Finally Finished!

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..

1. This is the only child of mine that will ever own a quilt like this from me. *please see addendum below
2. Ironing boards are not the best work surfaces.
3. Beds are not the best chairs.
4. When you've got nothing else the right combination of heights, what can you do?
5. When machine quilting yourself for the first time, don't get the highest loft batting possible..
6. 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? . . . .