Strawberries!!!
That's right, I said, "Strawberries", not cherries!
We live in Orange County, where you can't drive more than a mile or two without passing a farm stand selling freshly picked strawberries.
The fields are lush and bursting with bright red berries.
There are advertisements and signs on every corner.
Manassero Farms has fields all over the county.
I'll often stop at this stand and buy three baskets for $10.
I remember when I was a child and the cost went up to $1.50 for three baskets,
my parents thought that was outrageous!
You can buy them by the flat or the half-flat, too.
Don't they look delicious?
We are so lucky to be able to have fresh strawberries from the middle of January until well into August.
I am so spoiled, I won't eat a strawberry unless I know it has not been refrigerated
and it comes from a local field.
But this is a post about a quilt.
This is Strawberry Fields Picnic Quilt.
It is made from Moda fabrics designed by Joanna Figueroa.
I think they have a vintage look to them because of the soft, feminine colors.
It is the first quilt I pieced and quilted completely on my new machine.
It went together really fast because it is made with charm squares
and some yardage for the borders and binding.
It was a breeze to maneuver it through the longer arm of the Bernina 820.
I quilted the large center square section with diagonal lines that intersect
and then quilted wavy lines up and down the sides and across the top and bottom.
I just love how it looks now that it has been washed and has all the puckers and softness
ready to be snuggled under.
The official first quilt finish of 2012!
For the backing I used a few of the remaining charm squares and a print from Bonnie and Camille's Ruby line. I added one of my custom labels in the row, too.
The colors matched perfectly.
This quilt is a generous lap sized quilt measuring 68 inches square.
And this is the recipient of the quilt, my friend, Mim.
It is a thank you gift for her many years of friendship.
I am in Gig Harbor, Washington, right now, staying at her lovely home.
We are having a girl's scrapbook retreat, an annual event.