Years ago (2008?), the Crate and Barrel store near me was selling Marimekko remnant fabric for $1/pound. This was in my early fabric acquisition days when I had hardly any fabric and the idea of getting “ALL THAT FABRIC FOR SO CHEAP” was irresistible. And so I bought just about every piece of fabric in the store that had any appeal to me. (In other words, I bought way too much.)  I’ve used it in lots of projects over the years, including in my Twister quilt and a drawstring bag for toys and I’ve even given bunches of it away (in 2011 and 2013). Slowly but surely, I’ve worn down the pile except for one last stack of fabric I’d been saving for the perfect project.  This summer, I came home from being the wedding coordinator for a friend’s daughter’s wedding, and in a fit of brilliance, conceived the plan for this quilt.

The entire quilt is made from the one special Marimekko patterned fabric and 3 solids (dark brown, yellow, and maroon).  I cut some of the Marimekko on the bias to give more visual interest to the quilt.  I can’t tell you how much I love looking at this different patterns in the quilt and knowing that it’s really just one fabric.

Each row has four blocks, one block with a non-brown (either yellow or maroon) border, and three blocks which each have a different small section on the bias (either the 8″x5″ section, the 8″x8″ section, or the 5″x14″ section.)

I used my remaining larger pieces to sew a pieced backing.

I quilted it with lines spaced one inch apart, using 3 colors of thread (maroon, dark brown, light brown), attempting to approximate the variegated thread that I would have used to quilt it in my ideal world. I started out with a big off-set 2-inch wide X.

That yellow block is my favorite one.

I bound it with the Marimekko cut on the bias to get the angled stripes.

My plan all along has been for this to be the quilt that we take with us for picnics and other outings to the park.  My resolve was tested this summer, when, while on vacation at Niagara Falls, we needed something to sit on for lunch.  I was hand-sewing on the binding while we were driving and sew, although I still had binding clips on it, it had a trial run.  I was nervous the whole time that it was going to get dirty because I was planning to enter it into the state fair.  Thankfully, it survived.

the first food-seeking ant

crumbs! dirty feet!

By now, we’ve actually used it and I’m getting used to thinking about it as a quilt that can get dirty, because well, it’s going to if its job is to be used on the ground!

our first friend to join us on the quilt

even truck driving!

Now, I’m plotting my next quilt (which promised to be much more difficult and even larger than this one, which finished at around 70″ by 70″).