Picket Fence Garden Quilt - All Finished!

Took me over half a century to get it, but I finally  was able to buy my own house! In this house, I have a sewing room and a guest bedroom. So I decided to make the guest bedroom a room for my grand  kids for when they spend the night...every now and then (more then than now ,unfortunately!). It is the first room I have been able to decorate from ground up. Granted, I had a small budget to do it, and I am not to great at interior design, but I was able to find several white furniture pieces at yard sales and thrift store.. I like the white as it makes the room look big and open and will go with any other color or design.Kind of the "shabby chic" style, which I like alot!  I have always liked the theme of the outdoor garden-y, patio kind of theme, so the white was great and I chose purple as my main color.  And for some time now, a picket fence motif has been in my head. I finally found a pattern, altered it a bit to suit me and started the bed spread..yes, bed spread, not comforter. I wanted it to cover the whole bed. (However, I didn't make it quite long enough - should have made the fence 2 more squares "taller") so I have to add a dust ruffle because I don't have anymore of the fabric..

I searched and searched and finally found a pattern and altered it to created a block that I thought looked like a flower... well, kind of! But I loved the colors together..teal, purple and lime  green. And I sashed it with purple sashing on a  white background. 

 

To make the picket fence.. in white of course...I used the same purple/teal print as I used in the flower block, so it looks like you are seeing the flowers foliage in between the fence pickets!  I created the pattern using 3x3 squares (plus 1/2in. allowance) of white and the print, and used Flying Geese template to make the pointed tops. Just a bit of math to make the adjoining fence to each picket and the purple print alternating in between.  Each "picket" required 3, 3,1/2" x 3,1/2" squares and 1 flying geese square. The middle slats are 2, 3,1/2" x 3,1/2" squares in the print and 2, 2,1/2"x3,1/2" squares in white and 1,2, 2,1/2"x3,1/2" square in print... if I have the right! I wrote it down while I was making it, but of course, can't find the measurements now! But it is an easy math project!

    

This is the first parts hanging on my design wall. The top is done, and I just did the math for how much in length I needed of "fence" to go around the top, 2 sides and the bottom.  I was shocked it turned out so well, being my first time doing something like this! I made the "picket fence" sides to go on both sides of the bed and across the bottom. The "head" end doesn't have the fence. 

And here it is! All finished!     

                                                                                                           
I added a white binding and I had this green striped dust ruffle, hoping it would look like the grass to compliment the picket fence and the foliage between it, but it doesn't look very good! I found a white eyelet dust ruffle at the thrift store (find so many great bargains there!) and as soon as I can get someone to help me lift the bed, I'll get that ruffle on there!  Won't be the "look" I was going for, but I think it will be fine. I don't like lime green but for some reason, it looked great with this purple print and complimented the blocks so well, I really like it!
The FMQ'ing I did was meandering on every color but the white. I wanted the white parts of the flower on the top to pop out and the meandering between the fence posts kind of makes that "leafy" area pop out from the fence posts. The fence posts, in white, I just did a straight stitch to outline it and then a few up and down inside each post.  The back is a sheet. I use sheets from time to time as they are big enough to not have any seams in the back like fabric would. But this sheet had butterflies on it and the colors were yellow and green...to match the room. Granted no one will probably see the back, but it is nice if looked at! And, the quilt can be actually used as a blanket when the bed is slept in!
                                       
 
I purchased a garden trellis from the home improvement store, painted it white and decorated it with twinkle lights, purple tulle and purple and green silk  flowers. I had some butterflies from my scrapbook stash, and just stuck them on the wall around the bed.  It turned out really good! I have been told the room is "perfect", by my grand daughter! I just have to get a bed frame  to get the bed up off  the floor and the trellis will look right..with the decorative pillows at the head of the bed!

I made four pillows. I chose a block pattern I liked out of a book and did the math to make the pillows 15"x15" with a ruffle. I FMQ'ed the front of the pillows and stuffed them. I broke the "always do uneven number" for accent rule and only made four, so I need a fifth one, but at the moment, I have many other things to do so it will just have to wait!

 

Where is the "memory" in/of this quilt? This is a guest room. I wanted it bright and cheery and inviting. And different. My 2 oldest grand daughters were my inspiration...can't exactly say why, but they were on my mind when I decorated/designed it. Purple is the ones favorite color and the other loves bright, cheery colors. So the memory is of my 2 grand daughters. The dresser that is in the room has two little drawers at the top. I gave them each a drawer to keep their personal special stuff in that they like to play with when they visit me. First thing they do when they come over, is go in there and check out their drawers and "oh, I remember this!" and "I was hoping this was still here!" and "Oh, I missed this!" is what I hear for the first 15 minutes they are here and they are just so happy! There are my  memories!

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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!