Oakshott Scandinavia Challenge Quilt {a finished quilt}

Today I'm really excited to show you my latest finish: a Scandinavia inspired quilt sponsored by Sew Mama Sew and Oakshott Fabrics.

The call for contributors said:

Are you ready for a sewing challenge? We're looking for 6 people to sew with the gorgeous fabrics pictured here in an Scandinavian-inspired challenge. You can choose what to make (apron, mini quilt, table runner, etc.) but it has to use the fabrics from the collection and it has to be "Scandinavian inspired." 

Well I jumped right on that.  My paternal grandmother (or Farmor) is from Finland, a country I have had the opportunity to visit four times in my life, and hope to visit again very soon when we can find the time and money to go.  I find great inspiration in the simple, clean designs found in the region and really wanted to be able to create something that honors that piece of my heritage and family.  

The weekend before the fabrics arrived I visited Keepsake Quilting to pick up some (hopefully) coordinated fabrics to mix in with the Fat Quarters that would be coming.  I ended up buying several yards of various white and grey fabrics, unsure of what would match.  I had to stop and just admire these when they arrived, with 12 days to spare.  These fabrics are gorgeous!  They are all shot through with a creamy white that gives them the most amazing soft shine.  Pastel without being too Easter-y or babyish.

I had several ideas sketched out, and ended up texting my "more Finnish" cousin (as my Farmor says)  for help narrowing the choices down.  In the end I pulled out the Ittala dinnerware that we received for the wedding two years ago and used that as a jumping off point.

Feeling inspired at the moment. #oakshottscandinavia #iittala #inspirationeverywhere #thanksforthedishesGram #FinnishQuilt - See more at: http://iconosquare.com/viewer.php#/detail/1058925302181042470_1222082853

At first I thought I would make a large quilt inspired by the black and white dinner plate and mug pictured above.  I pieced a couple of arrows and then laid them out to take a picture but what I saw changed my direction completely.  The next few nights were spent piecing the rows and then after an emergency trip back to Keepsake to get more Kona Charcoal, and a marathon sewing night ending at around 1:30am, I had a finished top.  The next morning it was off to the quilter.  Ideally I would have quilted this myself but given the time crunch I thought it was best to have someone else do it for me this time.  I got the quilt back just in time to get binding on over the weekend and then enlist the help of my Dad and brother to photograph it.  I have to tell you, I'm in love with this quilt.

Thank you little brother and Dad for holding this for me!

The pattern came together really quickly since it's all row based piecing.  I really love how the simple grey and white let the beautiful Oakshott fabrics shine in all their glory.  I took a really ad hoc approach to adding in the colors, letting them fall where ever they would in the final top.

a glimpse into our bedroom with the quit in it's new home. notice the nicely coordinated pre-existing paint swatches...

The quilting is simple.  Katie Smith of Home Hearth Quilting quilted it for me in a simple birch tree-esque design following the direction of each row of piecing.  I love how it adds texture to the quilt without distracting from the overall design.  She did a great job and I highly recommend her if you're in the NH/VT area. 

in love with this quilt.

quilting detail

The quilt is backed in a Lotta Jansdotter print and a large scale Windham Fabrics print.  I chose these because of how they played into the simple, clean line astetic I was going for for the overall design.

This quilt finishes at 90" x 86" and will hopefully be plenty big enough for the two of us to sleep under.  I didn't set out to make such a large quilt but once I got started the fabrics and pattern made it easy to keep going.  Plus, I had the added encouragement that my husband get's genuinely upset when I make small quilts.  

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to make this quilt.  The final quilt is really true to my original vision and reflect the emotion I was hoping to convey.   I think my Farmor would be proud.  Currently there is no pattern for this quilt but I am debating writing one up if there is enough interest. 

I highly recommend the Oakshott Scandinavia collection if you're looking for a soft, light, and airy color palette for any quilt.  They were absolutely beautiful to work with.  You can find them here:

Oakshott Scandinavia Collection

Be sure to check out the other bloggers participating in this challenge as well, either through the links below, or with the hashtag #OakshottScandinavia on instagram.

Jessica Skultety from Quilty Habit
Jennifer Fullerton from Never Just Jennifer (you are here)
Mary Kolb from Mary on Lake Pulaski
Casey York from The Studiolo
Deborah Fisher
Caitlin Topham from Salty Oat

I'm linking up with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story today.