This Quilt : That Boy

No doubt, if you have been following me long enough, you will have seen this quilt in various stages of completion. From inception, way back when, to updates along the way, through to quilt top finishing, basting and the labourious prospect of hand quilting (the quilt top already being hand sewn. I know). This quilt has a long history - three blogs long, in fact. It seems to have been a constant in my life for a long, long time - the never-ending quilt that sat taunting and mocking me from the WIP pile.

But back in November, with promises of keeping me warm in the afternoons as I worked on it as it draped over my knees, mindful of a nearing deadline, I picked it up again and began to consistently quilt it block by block. Illness, and various other deadlines and meet ups, meant that towards the end of December the pace had slackened again and it was only with a concerted push after the new year, working all spare moments I had that eventually - EVENTUALLY - this project was finally finished. Just in time for the recipient's 12th birthday.






















He was genuinely delighted with the quilt, knowing how long I have been working on it, how much effort I have put into it - seeing it, day after day after day taking up my time and effort. He was so generous in his praise for it, "it's the best thing I've ever had - I love it more than Minecraft", which is high praise indeed, and a sample of what a kind heart this boy of mine has. Because, even if he didn't mean it, he knows the value of this quilt; he knows it's more than just a pile of fabric.

Wrapped at night under it for the first time, he marveled at all the different fabrics, how WARM it was, how orange it was (and delighted to know I picked orange because it's his favourite colour). I told him that any time he was sad, or lonely or needed a hug from his mummy and I wasn't there, that this quilt would be my hug to him. One day when I'm not around and if this quilt is still standing I can still be there to keep him warm and let him know how much I love him.

He hugged it around him and said, "and when I'm a daddy I'll give it to MY son, so that he gets hugs from both of us".

And right then it was all worthwhile. The whole lot of it. The whole five years in the making.

Oh, this boy of mine. Such a good, good heart. Masha'allah.

Quilt

You might think all I do all day is knit and spin, educate and feed and wipe never-ending detritus up. Not so. I also hand sew a quilt too.

This project is soooo old and I'm not digging the links out to prove it, but I have only a little way to go... so so near.... can I do it before another birthday? I don't know. But I'll give it my best shot.

Week 5. (Finish by 13 Sept 2013) Bind it! And lets perve at your finished quilt….
































I know what you're thinking: you're thinking - woah! dude! that's a whole lot of colour in one quilt! And whilst it does look rather jazzy all pushed up in your face like this, there is a whole lot of white fabric in there to soak it up.

I made a patchwork bias to bring the colour combos together. The actual quilting was a bit funky due to basting issue (blame the house), but I'm pleased with how it's come together. It's a not-too-serious quilt for a not-too-serious kind of gal.

And I threw in a matching cushion cover too. Because I'm nice like that.

It's a fun, carnival vibe. If I were to make another quilt like this (if, say, I'd been lobotomized and forgotten how much pain quilting and basting in a pokey house causes) I would probably play around with the white fabric and go bolder - I like what Shannon has come up with - gradient colours to create an ombre effect. I like that alot.

For now, I'm done with quilts. This baby is ready to fly the nest....

Fly the Flag :: Week 4

Week 4. (Finish by 6 Sept 2013) Quilt it! ideas and inspirations and techniques.



I always manage to forget when I get excited about making a quilt that I have absolutely NO room to lay a quilt down to baste when it comes to the nitty gritty. I'm not even joking. I seriously have no room.

So this double quilt is basted to the best of my ability and quilted to the best of my ability. I had grand plans but damn it, my house conspired against me.

You take what you can get.

Flying the Flag :: Week 3

Week 3. (Finish by 30 August 2013) Sewing it! yes that would be sewing it all together.












Done. Next!

Damn those triangles are evil.