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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

christmas quilt - finally!

Though not the most intricate, this quilt means more to me than any other I've ever made. Technically it is my first quilt ever. I don't know exactly how old I was when I started it, but it was right around the time I began to learn how to sew on a machine. I can't give credit to any one seamstress in my life (my mom, grandmother, or aunt) for teaching me, but I learned everything I know from the three of them.

I made this quilt top during the long summer days I spent at my grandmother's house. She gave me a stack of Christmas fabric scraps that were hers, my aunt's, and my great aunt's left over from their own Christmas projects. I cut big 12" x 12" squares out of my favorites and laid them all out on the floor, deciding how to arrange them. I remember being concerned that the reds didn't touch other reds and the whites didn't touch other whites. I think I did pretty well except in one row! I also remember being concerned that the blue fabrics didn't match my color scheme but they were my absolute favorite, so I had to incorporate them somehow!

A few years ago my grandmother found the quilt top in her back bedroom. We were both overwhelmed with nostalgia, thinking back to my first days on a machine and how I pored over quilting books. It was also fun to see my beginnings compared to how hooked I am now! She gave the top to me and I took it home with the full intentions of finishing it soon. I bought the large print poinsettia fabric for the back (her favorite) and the batting. A few years and about five quilts later, I decided to stop letting it sit there and just get it done. I found the cutest candy cane fabric, perfect for the binding. Since binding is my favorite part of the process, I think that was the real motivation to finish.

Through pressing and pin basting the quilt, I realized how very little I cared about seam allowance when I was young, and how very important it really is to me now! I had to take out a lot of seams or reinforce them by hand. This was my first time pin basting, and I can't say that I hate it...but I really love fusible batting most. I did a simple diamond quilting pattern all over (also one of my favorites). One of these days I'll get fancier, but I'm not quite ready for more detailed designs just yet.


This quilt is also an odd size, but I decided not to add another row in order to maintain the charm of the old days and keep it exactly how I originally made it. I snipped all the threads, washed it, and gave it to my grandmother this weekend. She immediately recognized the fabrics and was so happy to see them again after all this time - a finished quilt! I couldn't be more happy with it. This is what quilting is all about to me. Making meaningful gifts for the people you love that they'll cherish forever.

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