A little while back my mama had given me a little box of treasures she'd saved for me over the years. The 'treasures' were not what most would consider actual treasure but more treasures of my heart that channel treasured memories. One of those treasures lifted my sick-with-a-brutal-sinus-cold spirits this morning and I just had to share.
Do you ever get made fun of for your fashion style... or lack thereof? I sure do, but it never tempts me, even in the slightest, to change!
For the past two days we have had unusually high temperatures here at home; yesterday was +8 and today it's +6... unheard of for us during winter and though we still have lots of snow it's a sudden and welcomed relief from the deep -30's we've been having. I opened the windows hoping to air out the house as well as hoping the fresh air would help me breathe a little easier and mentioned to Enz that it felt like Spring and that this year I was hoping to finally be able to wear my cowgirl boots again since it's been a couple of years not being able to walk in them with thanks to the dumb neuropathy...
"I was hoping you'd forgotten about them..." he answered me.
"What??! Why would you even say something like that?????"
"Because, Gillian... can't you just wear something normal sometimes instead of plaids and boots with sundresses?"
"I like my boots with sundresses... and my jean jacket, too!"
"I knowwwww....."
And then I started to giggle... and then I started to laugh... and then I started to choke and cough and laugh and choke and cough some more. Colds suck so bad!
A few minutes and about a half box of Kleenex later, I made my way back out to the living room (where I was determined to sit up for another half hour before giving in to going back to bed) with little Lindsay from my treasured memories in arm.
"It seems my style goes wayyyyy back, Enz," I said as I passed him my sweet Cabbage Patch Preemie, Lindsay, from way back to the year (1983) of the Cabbage Patch Kids, "your disapproval of my choices has no chance of changing it in the now... or the future. "
"You're ridiculous," was his reply.
"Yooouuuuu're welcome!" was mine.
Little Lindsay... long forgotten if not for my mama keeping her safe, still dressed in my top favourite outfit for her of
the MANY outfits I had; a little dress my aunt had made and brown plastic cowgirl boots. LOVE!!!
I was actually surprised myself at just how far back my love for sundresses and cowgirl boots went when I had plucked little Lindsay from my little box of treasures to find her still carefully dressed in my favourite outfit ever for her. But isn't it funny just how far we can come in time yet still remain the same in our hearts even when trends and fashions may change?! There were times I got teased as a kid for my boots as well as when I was a teen and even still at times while trying to adult. But, I don't care and looking at this little doll, I like knowing that I didn't care then, either.
Still sittin' proud in my boots and a dress!
Now, I'm not saying that fashion isn't cool and that trends aren't fun... I seriously LOVE fashion and one of my dreams is to actually get to attend a real fashion design show, just to get to experience it. But in my real life, I love comfort in wearing what makes me feel like, well, me. What are some fashion choices that you've been made fun of for? Did you let it change you or do you wear your own unpopular choices with absolute joy as I do, no matter what anyone else might think or say?
I love to lose myself in different times and places, to disappear into worlds of wonder, to live in a reality I might otherwise never know.
And as much love as I have for books... I have also for bookmarks. For as long as I've collected books, I've also collected bookmarks. One of the greatest disappointments of my life was that all but three of the bookmarks I had collected up until I was sixteen had been lost along with my collection of 8-track tapes in the move back to Thunder Bay, but it didn't stop me from starting my collection all over again.
The only few childhood bookmarks I do still have are the ones I kept in my Bible... I promise you this is NOT meant to be a 'preachy post' in any way, shape or form but feel free to skip over my Bible bookmarks if you wish to! I'm just so grateful to still have and use them every day after so many years that I just can't possibly leave them out.
This little plastic bookmark has yellowed around it's edges over the years but it
happily marks the verse I like to remind myself of every morning: "And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing."
This little shepherd is a little bent and wrinkled from over the years but
still holds another important place for me...
I would actually like to talk a little about my 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' bookmark because I'd had it for many years before I really found honest meaning in it, and it was all thanks to a movie. I think I've mentioned before how my dad loved westerns and not only introduced me to but got me hooked on them, too... Anyhow, this bookmark had been with me since I was little; I used it and read the message each time I did, I had spoken the words aloud countless times in Sunday school and during Sunday church services afterward each week so I knew the words well. But the first time I ever watched Pale Rider as a teenager with my dad, the words of Psalms 23:1 finally became real to me. In the movie, as Megan recited the Psalm she also questioned it, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want... but I do want....." and on she went. And as soon as she had started I felt an immediate relief because what she said was what I also felt. Here was this young girl, the same age as me, going through the same crushing angst in learning, with the same questions, even in different time and circumstance, speaking her worries and confusion of the very same passage aloud. Sure I knew it was just a movie script but I also knew that someone had written those words for her to say and that meant that I wasn't alone in my own wanting to 'not want' when I 'did want', which up until that moment had always left me feeling unexplainably torn. And once it became real to me that my fears of not measuring up were just that, fear, it opened me up to understanding that it's okay to question because it has helped me to gain so much more in gratefulness. I had used that bookmark for many books up until that day I first watched Pale Rider but now it sits in mark of that Psalm to always remind me of the confirmation I found on that day. It also constantly reminds me of that day spent with my dad and that is a memory I never want to forget!
And then there's this little raccoon who finds a different place each morning when
I read my "What would you have me read today...?" passage.
And believe it, or not, but this bookmark is an old 'Nite-Glo' bookmark that still,
after all these years, continues to shine in the dark.
I just, for some reason, feel like every book deserves a worthy bookmark and a big part of the whole perfect reading experience for me (as geeky as it sounds) is in choosing the perfect bookmark. So, when my newest book was delivered yesterday... I just couldn't wait to get to the bookmark box!
It never fails to surprise me just how much joy lifting the lid from my little bookmark box brings me; it's the beginning of a brand new adventure every single time I do. Although I have quite a few choices waiting inside the bookmark box, sometimes the right one just isn't in wait and I find myself in need of a new one. Usually, if I head out to my workshop I can find a fabric that feels right to make a bookmark with but if it turns out I need to shop for one, I do... because I want every book I read to feel it's own specialness, as ridiculous as that may sound.
I love all kinds of bookmarks... for every marker, there is a book somewhere in wait!
But then there are times like today... when the finding is super simple. I immediately went for the fabric bookmarks, it just felt like this book was in need of a homey, fabric bookmark and as I flipped through my ready-made choices it was the red one that called to be chosen. I trusted my instinct although even as I pulled it from the stack, I questioned the red... but only until I laid it across the cover.
It really is the perfect bookmark, I feel... the dark, almost burgundy-tinged red
matches perfectly with both the checkered spine aaand it also brings out
the glowing blueberry jelly hues in the top of the pictured jelly jar!
I know it's silly but I also know my love for both books and their markers is something that matters to me. Somewhere within the choosing I find what helps me get settled in for a true escape to a whole new space of comfort waiting in the pages that will gratefully whisk me away. Do you have any silly rituals to help you get ready for a perfect getaway into a new book adventure? Maybe you're as dedicated to bookmarks as I am? Or, maybe you prefer to fold over page corners?
Isn't it funny how a silly, old, ingrained habit can transport us back into a lifetime ago with only the quickest blink of an eye? Well, today my own silly, old, ingrained habit brought me back to another time, another place and it got me thinking about why some things stay so much a part of us even in the most fleeting of visits.
It all came flooding back with a simple foil wrapper...
I was sixteen when I had my first real boyfriend and even today I can't look back on my time spent with him and not smile. For the sake of this little post, let's just call him 'Harley' because I'm sure he is married and happy and I will always respect him too much to embarrass him with memories probably long forgotten for him. The memories, actually, are pretty deeply buried in my own mind, too, but for some reason... a foil wrapper will always send me back to that space. It's a space filled with so much learning and trusting and fearing and treading lightly in the new territory of a whole new kind of relationship while jumping ALL in fear-be-darned. And I can still feel every insecurity turning into confidence with just that big old reassuring smile from Harley as he would easily reach to pull me over close to him every time he came to pick me up in that beat-up, old, rumbly '69 Cutlass Supreme of his.
It was seriously, THE coolest car! Looked much like this except it had black hood
stipes and was a little more beat up... I tried to find the person who listed this
picture but couldn't so I will just give Anonomous Photo Credit appreciation for now.
Oh, those first days of teenage freedom... yep..... 1989 was a pretty sweet year! Harley was a fewwwww years older than me but that didn't matter to us and though my parents had reservations at first, it wasn't long before they realized and admitted that they trusted I was respected and safe when I was out with him. He never brought me home even a minute past my curfew, he wasn't afraid to meet my 6'6" intimidating (teddy)bear yet Paul Bunyan lookalike lumberjack Dad and he also had an 'in' with running in the same crowd as my older brother who didn't hesitate to attest to the fact that Harley was one of the most decent and honest friends he had... and that was saying something when coming from a brother five years older who wouldn't necessarily think the greatest of having his kid sister around at some of the hangouts and parties he went to. It all worked out though, and it was the absolute greatest year of my life... so many adventures, so much fun! And all those moments came rushing back like a gift I hadn't even known I'd been in wait for today with just the careful unwrapping of two little foil-wrapped chocolate balls I had pulled from the freezer for my after-MASSIVE-rowing-machine-workout congratulatory treat.
I don't often have foil-wrapped candy in the house, not being one for sweets, but I do have a real weakness for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolate and Enz'z brother had sent us a huge basket of it at Christmas, a big bag of these little chocolate balls included; I vacuum-sealed and froze most of it and it will last for months since we only pull out a little treat piece, or two, at a time when chocolate cravings surface. Sometimes I realize that even though I'd been looking forward to a post workout reward, I don't really want it after I've cooled down and just return them to the big chill but today, I still did. My weakness overtook me and after I had sweated my butt off and had a shower I was still looking forward to the little chocolates in wait on the counter. And so I reached for and began unwrapping as gently and carefully as I could in my always hope that I can step up to the challenge of a perfect unwrap... leaving not a single tear in the foil. It's funny because I never think about or plan to carefully unwrap even when I know there is foil to be had but my fingers just automatically start with hope. These Rocky Mountain foils are not easy, thin and extremely delicate but slowly, I managed to get both covers off the chocolates with no damage to either wrapper!
I first tried to smooth out the green foil but I ended up the foiled one when it tore almost as instantly as I had begun. The gold one though, was much more cooperative thanks to my being wayyy more careful in my quest, and as I sat to gently smooth out its every wrinkle my mind began to drift back to that year spent with Harley... He really was the sweetest soul. He was tall and burly with the warmest big ol' smile that just melted me every time he sent it my way accompanied by the quickest flash of a wink. And... gentle, he was so incredibly gentle-hearted beyond both of our years put together. He was quiet in his sureness but he was the friend that everybody trusted and knew he could be counted on, always. I think what I loved most about him was that he didn't even have the slightest clue of just how admired he really was because that wasn't what was important to him. I learned really quickly that where Harley went, so did everyone else and he was just as loyal to his friends as they were to him.
For all that was purely good and perfect about Harley, he did have one habit that wasn't so great... he smoked. It was the '80s and most of my friends smoked because it was just what the cool kids did. I was probably the only one of my friends who didn't smoke, though I did try it more than once. Anyhow, it was Harley and his friends smoking addiction that I blame for bringing me into my foil wrapper addiction that still overtakes me. See, Harley was patient enough to sit through my basketball games and wait for me through my track practices just so we could spend a little time together before my early school night curfew so I was also patient in sitting off to the side while he and his friends fixed whatever was in need of fixin' on his car that week just so we could be near each other. And so I would sit either on his house porch or out on the curb close to the action where inevitably there were multiple cigarette packages tossed in wait for smoke-breaks. There was always at least one that would have an empty foil and the guys were all happy to let me check and take said empty foils which I did always put back just in a little different shape, is all.
My mind disappeared as my fingers worked the foil, carefully folding and re-folding, again and again, to make way for as perfect a straight tear as I could make. And as my hands directed themselves, I found myself lost once again in driving out the back roads on hot summer days to swim at the high-bridge river, the bridge I was always too chicken to jump off of but I loved watching the fearlessness of everyone else as I tiptoed in from the riverside, wishing that for just once I could make the jump along with the rest. That memory brought a huge giggle for me today because it also brought back the memory of one summer evening after a trip out to the swimming spot and a bush party set for later that night which my mama said I was not allowed to go to... I remember being SO MAD! And like an every day teenager my response was "EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOINGGGGG!!!" and her response was "Well, if everybody jumped off a bridge, would you then have to do it too???" and my response was "Everybody DID jump off a bridge today... BUT I DIDN'T... I walked down to the river side and I TIPTOED INNNNN and I was the ONLY ONE that DIDN'T JUMP and I hate you so much for even saying I can't go to the party!!!"... Another long story, short..... I was allowed to go to the party because if my judgement was obviously good enough to keep me from jumping off the bridge, it was hopefully good enough to keep me from drinking at a party in the woods where surely there would be alcohol available. Teenagering with caring parents was as hard as it was fun sometimes!
Harley and I had been together for most of that school year but it's those last months of summer I hold onto most. Fishing on the river, long drives to nowhere, beach days, bonfires, the drive-in theatre, parties, swimming... everything that makes for a full summer of teenage awesomeness. But then my mind suddenly switched as I tore the last of the foil pieces apart. My thoughts turned from the beautiful to the fear that a single family meeting had brought forth toward the end of that beautiful summer.
My dad had been offered a work transfer back to our hometown of Thunder Bay... a sixteen hour drive from where we had lived in Southern Ontario for almost five years. The whole family, me included, voted to return to the home we all had missed. My mom was the only one who would have happily stayed put because she loved it there but the rest of us still missed home and being surrounded by forests and mountains instead of being surrounded by one town leading into the next and directly into a city before connecting to another small town. I missed camping and skiing and I was so excited to be going home again... until Harley came to call on me that evening. I remember being so torn, just like this last piece of foil I tore from the chocolate. I tried to tell him, probably a hundred or so times that night, but I couldn't make myself actually do it. Instead, I slowly pulled away without saying anything just simply because I couldn't make myself say goodbye to him. I left earlier than the rest of my family to stay with my aunt until our house sold because my mom didn't want me switching schools mid-semester in highschool and I still regret not asking my aunt to stop by Harley's house as we headed out of town so I could explain... so I could apologize. I was so awful in my fear of having to say goodbye to someone I cared so incredibly about that I just disappeared without even leaving a hint to him that we were moving. Probably my only real regret in life was the goodbye that Harley deserved and I was too terrified of.
But there's a plus to no goodbyes... I remember him only with that smile I felt so safe within and never the moment of seeing the disappointment I know he had in me for just running like I did.
So as I finished with the tearing of sections, the comfort of Harley again took me over. And I was back to sitting closeby him, tearing and folding cigarette foils into tiny flowers, smiling again as I heard the guys' voices and easy laughter drifting back over all those past years. Life was just so easy then. Friends, foil flowers and sweet glances that can still set me aflutter. And even though my heart never did completely heal from that goodbye I so horribly ran away from, I am grateful for every rare and fleeting memory that finds me while lost in a tiny piece of foil. Why I ever folded flowers when I so despise flowers, I'll never know... but I did, and every once in a blue moon..... I do again.
It's not about dwelling in the past or wishing things had turned out differently... but it's more about celebrating the life that brought me to who I am in the present. I don't yearn for that time, but I do cherish it in the fleeting moments it calls me back in memories. I think it's okay to allow ourselves those sweet moments that helped to shape our nows. I learned a very important lesson in that terrible goodbye and it's good when those foil memories flood back, even as incredibly intermittently as they do because I know I never want to be so thoughtless toward anyone ever again. I wish I had explained, I wish I had apologized, I wish I had said goodbye. Still, I look back with thankfulness that I even got to live the little piece of perfect that I did.
What are the silly littles that take you back to a different time and place? Are you brave enough to admit to getting lost in a time there's no going back to?
Quilts look easy to make, and really they are easy in basics... a top layer (quilt top), a middle layer (batting) and a bottom layer (backing) all sewn together and edged to make it all one unit of togetherness in warmth.
But there is a LOT of work that goes into making even the simplest of quilts! So, after recently being contacted by a few people wanting to learn about what is involved in quilting... and even more people coming to me with "I don't want to pay the prices most people charge for quilts so, If I buy the fabric, will you make me a quilt?" I thought I would share what the process of making a quilt actually entails by explaining what making even this super simple patchwork quilt I made for my mom as her Christmas gift involves. I do realize that non-quilters sometimes truly don't know just how much time, concentration and work goes into quilting because they really do look and are sturdy like just any other 'quilted blanket' when they have been properly crafted, so I never get upset when people ask these questions... I've just learned to say "no, thank you".....
Just so you know, my mom did not ask me to make her this quilt and has never asked for a quilt and I wasn't even sure how the quilt would be received since my family is not really into homemade gifts, much to my dismay... but she liked it so all worked out well!
Awhile back, I had made a simple reversible patchwork car quilt for my boys... I chose to do simple patchwork because I wanted it done FAST; springtime was approaching and it's easier to throw a quilt in the wash instead of having to shampoo the car carpets every time muddy paw boots jump inside. Anyhow, of all the intricate-finicky-take-forever-to-make quilts I have made, this simple one is the one my mom has fawned over every time she has helped me get the boys settled into the car after a visit. So, after about the fifteenth time of my mama reaching inside the car to feel the quilt while saying "I just love this quilt..." I finally figured out that it might make a good gift idea for her.
This is the boys car quilt I write of.....
Now, on to my mama's Quilt...
The first step in making a quilt is creating a design (or following a pattern if you prefer to do it that way) and usually designing, for me, means sitting down with graph paper and pencil crayons; since I was just winging an 'organized patchwork' it was already designed in my head. The only figuring I needed to do was sizing, so that's only took a few minutes. Basically, I just decided to make the quilt a perfect couch-nap size because I knew it would then be sure to get MUCH use; my mama loves naps!! I decided on 60"x75" because it was an easy size for using the big 5" squares look she also seemed to really like.
The second step (10 min) in making this quilt was choosing fabrics. I just picked a bunch of fabrics I had on-hand and mixed'n'matched batiks and regular cottons of different weights... patchwork is all about differences coming together so nothing has to actually match but I did want to make sure I had sort of equal piles of colour tones to work with.
I love the 'choosing fabrics' part of creating quilts!
The third step (2.5 hrs) in making this quilt was to iron all the fabrics to prepare for the big cut!
I like to get ALL the ironing over with at once and I just lay
the crisp pieces flat to cool...
...or hang them to cool before.....
.....squaring each piece up for the cut!
The fourth step (2.75 hrs) in making this quilt was to square the fabric and cut the 180 5.5" squares needed to make the quilt top. It is very important to be as precise as possible when cutting squares to avoid a wonky top that is sure to a mess when it comes to the quilting finish.
One square cut...
...more squares cut.....
.....all squares cut!
The fifth step (1.5 hrs) in making this quilt was the 'organized patchwork' part I mentioned earlier... I like to lay out the rows like this to make sure I don't end up with two of the same fabric squares too close to one another. The reason I do this is simply because I like for every quilt I make to have a tiny focal point even if it's meant to be a mish-moshy quilt; I call it the heart of the quilt but I'll show you what I mean with these next few pictures...
Non-matching partner square layout begins.
Mostly non-matching layout finished.
But the heart of this quilt is this set of four matching fabric
squares together, but in opposing pattern directions. My mom
had gone straight for this 'heart' fabric on both occasions she had
been in my shop, so I figured it would be a good choice.
The sixth step (30 min) in making this quilt was to carefully bundle up the squares in their placed order.
Each row of squares is carefully piled in order with a single
pin across the top to keep strict order for my design.
Once all the rows have been neatly piled and pinned...
...I then pile the rows up in their set order.....
.....and take them over to my sewing desk!
I use this thread for all my quilt piecing, and I do mean ALL! This thread is just
fantastical... it agrees with all colours, even stark whites and blacks, it is strong
for hold but just silky enough to make removal easy when screwy seams happen
and it's just great to work with one constant thread instead of constantly changing.
The Seventh step (7.5 hrs) in making this quilt was sewing the squares together into rows and ironing each seam flat and in opposite one another (row-wise) before placing them in order for their next sewing machine appearance. My greatest tip in sewing rows for quilt tops is (when pattern allows) to always sew non-stretchy sides together because it makes sewing the rows together SOOOOO much easier if the edges have a little give to work with!
I check each square as I prepare to sew, making sure I am sewing
firm sides together so my seam will be along the pinned edge
which is on the non-stretchy side.
Just a clean, simple seam with a quarter-inch seam allowance,
no need to back-stitch beginning and end, either.
Then I just continue on, piece after piece for each row.
After I finish each row, I set and iron the seams toward one side and lay them out in order. Ironing is VERY important at this stage for ease in finishing. Here is a video to explain what I mean by setting and pressing the seams (sorry I'm not the greatest videor):
All the rows are now ready for connecting into one big quilt top!
The heart of the quilt is set just like I wanted and each row of
seams has been ironed opposite of one another like in the video.
All ready to start sewing the rows together!
The eighth step (3.5 hrs) in making this quilt was to sew all the rows together before pressing the row seams flat to make the finished quilt top.
This is why it was so important to iron the seams opposite; now
they will be easy to butt together while sewing for a tight close.
I like to sew groups of four rows together just because it's a
little easier to work with smaller sheets instead of manoeuvring
the whole big shebang around the whole time... especially when
ironing the seams just like with the single squares.
The back connections before pressing (left).
The right side connections after pressing (right).
Because of the opposite direction pressing and thanks to the stretchy sides allowing for ease of allowance while sewing...
every point should be a perfect one like this one where all corner points meet.
The ninth step (3hrs) in making this quilt was to choose and piece the quilt backing fabrics. I do not like flowers... not a little bit, not AT ALL ...but my mom loves flowers so I thought that making a flowered backing for her quilt would be a win-win for both of us; YAY, a gift for me, too! See, there's a quilt shop in BC that I order most of my fabrics from because we don't have quilt shop choices locally in town and every time I order, the lady who owns the shop always throws in a few fat quarters just as a thank you for ordering from her which I always love and appreciate! She sends all kinds of patterns but since I don't like flowers I had these ones tucked away out of sight but knew they would be perfect for something... at some point..... and now they were!
Now, a lot of times the quilt backing is made all in the same fabric but I really like to make both sides of a quilt their own individual character, even if the quilt isn't meant to be reversible. If i had been preparing a single-fabric backing it probably would only have taken about an hour to prep but this one took longer with good cause.
Flowery backing fabrics ready for ironing and piecing!
Ironing, cutting and layout for this backing were done in
much the same fashion as the top squares.
Except, I laid them in a brick-pattern instead and just cut
the long edges off to make a large, even rectangle.
A very important thing to remember in quilt planning is to make sure that both the backing and batting pieces are LARGER THAN the finished quilt top. As a quilting longarmer I can assure you that it is imperative for the backing to be at least 6" and preferably 8" larger than the top for longarm loading necessities. If you are quilting on a small machine yourself, by all means, be as tight with the backing as you want to be responsible for but a longarm machine needs enough backing to hold steady while leaving enough room to be able to properly quilt within. I stopped taking quilting requests from a couple of people just solely for never providing enough backing... it's seriously a longarmers nightmare!
Bigger backing... YAY!!!
The tenth step (5 hrs) in making this quilt was the loading of the quilt and the actual quilting part of the quilt. I first loaded the backing onto the rollers followed by the batting and finally the top. I decided on two layers of batting because batting these days is very thin, which I think is great for art quilts but in snuggle-up quilts I like them to have a little bit of squish with a little bit of weight, so I used a layer of Hobbs Heirloom Batt (thin and warm) and a layer of Hobbs Polyester Batt (light and fluffy). I cut the batting to the same measurements of the backing for ease of quilt top fit.
Quilt is loaded and basted!
I chose a simple circle-swirl pattern just to soften the sharp
squares without adding too much frillyness.
I love this step, when the layers merge to become a quilt
is a pretty beautiful thing for me!
The eleventh step (.5 hr) in making this quilt was to unload the quilt and trim the batting/backing even with the quilt top edges. I don't know how I forgot to take a picture of this part... but I did. I just used a long fabric ruler and rotary cutter.
The twelfth step (2 hrs) in making this quilt was to prepare the binding. I usually make a multi-colour binding but Christmas was near and I was running out of time, plus I felt a solid edge would help the patchwork stand on its own. I cut enough 2.25" fabric strips to meet the perimeter measurements and sewed them together (on the 45°) to make one long strip to go around. Then I ironed the whole long strip half-wise before sewing it on to the quilt around the whole outer edge, matching the raw edges together and leaving just enough seam allowance that the finished foldover would hide the machine stitches. Then it was a quick matter of gently ironing the binding open or hand sewing.
The prepped binding ready to be attached to the quilt.
The binding strip machine-sewn to the quilt front...
...then gently pressed away from the top for easy
folding over to hand-stitch in place.
The thirteenth step (5 hrs) in making this quilt was to hand-stitch the binding down as the quilt-bind finisher!
I use the same colour for hand-stitching the binding down as I do
for the piecing because the colour just blends so well with all.
This part takes patience and a good thimble!!
But a beautifully finished binding is worth all the work
of hand-stitching tiny stitches for hours.
I prefer the look of a thinner binding but people do wider bindings,too,
it just really depends upon personal preference.
Corner finishes are SUPER important, too! I prefer a mitred
corner finish for a nice clean look.
And after all those steps... a quilt is born! So just like boys quilt that my mama always says she loves, I hope she will also love her very own!
The very last step for me in quilting is always to wash and dry the quilt to soften and poof the quilts up. I put so much of myself into creating and bringing to being the quilts I make that I want them to be not only loved but lived in. I always feel like people are afraid to wreck a quilt that has had so much work put into it by washing that they ultimately never get to enjoy the whole meaning of what I believe a quilt is supposed to be. I have many quilts around the house and at the cabin and ALL are meant to be used. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to share, so I like it when people are visiting and feel comfortable enough to just grab a quilt and take it out to bundle up by the lake with, or by the campfire with, or to sit at the picnic table with or just to curl up inside with. Quilts get even softer with use and age, just like a lot of people do, it's a good thing. So I always do the first washing and I tell whoever I give my quilts to that it is meant to be used... if they want to use it, that is. If they hate it and want to hide it away, I'm okay with that, too because I don't give gifts with expectation, just a hope that the person will know I care!
All in all this small nap-size (60' x 75") quilt, this incredibly SIMPLE patchwork quilt, took me around 34 hours to make. I wanted to keep track of my hours on this easy quilt because I have been asked a LOT lately about why I don't sell the quilts I design and make as well as the frustrating question of "how can people ask SO MUCH when selling quilts??!"... this post is why... and this is also why I don't sell the quilts I make but instead choose to put the work into making quilts for the people and animals who mean so much to me to give as well-intended giftage. Adding up the hours of careful and focused crafting with the supplies-list prices (supplies: fabric/batting/quilting for this little quilt would have cost at least $282 alone... not even including my 34 hours of work) is what makes for hand-pieced quilts so pricey. The bigger quilts with smaller pieces can take weeks and months of concentrated work to create so there is good reason those who sell them ask for fair prices. I hope this simple quilt shows just a little of the work and love that goes into making quilts and helps explain just a little of what quilts are made of to anyone who wonders about the questions I often get in regard to quilting.
I truly LOVE quilting and I love sharing my love of quilting so I hope that this post might help explain a little of how quilts are made with anyone who might have been even just a little curious.
