Pillow for Sissy Pants

I finally finished up the pillow for my sister! I like how it came together because I can see all the details I put into it for her. I'll probably include a long note so that she can see them too.

Crested Butte paper pieced pattern by me!

My goal with this side was to capture my sister's favorite season in Crested Butte. I've got the iconic mountain with a print reminiscent of a winter's day, a beautiful, bluebird, winter's day. It's hard to see here, but I quilted wavy lines down the mountain like ski paths. The border print on this side is from the Ride by Julia Rothman collection, and I chose that because of all the time she spends riding her townie (a townie is a bike you ride around town).

Liberty in Colorado side of the pillow. 

The second side of the pillow is composed of four Colorado blocks. I used left over scraps from my Liberty Trip quilt to represent Crested Butte's status as the wildflower capital of Colorado and some Architextures topograph fabric to represent the Rockies. I quilted it with straight lines radiating from opposite corners. I learned about it in Jacquie Gering's Craftsy class: Creative Quilting with Your Walking Foot (a fantastic class, I highly recommend it!) I only wish I had done the lines from all four corners to create more of a cross hatch look.

Close up of quilting. Also, the itty bitty border of Monaluna birch trees.
Reminds me of the Aspens in Colorado. 

I even made her a custom label:

I'm Skizz, she's Sissy Pants. She likes wine
(and I see it bled a little, we'll say that represents
all the wine she'll inevitably spill on the pillow.)

So, a successful finish, and onto the next project! Here's one last look at both sides: 

Pillow front and front. I'm not even going to pretend one side is the back. 

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

This post contains affiliate links. 

Crested Butte Pattern!

My sister lives out in Crested Butte, Colorado. I've been to visit several times, and can attest to it's beauty, especially in the summer. She moved there to become a ski bum while she was still young enough to enjoy the lifestyle, and her body was still limber enough to take it. That was something like 5 years ago and she hasn't left yet.

The town is named for the iconic mountain that overlooks it: Mt. Crested Butte. A ski resort in the winter, with mountain biking in summer. Paradise.

Here she is, in all her summer time glory!

Here I am at the summit. 12,162 ft!
It was a relatively easy hike, but as a flat lander I experienced
a lot of vertigo on the way up! Oddly, none on the way down...

My mom has made my sister and many of her friends knitted presents, and I wanted in on the action. I can't let my mom get all the attention! So, I'm making SissyPants a pillow. One side is going to be inspired by Crested Butte's status as the 'wildflower capital' of Colorado, and the other by the mountain herself! I'm not sure why, I've clearly decided the mountain is feminine. Whatever, it works.

My paper pieced Mt. Crested Butte. 

I tried to capture a perfect blue bird skiing day, as my sister loves hitting the powpow.

I've also decided to let you try out the pattern. I've created a Crafty store and listed it for free.  It's my first pattern, so if anyone makes it I'd love to here some feedback. Feel free to leave a comment or email me.

Linking up to TGIFF at Sew Fresh Quilts this week, and at Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.