Garnet Gals Birthday Quilt

Here's another one that may not seemingly seem like me, but one that I treasure. This is my Garnet Gals Birthday Quilt. And the Garnet Gals are?

When I first made my way online in quilty explorations I landed on the World Wide Quilting Page and their chat pages. For a couple of years I participated as one of the only young (under 30 then) ones. I met women who are still good friends and inspirations. I participated in block showers for sick friends and family. And I learned.

About four or five years ago the chat board started to get ugly and a few of us decided to start our own little Yahoo group.  It was done under the banner of the Red Hat Ladies. I know, I'm not exactly Red Hat material, but they gave me a pink one and let me in. We've been chatting and sharing ever since.  

In our first year we did birthday blocks for each other. On everyone's birthday they were surprised with blocks. 19 blocks plus one we made for ourselves.  The blocks were to be in Red Hat colours, or Pink Hat, in my case. This is what I did with mine. There was that one odd yellow and purple block, so that led to the choice of that starburst fabric. The setting isn't particularly unique, but it isn't exactly common.

The back was pieced from some sale fabric I found and that gorgeous dahlia fabric.  Did I mention that my Red Hat name is Lady Dahlia? And that dahlia's are my all time favourite flower?

The entire quilt is about 84 inches square. At the time I pieced the top I had never quilted anything so large so I sent it to the long armer, Berny Sproule.  She found a dahlia pantogram that finished the whole thing off perfectly.

I remember my mom or Hubby dropping this quilt off at Berny's when I was on bed rest when pregnant with The Monster. I think she was about 6 months old, at least, before I even picked it up.  And I only got the binding on this past winter. 

And I finished the label, and all that needle turn applique, on Inauguration Day this January. The label is my favourite part of the quilt.  Not only for the fabric, but because it shows the history and the makers of all the blocks.  This quilt may not scream Cheryl, but it shouts friendship.