Friday, March 4, 2011

Wickedly belated, but better late than never

Last summer, I bought yards and yards of fabric to make Tade a quilt for his birthday in August.  A week before his birthday, I frantically spent a couple of hours throwing together some huge rectangles of fabric into something approximating a quilt top.  Two days before his birthday, I had it basted and planned on some straight-ish line quilting about an inch apart.  I got about 8 inches of it quilted before his birthday.

It then became a "Christmas" quilt.  I got about 7 more inches done and hung it in the closet for when I got better at straight line quilting.


Fast forward to last Saturday, when I talked to Amanda (she was making foccacia and had some questions).  I keep talking about all of these projects that I want to make but am stifled by my WIPs.  I cannot justify starting something new until I get some of this done.  I need the space; I need them out of my head and weighing me down.

So, she "assigned" me 15 rows of stitches to get done this week and recommended lengthening my stitch length to fix my struggles with my walking foot(this was suggested months ago--I obviously hadn't tried it yet).  Wow.  I spent about 16 of the next 24 hours finishing the quilting, and had the binding sewn down by 10:30 pm on Sunday.

What an awesome feeling!  Tade told me that it's lovely and beautiful.  And I love it.  It's not much to look at from a piecing stand point, but I love it's simplicity.


And it's twin sized and he sleeps in a full size bed.  Always has.  I must have hoped that he'll still be using this quilt when he goes off to college as it would fit a dorm bed perfectly.  (photo taken at the Inn at City Park, because the full sized bed just wasn't doing it for me!)

All of the fabrics are American Jane--I love the vintage aesthetic and the bright colors! I bound it in the black Punctuation and love how scrappy that made it look.

Of course i have no pictures of that, so you'll have to take my word for it!  It's backed with a sheet.  That worked pretty well for me, I'll be doing that again!

Thanks, Amanda!  What should I work on this week?
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6 comments:

  1. JennyMarch 4, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    great quilt Tara! i love the simplicity of it! and Yahoo! for having a WIP done!!

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  2. Heather LouiseMarch 4, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    Tara, I have a quilt that I started for the Princess P before she was born(who is 15 now) and I will probably finish it in time for her first born (ten or more years from now). You are so ahead of the game my dear.

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  3. Jodi B.March 4, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    Thanks for the WIP inspiration. Your quilt is terrific and simple. I am also trying to focus on the various piles around my sewing room. I know they want to get off of the floor and be changed into something useful.

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  4. SusanMarch 5, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    It's beautiful, I love the colors.

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  5. midnight hysteriaMarch 20, 2011 at 6:43 PM

    love the quilt, understand the sentiments: long, long ago in a land that time (and i) almost forgot (northern british columbia) i gave my daughters fabric and patterns for their birthdays (four daughters, one son and NO TIME) ... well, would you believe their daughters have worn the little girlie ruffle dresses ... anyway, you did good ...

    now, a question: how long did you lengthen your stitch ... this in anticipation of *actually* completing for a granddaughter ... actually completing it .... a miracle for sure ... not sure about stitch length for the walking foot (bernina 1230)

    thanks for any help .... darlene

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  6. quirky granola girlMarch 23, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    i need someone to set up quilting assignments for me! i was doing well for awhile, but now i've wandered off and picked up a new project...

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