Little Sister: A Quilt Finish!

You’ve seen glimpses of this quilt over the last couple of years as I worked on the hand quilting.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.
“Little Sister”. Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

The pattern is called “Chinese Coins” or “Stacked Coins”, whichever you prefer. I made it for my sister, Heidi, and named the quilt “Little Sister”.

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Her favourite colour is purple ♥

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

The last few months I was working pretty fast because I wanted to have it finished before I left Whitehorse at the end of November.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

I don’t know, it just seemed…fitting somehow. Tying up the last of the loose ends before moving.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.
“Little Sister”. Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

I stitched in a few surprises:

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"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

Plus, I really, really, really wanted to do the photo shoot at the S. S. Klondike.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

Really puts size into perspective, eh?

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

I had fun with my “helpers”, Heather and Tammi. They were great quilt holders on a cold day!

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

I used a “lemonade’ Bali Pop with Kona Cotton purple for the top. The backing is a pansy print on a yellow background. Binding is green checks from the same collection.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

Every time I took the quilt out to work on it, Jade and Halia would sit and watch me stitch. They were full of questions, observations and comparisons about the quilts that I had made for them last year.

Quilt Models Halia & Jade Pealow

5-year old Halia wanted her picture taken with the quilt. 7-year old Jade liked to look at all of the fabrics, and also liked to walk tight-rope style on it.

Quilt Models Halia & Jade Pealow

Which I thought made for some interesting photographs!

Quilt Models Halia & Jade Pealow

Even Crook the Cat got into the action.

insert "Jaws" soundtrack here!
insert “Jaws” soundtrack here!

It took me about 2 years from start to finish, I think. Maybe not quite…I don’t remember exactly when I started it. But that sounds about right.

"Little Sister". Machine pieced & hand quilted by Nita Collins.Photo taken at the S.S. Klondike National Park Site in Whitehorse, Yukon. November 24, 2013.

…Doing the very important job of keeping Heidi snug and warm during those long Montana winters.

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And of course, Little Sister was tested and approved by the resident quality assurance inspector (which he had to do before the quilt was finished due to time constraints).

this quilt tested and approved by Samson.
this quilt tested and approved by Samson.

8 comments

  1. LOVE this and the surprises you quilted in are awesome! Your photos are amazing and your little helpers, including the four legged variety, are absolutely adorable 🙂

  2. What a wonderful post!!! I can’t pick a favorite photo: The photo shoot by the Klondike, Jade and Halie “playing” on it, the handstitching….just so much love and memories gathered in one quilt! I LOVE IT! Great way to end my day with a smile!

  3. I absolutely love it, I am wrapped up in it right now to take the chill off of me…the pictures of the girls are adorable, thank them for me for helping you. Great pictures of the ship too…..it really does put it into perspective with that shot!
    Your are very talented Nita!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!