Thursday 31 January 2013

My biggest finish ... with love from UK to USA xx

It's just like me "last minute Jen" to finish this quilt by the end of January with only hours to go! But I have done it :)

I have blogged about making this quilt here, here, here, here and here ... but you probably just want a little prĂ©cis (I don't blame you) so, to recap: the lovely Tonya of Crazy Mimi Quilts for no other reason but that she wanted to, sent me a bag full of Moda charm packs last year and I immediately knew I had to pay it forward. 

I know there are many genuine causes that would be very grateful for a quilt but I was really moved by the stories around Hurricane Sandy and so I decided to make a twin size quilt for a child who had been affected. I used two of the charm packs (Cape Ann - ideal for a little girl) and added some pink Benartex fabric in the front and bought the same fabric but in a soft brown for the backing.

Did my usual 'make it up as I go along pattern' so it's finished at 82" x 58" which I don't think is a standard size twin but is definitely big enough for a little girl to keep warm and snuggle under. It's the biggest quilt I've made so far and my little Juki really did a good job. 


I wanted to try straight line quilting but I'm still really not very good at it so I did a little bit around the centre panel, then reverted to my stippling FMQ around the pink fabric and side borders. I used a raspberry pink cotton to quilt it which, being darker than the fabric, didn't forgive any of my 'mistakes' but quilting needn't be perfect to be beautiful ... a bit like life, hey?




I had enough of the backing material for the binding - 310" of folded 2 1/4 " - machine sewn on the front and hand sewn on the back - 4 hours! I'm not an experienced hand sewer so I'm sure others could do it quicker but I think this is my favourite part so I don't rush it. I also love burying all my threads during this phase - sat in front of the TV ... it's so relaxing :)


So, I will wrap and post this lovely quilt and say goodbye to it and hope that whomever it says hello to has a brighter future and knows that someone 4 thousand miles away cares about them and hopes they stay warm and safe. God bless you.



Sharing my finish over at:
A Lovely Year of Finishes

and at Crazy Mom Quilts - Finish it up Friday

6 comments:

  1. Glinda your quilt is beautiful and I am sure a little girl is going to treasure it

    Cheers Pauline

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  2. Well done on an excellent finish. I love how the quilting on the back has the tall radiator panels on it :)

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  3. Jennifer, your quilt is absolutely beautiful. I think any little girl would be thrilled to have it. I especially like how you did the squares in the center and along each side; and that you used two kinds of stitching for the quilting. It's wonderful!

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  4. You have made a beautiful quilt. I love the quilting and your label on the back is so perfect. What a great finish and once again, you show what giving is all about.

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  5. That's so lovely! I also really like the label :-)

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