Irresistible Fabric

Quilt No. 3 – Learning by Doing

Pattern: The Lucy Quilt by Cottoneer
Pattern, backing & binding: Cotton
Batting: Wool
Hand quilting: DMC embroider thread & size 8 pearl cotton

Irresistible Fabric

Have you ever found fabric that looks absolutely perfect — even though you can tell it’s probably terrible quality?

Well… I bought it anyway.

The triangles in this quilt came from an Amazon bundle I couldn’t resist. I knew it was a gamble, but the colors were too good to pass up. At the time, I didn’t even have a project in mind. Later, when I discovered Cottoneer’s free quilt pattern, everything clicked — the design, the palette, and the excuse to finally use that fabric.

Quality Matters

This was my third quilt, and it was the first time I really understood what people meant by “good quilting cotton.” Until then, fabric quality was an abstract concept — I’d never handled both side by side.

The Amazon fabric was thin, a little slippery, and not as stable as the high-quality solids I paired it with. It worked in the end, but it made the process trickier. The experience taught me a simple truth: quality materials don’t just look better — they behave better.

Learning by Doing

Another big lesson came from pinning — or, more accurately, not pinning enough. I rushed through a few seams and ended up with mismatched pieces — nothing catastrophic, but enough to make me slow down next time.

In the end, though, it came together beautifully. The imperfections make it mine. Every quilt so far has been a small step forward in skill and confidence, and this one was no exception.

From Small Spaces to Studio Corners

I started this quilt in our old apartment — sewing at my tiny home-office desk while Leo, our Maine Coon, tried to wedge his seven-kilo self between the fabric stacks. Space was tight, but it worked.

By the time I was finishing the blocks, we’d moved into our new apartment, and for the first time, I had a proper sewing area. A real desk, good light, and room to spread out. It felt like a small milestone — both in quilting and in life.

Making It Work

The backing fabric turned out to be just a little too small, so I pieced together a column from leftover squares on the front. Kristian helped me with the math (he’s far better at it), and the fix added a bit of character to the quilt — a design detail born of problem-solving.

A Quilt That Stayed Home

I brought this quilt to the U.S. over Christmas to work on during my visit. My mom fell in love with it instantly — the colors, the softness, the story — and it didn’t take long before it officially became hers.

It’s funny how some quilts seem to find their owners on their own. I still love the color palette and plan to revisit it for another project someday. For now, I like knowing this one is wrapped around home, family, and a bit of learning stitched into every seam.