Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Close, but not complete....

Okay, I have been making lots of progress with Dad's Christmas quilt, but I keep finding more things that either keep me away from finishing up, or that create extra work for me.

But, here is where we stand...

This little baby is an absolute trooper, but as I don't have a walking foot for it (soon, very soon), I had some trouble with the edge stitching.  I used two layers of Warm and Natural batting so that it would be very warm and where the edges all are sewn (yes, I sewed and flipped--don't judge me) there are 4 layers of fabric and 4 layers of batting all crammed up in there together.  Can't topstitch without the walking foot because the top layer was getting all puckery. So...


In order to secure that edging and keep it stable, I am hand quilting around the edge, big stitch style with the same crochet cotton that was used in the interior blocks (more on that later).  Of course, after 1 and 1/4 edge, my hands turned into claws, so I had to put it down for the evening.  But here it is in progress.


This is what my completed corner looks like.  It is holding the edge stable and it gives a bit of a rustic touch, which I like for this.  My parents live in a log cabin (hence my Mom's log cabin Christmas quilt earlier this year) so rustic and folksy works well for them.


This is the backing fabric that I used.  It is part of the extra long, California twin sheet (that my Mom kept for years) that my baby brother took to camp in the summer time.  It's a nice plaid and large enough to use a single piece.  The plaid is a nice touch.


Normally, I really think that tying a quilt is kind of like cheating.  Yes, it works for awhile, but it isn't terribly durable compared to good old fashioned quilting.  But, hey, it is December 22nd and I have battled multiple broken sewing machines, bronchitis, and the lack of a walking foot to get this far, so I ain't stopping now!

Actually, I saved a bunch of the buttons that came off of the shirts when I processed them.  Of course I used bunches to make my button and twig snowflakes, but still had oodles to tie one button in the center of each square in the quilt.  I left the little ends sticking up a bit past my surgeon's knot so that it would add to the rustic flair.  The buttons don't match in size or even colors, but that makes it look even scrappier.  The more I work with it, the more I just know that it suits Dad perfectly.  Tomorrow I will work on it further and with any luck finish it and start cleaning my horribly neglected pig sty house for the festivities to begin.

I hope that everyone who reads this post has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas (or the holiday of your choice) with the ones you love.  Can't wait to see what I we can get into quilt-wise for 2011!

1 comment:

ohiostar5 said...

An instructor once told me "let the quilt tell you what it needs." I think your Dad's quilt told you it needed big stitch, ties, and buttons. He will love it. Merry Christmas BettyLOu