding Ring Quilt

I'm so pleased to finally be sharing this quilt with you! 

I made it as a wedding gift for my very best friend, Jill. It was inspired by a vintage 1930's double wedding ring quilt that I bought at a local antiques show. I showed off my purchase to her and she actually recognized the pattern! Her being a complete non-sewer, non-crafter, that came as quite a shock to me. Then a couple of months later she got engaged! Of course, being the sentimental fool I am, I decided I had to make her her very own double wedding ring to commemorate this huge moment in her life. 

(wanna know a secret? My friend Jill is crouched back there holding the quilt so it won't fall)

Now, if you know Jill, you know she has very particular taste; impeccable taste of the utmost high and edgy style, but particular, nonetheless. So I set about my design not knowing exactly where it would take me. After weeks of stalking fabric sites while also helping her plan the wedding, it hit me! Use her wedding colors! She had coral and black, with theoretical hints of turquoise, and the grey was a stray from my usual white, but went perfectly with her edgier taste.

I then proceeded to do oodles of research to decide how exactly I would tackle this behemoth of a project. I immediately referred to my friend Kaelin's Double Wedding Ring quilt along for help and forged ahead. The pattern she follows uses foundation paper piecing to make the arcs, thereby making the process faster and simpler. It took me about 20 hours just to piece the arcs, and I stopped counting after that. It's made up of 98 arcs and measures in at 54" x 68". It was a total of about 5 months from start to finish. 

I took a class at my local quilt shop to learn how to use their longarm machine. I used a very light scrollwork pattern to allow the colors and piecing to stand on their own. Binding the rounded arcs and concave points was a royal pain in the you know what, but I fudged my way through it and finished it off. 

I aim for tears when I give gifts, and I'd say I succeeded here. :)
The cute part is that although she's not a sewist herself, she totally gets it. I've since been informed that this quilt is too nice and too special to use. Instead, it will hang on the wall of the future nursery. Nothing could make me happier.

The moment for which I waited many long hours and months. She loved it even more than I could have even hoped. My Jill, my lady, it was a true labor of love I would not make for anyone else. Much love!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Stats
Finished Quilt Measures: 54" x 68"
Special Techniques Used: Foundation Paper Piecing, curved piecing
Quilted by: myself, Elena Roscoe
Best Category: Favorite Throw Quilt, Favorite Quilt Photographer, Favorite Wall Hanging