unikko whole cloth // the start of a new project

I've decided that life is a work in progress. And I don't mean that in some deep, philosophical sense. No, I just mean that I can't seem to get all of the things I've started...finished. For now, I need to be okay with that, and you should be too. I'm going to give myself grace, and you should do the same for yourself.

Today I was going to show you a completed project with a full how-to. Yeah, that's just not going to happen. Instead, I'm making that into a positive: an ongoing series showing the the progress on a simple, but larger scale project. (You might eventually see the other not-so-simple ongoing project that I may have very foolishly started as well...it involves 25 hand-pieced quilt blocks!)

But this one starts with some fabulous fabric.

When I was a baby, much of the decor in my room included Marimekko fabric. The bold prints are excellent for baby vision, don't you think? Actually, it was more likely chosen because my parents loved Crate & Barrel, so bringing it to baby was the thing to do. Having these beautiful designs around from an early age, I've always had a fondness for the Finnish company.

I'm fairly sure that when FinnStyle contacted me, asking if I would be interested in making something with some Marimekko end cuts, they had no idea how interested I would be. Very! Because this fabric suits me so well, and always has.



Of course, I love the large-scale fabric designs, but so often I work on small projects that require smaller scale prints. What would I make with this iconic Unikko print? (For scale, in the photo above, this is draped over my front door.) One person suggested that I use a small panel of it on a skirt, combined with the solid linen you see, but I really wanted to keep it all together to show off the design.

I've decided that it will be a mini whole cloth quilt. It will be the right size for a picnic cloth or table mat, or for a lap quilt. I'm using the Unikko on the front, and the teal linen on the back, and I'll hand stitch on and around the flower shapes. So far, all I've done is make this plan, and pre-wash my fabrics.

It may be a slow process, but I look forward to sharing it with you. And maybe as I work, you'll feel inclined to try this with me! You can find the fabric that FinnStyle generously gave me on their site, or choose another large print (though none are quite the same as Marimekko!). The size is flexible. My piece is about 1 yard x 58 inches wide.

I may be crazy, but this is the kind of crazy that I love. The life-is-a-work-in-progress crazy!

Next step: layering it up!