Mr & Mrs Mills and The Wedding Quilt

"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved." - George Sand

On the morning of November 30, 2019 our daughter Madeline married her soul mate and best friend Michael in a beautiful garden ceremony at Clarendon House, situated on the banks of the South Esk River. They were surrounded by friends and family as they took their vows under the shade of one of the properties oldest trees. Madeline chose her three childhood friends as Bridesmaids (the loveliest, kindest girls you'll ever meet) and Michael chose his long-time friend as Best Man, our son Cohen as Groomsman and another long-time friend Caroline as Groomswoman.

The ceremony was heartfelt, sweet, funny and emotional, and the sun shone brightly as they became man and wife. The reception was held in an old barn on the property, which was decorated with a gazillion fairy lights, greenery and peonies. Guests ate, drank and danced all afternoon and then Mother Nature, who had been holding back for a couple of days, let loose the most spectacular thunder and lightning storm which only added to the wonderful day - nature's own firework display!

It was a perfect day and one of the prettiest weddings I have ever attended.  Les and I feel truly blessed to have shared in Madeline and Michael's wonderful love story, and to be part of their amazing support team. They are the sweetest couple and watching their love grow and their relationship progress has been our greatest joy!

I can finally show you the wedding quilt I made for them YAY! They had the photographer take a few photos and the rest are ones off my phone after the quilt was completed (sorry for the quality of the phone pictures).

As soon as they got engaged, I knew I wanted to sew them a quilt for their wedding. It's a gift of love that will continue to protect and comfort them long after I've gone - eternal mummy hugs made from fabric! They will snuggle under it as they make life plans and read stories to their kids, it will comfort them when they are sick and keep them warm on those cold winter's nights. It's a gift I hope they will cherish and use for many years to come.

When I first started thinking about what sort of quilt I'd sew, I considered going very traditional but everything I drafted didn't feel like the happy couple or their home. They prefer a modern and minimalist approach to decorating with sleek lines and simple patterns - no frills or flounces in sight.

I wanted the quilt to make a statement and be a focal point in their room (and I think it does), so I went with a large-scale design on a white background making it crisp, clean and oh so gorgeous! I didn't want the design to be lost down the sides of the bed, so I floated it by adding a large white border which also softens the edges.

As the sections came together on the sewing room floor, I loved it more and more and considered keeping it for myself many times ;)

The design is completely paper pieced, and I couldn't have achieved the angles, star points or the extra details any other way. It took nights to draft and I swapped and changed elements until I finally found a combination that pleased me.  I printed a tonne (and I mean an absolute tonne) of templates to bring this all together - the stack of paper templates was quite overwhelming in the beginning.

Once I started sewing and selected my fabrics, the sections went together quite easily, but taking all those papers out was the worst!

Madeline loves Bonnie and Camille fabrics, and when she fell in love with the Little Snippets range, I knew it was the perfect choice for this quilt. I also threw in a few older fabric lines, but I tried to keep with a colour palette that wasn't too girly - I wanted Michael to love this quilt as well.

I adore the greys in this fabric line and mixed with the pretty aquas, pinks and reds, they make a stunning quilt.

I managed to keep the quilt a secret until the actual wedding day. There were times either Madeline or Michael pulled up in our driveway and I was frantically hiding sections before they came into the house, but neither of them saw anything until the big day ;)

It was hard for me to not show Madeline because I show her everything I'm working on, but it was a wonderful surprise to keep and it filled my heart watching them open the quilt and see it for the first time.

I did add a quilt label and I opted for a special message instead of the traditional who made the quilt label. I'm sure the quilt will be around and loved by future generations, and its story will be told to children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The label was my way of celebrating their love and the commitment they'd just made to each other in front of us all.

It really is a beautiful quilt and there was a whole lot of love poured into every stitch I sewed. Watching them open it was a special moment for me, and knowing they love it means the world!

It's such a blessing to have the resources to create unique and heartfelt gifts for the important people in our lives. We take it for granted at times, but our hands and hearts make more than just quilts, they make people feel special and loved, they celebrate achievements and milestones and they record moments in time that bring us so much joy.  That's what life is all about really.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Mills, may your life together be full of love, happiness and quilty hugs.

Happy quilting :)