This post has also been a long time coming - but not quite as long as the last.. ;)
Okay - it's no secret that I'm really good at
starting projects . . . not so much at finishing them.. Alec says my hobby is collecting hobbies... whatever..
Anyway - ever since Ethan was born, I've wanted to make him a quilt.. My mom's a fabulous seamstress, and after having been taught at her feet, I figured it would be no big deal.. Mistake #1. Oh well - live and learn ...
So last September, I waltzed into JoAnn's with my list... I found all the perfect fabrics for my toddler-sized quilt, got all the supplies, and was ready to get started.. I began measuring, cutting, and snipping away.. I set a deadline: Halloween.. Oh, but wait! I have a kit I HAVE to get finished by next week - better put the quilt away... Ok - no later than Thanksgiving... Dag nab it, company's coming - can't have all this stuff lying around.. Christmas.. Oh shoot - is that another collab that's due? ... You get the picture.. And aside from all the outside distractions, it was just one thing after another with the actual sewing machine - it {not so secretly} hates me...
Well, long story short, the poor kid went all winter and spring without a quilt made with love by his mother - not that he doesn't have 5 million other blankets made with love by his grandmother..
AND it was only a week ago, or so, that he even
started accepting blankets in bed with him, so it's not like it would have been appreciated.. Needless to say, I finally finished it on Saturday, and I am SO relieved! {And so is Alec - he can finally find the bedroom again!}
Here are a few things I learned..
- This is the only child of mine that will ever own a quilt like this from me. *please see addendum below
- Ironing boards are not the best work surfaces.
- Beds are not the best chairs.
- When you've got nothing else the right combination of heights, what can you do?
- When machine quilting yourself for the first time, don't get the highest loft batting possible..
- Sometimes it's just better to get it done {seriously, I hate that I gave in to that, but it was getting a little ridiculous..}
* Addendum: When I start going off about how I want to make a quilt for the next kid, please refer me back to this post. The only way I'm allowed to start one is if we have a place the sewing machine can stay out long term - none of this hiding from Ethan and digging it out the next time business.. Also, I need to have a work surface that's meant to be used for sewing - seriously, my back was killing me! And finally - I can have no scrapping deadlines - self-imposed or other - for at least 6 weeks. Oh yeah - and nothing with squares any smaller than 4 inches - this 2 inch business was a little tedious.. especially when I realized I'd been looking at the wrong guide on the sewing machine, and my 1/4" seems actually ended up being something between 1/4" & 1/8", so getting all the blocks to fit together and piecing together backing fabric to make up for the larger finished size was a bit frustrating..
Needless to say, it's not the most beautiful quilt ever made - quite frankly, there are a few areas that would warrant it being the ugliest.. But it's to him from me, and hopefully that's all that matters... :D
Wanna' see? . . . .
