Logo-Locomotion: A Train Inspired Warm Wishes Quilt Finish

Hi, I thought I would share a my quilt finish in honor of birthday week in our family. It was my Father inlaw’s birthday last week and our grandson’s birthday this week. I did finish up my two Scooby quilts 2 days ahead of time but I will hold off showing them until after the birthday parties this weekend. I will be sharing the quilt I made for my Father inlaw today.

We are a farm family so of course we love tractors. We also love airplanes, well a very specific airplane. My Father inlaw’s Uncle designed and built the Monocoupe airplane back in the 1920’s on the old family farm place. You name it we have it with Monocoupes on it, from books, Christmas ornaments, models to coffee cups. I have blue prints from one of the racing Monocoupe airplanes that was made into a toy model. I need them framed yet for our office someday, but I can envision some sort of quilt with the designs embroidered or maybe having some Spoonflower fabric printed with the designs would be the ultimate fun. Somewhere and somehow in the last 10 years, my Father inlaw and his brother got interested in the Railroad and specifically Speeder Cars, the motorized cars that the railroad maintenance guys run up and down the tracks with. A friend had one, so they ended up with one. A few years later, and I think they now own at least 3 speeder cars between the two brothers. They load them up on trailers and haul them to events all over the Midwest and ride the rails on abandoned rail lines with their group of folks from all over the United States.

It is always hard to come up with an original gift for birthdays and holidays for my Father inlaw as if there is anything he might like, it is likely he may all ready have it. I decided to make him a quilt of his own. I had made him a fleece blanket years ago with John Deere tractors on it. I was on a mission to find something unique or at least different from what others might have, that was railroad related. I do not have access to many large quilting or fabric stores, so my fabric searches always goes online. I came across some rather interesting quilting material that had all sorts of train company logos all over it. With train companies that are no longer under some of the names listed. I do not recall ever seeing this fabric and they were selling it in a 3 yard piece on Etsy. I think I watched this particular fabric item  on Etsy all summer long, hoping and praying they still had it while I made up my mind what exactly I could make with it.  I finally decided to just go for it and purchase the fabric. I was not finding anything like it anywhere else, the amount of fabric was good and the price was really reasonable. I am not sure if the fabric is vintage new old stock. It was only 36 inches wide. It does not have the large selvage edges like we see today on fabrics. I think the only item I have come across online made with this material was curtains. I almost wonder if this had been curtains and someone cut off the hems. Whatever it was intended for originally, I was going to make a quilt with it.

I chose to use the Warm Wishes quilt pattern and match up my train logo colors with some pretty bright marble tone on tone fabrics.

I really like the black, red and blue marble blender fabrics. They add a major punch of color to the quilt. It ends up being a very manly quilt. I choose blue for the backing of the quilt and I ended up using every last bit of the vintage train logo fabric in the quilt piecing extra in to the back of the quilt.

Warm Wishes ended up being a fun and fast quilt pattern to use. I had seen it mentioned over and over again on the Quilting Board as a favorite quilt pattern. This was my first time using it, and I will most likely use it again someday as it is an easy way to show off your favorite prints. This quilt of course was well received by Dad. I finally found something he did not have.

I will be linking up my quilt finish with Link A Finish Friday,  Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday?, Fabric Frenzy Friday , Finish It Friday,                and Show Off Saturday.