Nebula

It all began when I logged onto Instagram in 2020. 

I had noticed this colorful pattern in catalogues but didn't pay it more attention. The pictures were small, so I assumed it was a small quilt made with hexagons using the English paper piecing method. Definitely not for me. But when Tula Pink's video came up on the screen I was blown away!!!! This was a BIIIG quilt!! Her fabrics were delicious and the pattern intriguing! Never mind what I would do with it because it definitely doesn't work in my 120-year-old house! It was the pandemic, and we were still at home, and I was in the middle of making several Civil War/reproduction quilts, which are my first love. But I have more than one love as my family and friends can attest to. I have made many bright, vibrant quilts for folks of all ages, mostly as these fabrics speak to me. Nebula was YELLING! I signed up for the block-a-month project right away. 

Before all the quilters who signed up could begin the project, Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts, who designed the pattern, had us work on six different mini-projects using specialty rulers that would enhance our measuring and cutting skills for Nebula. These projects were great! I gave most away at Christmas but kept a couple of pillows that I really loved. 

On to Nebula itself. I felt I was a master of the ruler work and could hardly stop from fondling the bright fabrics before I cut them. Each month we constructed a different diamond in two colorways. Once I had completed those, the next step was cutting the “thousands” of diamonds and triangles for the background around the main star. All of my Nebula friends will agree when I say “thousands” because that is what it felt like. It was a daunting effort and I thought I would never reach the end. It took me three days – THREE DAYS – to cut them. 

Once I got down to the business of sewing these many pieces together according to the pattern, the work went very smoothly. I must congratulate Julie for the engineering precision of the design and pattern. I had no problems fitting all the units together. It took me a whole year to complete the top! 

The other side of the story is the gift Nebula became. 

During the construction process, Julie had us post our progress on a private Nebula Facebook page and Instagram. Ok, I did that, but I didn't realize Instagram #Nebula was not private till I saw family members and friends “liking” or commenting. OK, all was good, until.... 

My sister-in-law K and her 25-year partner S announced at dinner one night that they finally decided to tie the knot!!!! Wow! We were all so happy for the two. They are such a loving and generous couple. What was my first comment after the congratulations??? I said to them, “I'd better get busy!” Wedding = wedding quilt! As I drove home from dinner, I was thinking that they have a number of quilts already, what the heck am I going to make them for this happy occasion??? 

Light bulb moment! Uh huh! A quilt already in progress! A quilt that has all their happy, vibrant colors! A quilt I had to not put on Instagram! NEBULA! I cannot tell you how excited I was. Nebula was perfect, perfect, perfect! So, all that cutting and sewing I was doing was for LOVE!!! 

My professional quilter at Frolicking Threads spent an hour with me to come up with a design that would enhance the blocks and background. I decided against an edge-to-edge pattern; I wanted the design to radiate from the center. We decided to use the large diamond shapes in the quilt to settle on a pattern. I did see some examples of this method in other Nebulas but in smaller diamonds. Thanks to those quilters for their inspiration. We settled on four related designs by Wasatch Quilting, Contempo (2), Waves and Pearls, and Diamond Ripples. The result is a light and cuddly quilt. 

The finishing touch was the label. The pattern included a preprinted label, but in the end, I decided to put all the family member names on a long strip that I embroidered with my machine. To make this a true family gift, I had everyone sew the part of the binding next to their names. I put the littlest family members' (1 ½ and 3) hand prints outlined in thread by their names. Almost all had never held a needle before, so it was fun to watch them put their stitches in. The stitches may not be perfect, but they add so much more love. And I have pictures! And we were sewing the day of the gift-giving; that's just normal for quilters! 

K and S were totally surprised. 

My job is done.

 Quilt completed June 30, 2022

Wedding date: July 1, 2022

Audiobooks for this project:

    The Closers by Michael Connelley

    Flying Changes by Sara Gruen

    The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

    A Lullaby for Mothers by Hester Fox

    Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid