The Fall 2010 Blogger's Quilt Festival is going on at "Amy's Creative Side". This is the fourth festival, but the first I've joined. I'm looking forward to seeing all the quilts, especially since family obligations this year kept me from going to any quilt shows. 
The Inspiration
I had seen a couple of block patterns in some of my quilting books. But none of those were exactly what I wanted, so I designed my own block. I ended up with four different 10" blocks featuring 2 tulips of varying height. Each block had 30 pieces.
The blocks
I can only say that I must have been temporally insane when I started this project in 2006. My original idea was to put the blocks together in rows, just like a garden. That would have required 49 blocks total. 
The First Plan
Two years of effort resulted in completion of less than half the blocks needed. I took a hiatus to work on another project due to "tulip fatigue". It was pretty obvious a different setting was required if I wanted to finish this quilt in my life time (much less my mother-in-law's). So the final version of June's Tulip Garden" became a reality (with only 35 blocks).
June's Tulip Garden
My husband gave his mother the quilt Easter Sunday 2008. I wasn't sure how she'd take it, not everyone appreciates the effort. She was thrilled. The quilt was on her bed before we left that Sunday and it's still there 2 years later.
Detail
The quilting was done by Lesa Foreman of The Corner Sew and So. It's hard to see in the picture, but it includes loops and swirls along with some very cool dragon flies. I learned a lot from this quilt, it was the first that I designed completely myself. I also learned how satisfying it is to have someone appreciate your efforts. The look on my husband's face when his mother opened the package is a memory I cherish. Though it was probably the most painfully drawn out project I've done, it was so worth it in the end.
Thanks for letting me share one of my favorite quilts. Enjoy the festival!
