Quilt Finish – Chart Your Own Course

So the truth is, I have a stock pile of finished, or nearly finished quilts that I need to bust my back to get posted here on the blog before the queue gets too backed up. So let’s start with this simple beauty I’ve called Chart Your Own Course. The traditional sailboat quilt block has been around forever-ever, with heaps of variations, and options for customisation. I used this sailboat quilt block tutorial which has several size options if you want to chart a course for your own quilt. The 12″ version combined with 2″ sashing makes a nice 44″ square quilt like mine.

The plan for this quilt started back in September 2017 when I was visiting my parents in Oklahoma. I discovered a sailboat quilt hanging out in the closet, and I was immediately smitten with its simplicity and charm. Surprisingly, it didn’t languish on the quilty bucket list like so many other projects! I got home, and pretty much got to work.

My design thought-process was that the sailboat represented a young person travelling through their life encountering different seas of difficulty. Sometimes the skies and waters will be clear and full of opportunity, while other moments in life will be froth with sharks, showers and challenges. Despite that, the sailboat always glides across the waters successfully learning life lessons from both. “Just keep swimming,” as Dory from Finding Nemo says.

In order to capture this, I auditioned what felt like my whole fabric stash! Finally, I decided to maintain fabric consistency with my sailboats to symbolise the same person charting their own course. A sailboat has got to shimmer in the sun, so I looked no further than Jennifer Sampou’s Shimmer 2 and Shimmer On fabric collections! I mean really, I will use them any chance I can get.

Moving past that, I was surprised to find so many nautical fabrics in my stash that I could use for the ocean waters! That just goes to show when faced with the decision of buying fabric, the answer is always, “Yes!” I really felt this was a great way to flush out some of those novelty prints that sometimes linger in the stash. That shark fabric (because I know you’re already asking) is from Dear Stella. Go get ya some.

I then decided to try and put a dent in my over-zealous Carolyn Friedlander collection by using any of her fabrics that had a light value, and blue hue. I especially love the Architextures block right in the middle! I also used a print from Botanics for the sashing to give each moment in life a little of its own space. For the cornerstone and backing, I used Shimmer 2’s Diamonds in Sunshine.

I kept the quilting super simple with just some straight lines. I figured if this quilt is going to be prone to poo, vomit, and grass stains, I ain’t killing myself to give it cloud swirls, ocean waves, and detailed decking! After attaching my quilt label, can you believe my surprise when I found the perfect binding fabric in my stash!? It’s called Chatter Tailors by Lecien, with yellow and orange clips on a dark navy background. Success!

If you’ve ever thought about making this quilt block, I can highly recommend it. It’s fast, easy, and completely flexible (much like my soon to be self!)