...I know more confessions, but this week i was on a roll. This quilt has been on my WIP pile for several years now....and there is so much shame(i say this with a smile) in how easy it is to fix and finish an old project that was set aside for some reason. I got it ready to be quilted in half an hour.
This particular quilt was meant to be a birthday quilt for Mitchell about 2 years ago....boo hiss! The reason it was cast aside with total aggravation was because it was not lining up right, as far as i was concerned...seams and sashing. And i wanted it to...but through this quilt i have learned some valuable quilt lessons.
1. I learned that perfection can never be achieved in a quilt. Something is not going to be perfect, not going to line up, not going to be right. Perhaps i should look on this like the Amish do and add in a mistake on purpose and be ok that it is there.
2. I learned accurate cutting and a true 1/4 inch seam is absolutely necessary. For me there has been a learning curve on this. And i can see it in the work i did on this quilt just from two years ago.
3. I learned that I personally hate working with sashing.(hi honey!! i caught you!)
But when all is said and done it is going to be loved no matter what and it may not be perfect but it is done. As i type this tonight it is on Mitchell's bed being broken in. It has been out all week long(thank you Allison and Chris for helping me get it laid out and pinned) and Mitch has not once looked at it. I think the kids are so used to the quilts being for other people that he never thought to ask if it was for him. So tonight when i told him it was for him, a early belated birthday present(he will be 6 in two weeks), he was so excited and started loving it and using it right away. Mission Accomplished!
I am adding this to the project finishes over at Amylouwho's tonight for sew and tell this week. Have a look at what everyone is making it is well worth the time, and be sure to tell them what you think. Comments mean a lot to everyone!
26 comments:
How did Mitch not pick up on the pirates? Another job well done!
I am a firm believer in "Amish" quilts! :) Glad your finished your quilt and that he liked it. And I loved your post.
I tell ya... you're on a roll! If you're not careful you might use up that giant fabric stash! :)
Love the quilt. And here's my quilting ignorance showing... what's sashing?
Another finish! Way to go Leslie - it looks great. And no, nothing is perfect, but certainly we learn with every project.
I hate sewing sashing too. It drives me NUTS because I can never get it to line up perfectly, and perfect is what I want. Ha! I do love the way it looks though (even when it ends up being wonky), so more often than not I put it on the next quilt too.
Hi, Leslie! Great quilt, and even better, it sounds like you learned some important lessons! Another one I've learned is that (usually) all problems disappear after you wash the quilt and it comes out all warm ad crinkly good from the dryer! I just made a sudoku quilt with sashing that one block was seriously out of whack on, but after washing and drying you really don't notice it! Sew on!!
It sure looks great in the pictures. One thing I realized after going to my first big quilt show was that the quilts that looked so perfect there were for show and were never going to be used to read under or build a fort with or anything like that and I'd rather make quilts to be used even with imperfections.
Great lessons learned. I have quite a few quilts languishing in the cupboard. I'll have to get them out and try again!
Yay!!! Great quilt, and you will enjoy quilting even more for the lessons learned. It is always more fun when we give ourselves a little grace! It give us the freedom to be creative.
Blessings,
KT
What a great quilt. It looks perfect to me.
Great quilt-love the colors!
It's such a fun, vibrant quilt. I'm glad you finished it so it can be enjoyed by Mitch!
Hey, Leslie, it is a nice quilt, no matter how long it took to finish! Any project we learn from is a Good Project, my last project was finished with squares I put away from August '07. When I shared in my quit class the struggles I had, some friends told me "No one will ever know if you don't tell!" But, sometimes if we do not keep it real, then those new people will give up thinking it is all supposed to come easy. Even quick quilts do not always come 'easy'!
My honey helped with the pictures this week, too, don't you love them?!?
Woo hoo !
That boy is going to be warm THIS winter !
So great that you're getting new eyes for these projects.
Believe me, as I look at this Feathered Star, which I gave one final scrubbing, I've learned that even the quilts that you drool over in someone else's photos, have their own set of blemishes if studied up close !
I think that's just the most wonderful story of how happy you made him !
I love this quilt and the bright colors. I love even more the lessons that you passed along.
I have a quilt that my great-grandmother made for me. I have slept with it since childhood. It isn't perfect, but it is warm and cozy. That's what I hope to pass along throught my quilts -- all the comforts of home.
It's a wonderful quilt and as far as I can tell it IS perfect. Good job!
xoxo
Nancy
It looks great! I have a few WIP that I hope to tackle when school is in - good for you that you got yours done! And I bet he's loving those Pirate prints!
Congratulations on the finish.
I remember my quilting totally chaning when I started using a 1/4 foot.
Conratulations on the finish ... feels good, doesn't it! It looks good and your little guys loves it ... he knows it was made with love. That's what is important.
Wow, lots of blankies for Mitchell these days - I guess just in time for winter (I was part of a hour-long conversation about Canadian winter last night, we were preparing a visiting vet from Brazil... she's so excited! She also never heard of undercoating her car and having to get winter tires *grins* - this will be a fun winter, haha!). But no, winter is not here yet, that's just why it's at the top of my mind... :)
Congrats! I love getting projects like that finished! And it turned out great!
love it! hope you can keep your momentum & get lots more UFOs done before baby time!!
You. Are. The. Best. Mommy. Ever!
Kissing the top of your head 'cause you're so dang sweet!
Mitch sure is scoring with the new blankets recently. :)
Beautiful as always.
The quilt looks great! Confession of my own. I struggle with sashing too. I often put in corner stones and that helps me.
your quilt looks great! i have definitely had those quilts that are just one learning experience after another too. it's also good to hear that i'm not the only one who doesn't enjoy sashing either. it's such a pain!
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