Completed Okinawa Quilt

Unpacking continues...slowly.  We've sort of run out of space in our house but still have more stuff to unpack.  So we're going through boxes now at a slower pace.  I came across the completed Okinawa quilt today while working in the garage.  Earlier this year I realized I had never posted a picture of the completed Okinawa quilt.  So here it is.  I know, you've probably heard more than you ever wanted to about this quilt.  You can't even see the backing very well here because it is the same color as the rug.  I didn't have a lot of places I could lay this out.  So, sorry about the less than perfect pictures.

Read more about the Okinawa quilt HERE.

Here is my square.  I made 20 of these and exchanged them.

Surfboards on the seawall.

See the real seawall in our Okinawa neighborhood HERE.

You can see the backing I used here (and how its the same color as the carpet).  I spent A LONG TIME trying to figure out what fabric to use to complete this quilt - what colors, what patterns (if any) etc.  I looked at a lot of fabric.  I decided on a red for the border with swirls - the color and pattern remind me of a shisa dog.  And the backing is a taupe beige batik print with fern looking fronds.  In the end I was happy with the way it turned out - it felt very Okinawa to me.

The kids were fascinated with the quilt and crawled all over it, feeling all the different squares and fabrics and asking what each one was.  It was great.  Although this quilt is very familiar to me, I suppose I haven't let the kids see it much.  Grant loved it and wanted to know if he could have it on his bed to sleep with.  I said no.  :(

We started out with 20 people in the quilt exchange, with hopes of making a 5 x 4 squared quilt.  2 people didn't get their squares completed, which I get.  I know life happens.  But I couldn't come up with an acceptable way to assemble this with 18 quilt squares (3x6 looked too long and skinny) so I decided to make two "title squares."  I'm not too crafty so I was afraid they would turn out ugly, but I was happy with the outcome there too.

And I didn't have to make 20 of these. Only two.  Easy.

So there it is.  The beautiful and amazing Okinawa quilt.

Now I don't know what to do with it.  I don't really want the kids to sleep with it, it's so nice and somewhat delicate.  And I don't really want to just stuff it away in a box.  And I don't think I even have anywhere to hang it.  Hmmm...trying to think of a creative solution.  Guess it will go back in a box...for now.