Celtic Cross | Gulf Coast Quilts

A charity quilt – Celtic Faire 2014 by gulfcoastquilts.com

I have a dear friend who asked me to make a “Celtic quilt” for a fundraising event. I had no idea what a “Celtic quilt” was so I Googled it. Not much to go on there. I went back and asked her what she had in mind. Her reply: “Maybe some Celtic knots? Celtic crosses?” I loved her answer because it pretty much meant I could do anything I wanted to do. I LOVE that freedom.

I jumped on Pinterest, did a few image searches on my favorite online sources, and concluded there was nothing to “copy” so I’d just have to make it up on my own. I decided to collide two worlds; Celtic knots and crosses with batik fabric. It was an odd combination but when I added the third piece, a black background, I discovered a beautiful stained glass effect.

My friend should receive “Celtic Faire 2014” in the mail tomorrow. We named the quilt after the fundraising event it will support, I hope they fetch a good price for it.

As I worked I was inspired by cold, gray rainy days, hot tea, and a steady supply of Celtic music; Enya, the Chieftains, Celtic Thunder and more. Although the photos don’t clearly show the detail, I quilted the center section with a zillion little spirals, a common Celtic design. I hope to make another Celtic-themed quilt because I learned some valuable lessons on this one.

My biggest regret was using variegated thread on a solid black background. I should have stuck with black thread but it was really hard to see black on black. Sadly, I just don’t like the final look of the variegated thread but I was too far into the quilting to stop by the time I decided I didn’t like it. It looks great up close but not so great from a distance. New rule for me: Only use variegated thread on patterned fabric. Second new rule: Work more with batiks! I love the batiks. I need to find a good, low cost supplier for batiks. I’d love to hear where YOU get your batik fabric, please?

So, Celtic Faire 2014 is done and I’m onto my next project, a “Mexican Folk Art Tree of Life” design for a friend with a fabulous little Mexican pottery store. Yes, it’s back to Pinterest and image searches for me! Happy quilting to you!