Quilting Memories

Probably the most special quilts are those that have some special meaning or purpose behind making them. I have a wonderful memory quilt that my sister made for our 25th wedding anniversary. It has a photo of my husband and I and several other memory items. I have made several photo quilts. When my 2nd daughter graduated from highschool, I made a photo quilt of her high school years. It turned out so cute. Then there was a photo quilt of grandchildren that I made my husband's mother when she was recovering from hip surgery. The photo quilt I made of my granddaughter, Leah Grace will always be a favorite. But my all-time best quilt that is packed with memories and hours and hours of work is Leah's Spring quilt.

Today is Leah's first birthday. Last year at this time, we were in amazement that she had survived the birth and actually seemed to be doing pretty well. She surprised all predictions of a very short life that was only supposed to be hours long at most, by living 99 days. Her life was precious and those who cared for her were filled with joy at seeing her conquer odds and pass milestones that seemed improbable. I will forever associate the first day of spring, March 20, with Leah. Today was extra special, it was a beautiful day outside. Everything seems to be in bloom. Best of all it was a day to remember the precious gift of life that was Leah's life.

Leah's Quilt Being Published

I'm so excited! A couple weeks ago I sent photos of Leah's Spring quilt to a quilt magazine and today received an email saying they wanted to publish the photos with a short article on the quilt. It's so exciting. The best part is just being able to tell her story again! I miss that little one and each chance to share the blessing of her life is still a miracle. I don't know what issue it will be published in and they want new better resolution photos of the quilt, but when the article comes out I'll try to post a link or take a photo or something.

Quilt Show

I spent the morning at the NW Quilt Expo. Leah's Spring, the quilt I finished in memory and honor of Leah was entered in the show. It did not win any ribbons. It was disappointing but I'm glad I went and looked at the other quilts. There was some really wonderful quilts at the show. It was inspiring to see what other quilters make.

I wandered up and down the aisles looking at all the quilts and all the new fabric, patterns and other paraphernalia related to quilting. It was overwhelming. I loved it. I saw several things I really wanted but I was wise enough to take my credit cards out of my wallet before I left and I only had twenty dollars in cash along. So I bought nothing. There was a time in a vendor's booth where I desperately searched through my purse to see if by chance I had some credit card along that I missed -- no luck. And now after arriving home I'm glad I didn't purchase that pattern and fabric. Is all I had to do was to walk in my studio and see the two unfinished quilts laying there to know that I have plenty to keep me busy for years. Not to even mention last years fabric and patterns that were purchased at the expo and have not even left the bag they arrived home in! I did spend the rest of the afternoon working on a gift idea that goes right along with quilting. I'll post more when it's done. Aah, the joys of sewing and creating and the inspiration of a quilt show!

p.s. That's Lynette Jensen of Thimbleberries sitting at the table in this photo.

Completely Finished!!

As of one hour ago, the quilt is completely finished. The binding is done, the label is on and the sleeve is attached. I've photographed it -- never have I taken so many pictures of a quilt!! So now it's time to package it up and take it to the quilt shop where the show quilts are dropped. At times I really didn't think this could get done by today. It was just a little over a week ago that the appliques weren't quite done and the machine quilting wasn't even started. It's been a lot of work. Whether or not it wins any prizes is inconsequential. What really matters to me is the expression of love that went into making this quilt. It will always be a very special quilt to me.

Quilting Done -- Now the finishing work.

The quilting is done. It took over 18 hours. I'm satisfied with it. There are a few things I would do differently and a few things that don't meet the show standard in my view, but overall I'm very pleased with Leah's Spring quilt.

Now I'm blocking the quilt. First I laid it out on top of a sheet on my studio floor. Then I steamed it with a steam iron. Then I pinned about every inch along two edges and steamed some more. One edge has about a 1/4" bow to it. It should be fairly easy to steam and block it into square. The best option would have been to get the quilt wet and then block it but I don't have time to wait for it to dry. The binding must go on tomorrow and be hand stitched down so that the quilt can be delivered for the show on Thursday.

The End Is In Sight!

It's only 10:30 in the morning and after about 4 hours of work today (yes I've been up since 5:30 a.m.) the end is in sight. I have the borders to finish, and the inside circle around the appliques in the center. I haven't decided what to do there. I will try using the same double line as in the border -- first with air erase pen and then see how it looks. There is already over 18 hours of quilting in this quilt. I suppose it took over 40 hours to piece the quilt and do the hand applique so this will end up being a 60+ hour project. That has to be the record for me. I have really enjoyed it. Because this quilt is dedicated to Leah Grace, my granddaughter, whose life was only 99 days in length, I have thought a lot about her while doing the quilting. Reflecting on what a gift from God each day was is both comforting and inspirational. I don't think I would have undertaken the difficult task and long hours of this quilt except for wanting something very special to represent her life.

If you want to see the quilt, it will be hanging at the NW Quilt Expo held the last weekend of September at the Expo center (Portland Oregon). After that it will hang in my studio. I have been contemplating having an open house sometime in October so if that happens it will be another opportunity to see Leah's Spring. Well, back to quilting!

Progress

It's a good feeling when I get to the point on a quilt where all the designs are figured out. When I start a quilt like this, I never know exactly how I am going to quilt it. I usually have a few ideas but then as it progresses more ideas are formed, tried out on the quilt or paper and finally placed on the quilt. I prefer to do a lot of freehand quilting. My sense of where things should go and ability to execute a design are usually pretty good. This quilt is stretching me in new ways as I try different rulers and templates and try some new designs. Today was the most difficult. The large white spaces needed something in them. I tried out several ideas in my mind, tracing the design with just my finger into the space. I couldn't figure out what really worked for this area, so finally ended up drawing a couple designs on paper, erasing and adding, and finally putting what I thought looked best in the space. There was several rulers used, some marks made with a water-erase pen to know where things should go, and finally the design laid down. I'm happy with the results. It's not perfect (but then only God is). Now all the designs for every area but one have been tried in some part of the quilt. The finishing work will still take a long time but it's progress.

6 Hours of Progress

I've worked on this quilt for almost 6 hours now. I have the whole quilt SID, the top border and one block completed. It's going to take a lot of time, but so far I'm very pleased with the outcome. Thanks heavens for TAP Plastics which is located not very far away, as I've already made two trips there to have several plastic templates cut for different designs. The process of quilting is the most enjoyable part for me, though, by the end I may feel a little weary of this quilt!

Leah's Quilt

Here's the latest photo of Leah's Spring, my green and white quilt that has sweet peas appliqued on it. I love how it's turning out. I'm working on the appliques for the border and then it will go on my quilt machine. I have been thinking and drawing different quilting design ideas -- I am so looking forward to doing this quilt. I hope to have it on the machine the week after fair and completed by Labor Day weekend. Stay tuned for more pictures.