My first-ever quilt is finished!I think I went through every emotion and curse word in the book to get this baby done...whew.
You amazing quilters didn't tell me that I would break three needles, rip out the top at least twice, throw the entire quilt in the trash can and do the binding by hand twice (!!!) before I broke down and made my own unique style of zig-zag machine binding.
But, you know what? It's done.
And while my friends and family say they love it, I know that they are really saying that they love me for having the fortitude to finish it. And that's good enough :)
I started out on this project last summer (before I began crafting OR sewing) with the hope of finishing this lap quilt for my sister-in-law, Carrie, for Christmas.
My goal for this quilt was to make the front really traditional as Carrie has a traditional streak. I mean, come on, her favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice! And, I wanted the back to be completely modern as she also has a modern, independent streak a mile wide which I adore about her. In essence, the end product was supposed to be a perfect marriage of traditional and modern, just like her.
I did all of the purchasing, measuring and cutting on my own and was halfway through sewing the front strips BY HAND when my mom felt so sorry for me that she actually machine sewed over my hand sewing and finished the top of the quilt for me. And so it sat, top done, folded neatly on my desk, for longer than I would like to admit.
Needless to say, Christmas came and went. And then Carrie's birthday in February came and went.
I made the backing all by myself, just after her birthday, on my new machine and then "stitched in the ditch" to sew the front, organic batting, and back together.
Then, I hand-sewed the binding...and proceeded to tear the whole thing off.
Then I put the quilt in the scrap pile and left it there for months.
Then I got so mad at it that I machine sewed the binding...and I hated it so I ripped it out again.
Then I decided that it had to be finished so I machined sewed the binding again!
And, while unique and a bit road weary, no one can say that it doesn't have character :)
Love you Carrie - hope it keeps you warm!
Happy Cursing, errr...Quilting Everyone!
Thanks for sharing your quilt story. I'm trying to gather the courage to make my first quilt and hearing your story gives me . . . uhmmm . . . hope? :) I love your quilt - the colors and design are stunning and I know that Carrie must be feeling very lucky right now. I know that some quilters make labels for their quilts and on that label they sometimes put a name for their quilt . . .
ReplyDeleteWow, what a process, but what a result! Gorgeous color scheme and a friend who will likely treasure it forever.
ReplyDeleteI have the fabric for my first quilt project, but I'm nervous to start and keep putting it off. I'm in awe of the quilters I see who blog about it, turning out gazillions of quilts. It's really hard, actually, even though they make it look easy.
Good for you - you did it!