The Body in the Library, a 17″ x 25″ wall hanging
Welcome to my first post for Amy’s Creative Side’s twice-annual Blogger’s Quilt Festival! First post? Yes, that’s right! I will be entering two quilts this year!
Be sure to read to the end for a fun giveaway!
The timing of this particular festival could not be better as my Wall Hanging entry, The Body in the Library, was just finished earlier this month!
For weeks I’d been wracking my brain for an idea for the perfect birthday gift for Jewells, my best friend of almost 20 years.
While thinking about things I know for sure she enjoys, Agatha Christie came to mind.
On a whim, I began Googling.
Then I found this:
Immediately, I knew it was The One. This was what I was looking for and it HAD to be a quilt; in fact, it had to be THE birthday quilt!
Don’t the graphics just shout QUILT!?
Within moments of finding this image, I’d fired up EQ7 and begun drafting.
In approximately two days, I designed, paper pieced, hand embroidered, pieced, free motion quilted, bound & labeled this little gem.
The shelves of the quilt are entirely paper pieced. These three shelves contain more than 36 pattern pieces. Not pieces of fabric, but actual pattern pieces!
Watch the video where I talk about this quilt!
I straight-line quilted around the books and free-motion quilted the shelves, border and background, all on my Baby Lock Quest Plus.
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“Agatha Christie” is hand embroidered using DMC in a font called Alpaca 54. “by” was drawn by me.
The back of the quilt shows the quilting much better than the front!
You can also see the tabs I created for hanging. To make them, I fold a 3″ square in half on the diagonal and stitch them onto the corners when attaching the binding. Simply place a dowel rod in the pockets and it’s ready to hang! The best way I’ve found to do this is by using two 3M Command wire hooks placed approximately 6″ apart. The label is a larger square created the same way as the pockets at the top.
The Body in the Library is a Miss Marple mystery story. According to Freaky Trigger, this particular cover is the 1942 Australian Collins Crime Club edition.
As an added bonus today, comment on this post with the name of your favorite book for a chance to win one of two prizes! I’ll be giving away a free copy of Quiltmaker’s Quilts from 100 Blocks and a copy of of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol 7. to TWO random commenters at the end of the festival!
Quilts From 100 Blocks includes my pattern Corn Maze and Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 7 includes my pattern Make Lemonade. Want these magazines now? Get them in my Etsy shop!
There’s always lots going on around Sewhooked! In October, join me Name That Mustache and Crafts of Halloweens Past!
Don’t forget to check out the Blogger’s Quilt Festival for more fabulous quilts!
I hope to see you around!
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Featured pattern: Jack Leaves The Light On, $6 on Craftsy
Sewhooked 
What a wonderful quilt for Jewells! How very clever (and I love Agatha Christie too!). fav. book? Oh dear, too many favorite books as mostly I read mysteries. A couple of non-mysteries are Wizard of Oz (actually all the Oz books!), Harry Potter (entire series) and for just adults, Killer Angels (about Gettysburg).
I don’t recall ever reading Agatha Christie. I did love the Harry Potter series and would love to read it again. Thanks for the chance to win! marbkfly@yahoo.com
wow you did a fantastic job. Your friend is going to love this. I did comment on the post that had your daughters quilt on it for one of the magazines. I have vol 7. If this post is considered a double in the give a way please just delete. Thanks for sharing
This is pure inspiration. I have watched your TTMT about it but got sidetracked before I could comment…when I saw this on Flickr, I was totally blown away. It’s so perfect: the original design translates so beautifully into fabric and thread. I recognised the title right away, as my mum has had Agatha Christie books in the house for as long as I can remember.
I’m sure Jewells was beside herself when she opened this. So awesome!
My favourite book is William Gibson’s Neuromancer. It’s the only one I’ve read more times than HP!
This is so inspiring! such a brilliant idea!
This book cover is amazing! What a wonder friend to make this for your BFF. I actually think I may have read this book not too long ago.
Wonderful friend I meant – sorry
That is amazing — I absolutely love it!
So hard to name a single favorite, but a book I dearly love–which began a series that has been a joy to read–is “Still Life” by Louise Penny. Your Jewells might really enjoy it, as it has a mystery as its plot, although it is about so very much more than that.
haha! LOVE it! What a brilliant idea 🙂
Awesome friend gift!! I can totally see why that cover screamed out to be a quilt, and you did a super job with the design. Favorite book? The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera, and The Light Princess, by George MacDonald.
Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Street series, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series, Debbie’s Thursdays at Eight, and Jennifer’s Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and a few of my favorites. I hope to get a quilt made with blocks representing my favorites.
Love your quilts.
Love Agatha Christie, and this is just the coolest homage to her genius!
Hi Patti! You were one of my winners for the Blogger’s Quilt Festival! If you’ll email your mailing address to sewhooked@gmail.com, I’ll get your prize in the mail. Thanks for commenting!
Oh my goodness! I saw your quilt in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. I love Agatha Christie. Really, I do. I just finished reading The Blue Train, one of her books, this evening. This quilt is amazing. i bet your friend is going to absolutely love it! I haven’t read Body in the Library yet, but I really loved Christie’s well-known classic, And Then There Were None.
I love your quilt what a special gift for your best friend. I like Agatha Christie books but my all time favorite books are The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
How fun is that? Too cool.