Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The story of my first quilt














This is the quilt under which I have spent most of the morning, coughing piteously.

It is the quilt under which I intend to spend most of the afternoon, too.

(Clearly I have not taken this quilt to work and am in fact at home again today. I've still got the sick, though I feel as though I'm improving ever so slightly now, which is nice - and a relief. But wouldn't it be nice if we could take quilts to work on the days we felt we needed some cosseting?)

This was the first quilt I ever made, last year. And because of that, I will always keep it and never sell it at a market. Perhaps one day I will be able to hand it down to someone. Maybe in years to come someone will say lovingly, ah yes, that's the quilt my Flickettysplits made, and it's all the more special for it. (I can dream...)

My Crafternoon friend, the Quilting Queen, inspired me to it. The Quilting Queen is amazing, she knows quilts like no one else. She is currently doing one that has over FIVE THOUSAND PIECES. Sheesh.

I, on the other hand, have no such talent in this area. So when I decided I was going to make a quilt, I knew it would have to be an easy one.

So I ordered a bunch of Michael Miller and Moda fat quarters, and printed out the free Amy Butler Lotus Brick Path Quilt Pattern, and set to work with my rotary cutter.

I confess it took me months. I measured, and cut, and stitched, and ironed all the seams in the same direction, and swore at the bloody fleece I used as the wadding as it moved around when I was trying to pin it in place on the backing, and I broke needles, and stitched in all the annoying wriggly ditches .... but eventually, it was done.

I haven't "quilted" it properly all over - just the stitching in the ditches - but it doesn't matter. I love it anyway.

So now I'm going to snuggle back down underneath it.

(PS, I forgot to mention - probably because my head is stuffed full of cotton - that I'm coming up to my 101-th post. Yay! So I'm going to have a giveaway. Am currently thinking about what that might be .....)

6 comments:

Sandra @ Pepperberry & Co. said...

Aw, that's gorgeous! I want to make a quilt- I'm thinking of taking a class at Amitie, otherwise I know I would neeeever finish it :-)

I know! I know! I know! What you can have for your giveaway, that it :-) A Catticus!! A shiny, gorgeous, fat black one :-) And then I'll enter a thousand times and win and we'll all live happily ever after :-)

Cough cough to you from another sickie! xx

Cathy {tinniegirl} said...

4 years in and I'm still working on my first quilt. I hope I get to snuggle under it one day.

I agree with your idea. We should be able to have a little blankie at work for those days when the world doesn't feel quite right.

Feel better soon.

CurlyPops said...

I hope you're on the mend today... I need to make own little quilt for the couch...one day

Nikki said...

Could you smuggle your quilt into work and have it on your lap under your desk?? Go on...

A.C. said...

I always wanted to make a quilt! there's so many wonderful pieces of fabric that I'd love to put together :D

Good for you!

Whimsical Road said...

I used to think that everyone who sewed made quilts... now I know that's not true... I sew everyday and I still don't have the confidence to start a quilt.