It was a labour of love. It had to be. This much loved masterpiece was slaved over for a good year from conception to last stitch. I had no idea where I'd start. So I looked online and found what a thought was a good picture. My six-year-old son liked it but changed his mind a week later. He wanted Steve in gold armour because he looked "like butter". Don't ask. I have no clue what goes on in the mind of an six-year-old. I just enjoy it as it's much easier than dissecting it and realizing how old you are. After I got the new picture I drew it out on graph paper. I went to my blogger friend and sewing guru Wendi Gratz over at Shiny Happy World, my sewing facebook group, as well as links to sites on starting quilts and making 5-bit quilts for help. Once I had finished the drawing it was time to cut a lot of 2.5" squares. How many? I ended up cutting over 2,000 squares. I do have some left, so if I want I could make a pillow case. (not happening anytime soon) I wasn't sure how many I need and I knew I'd make a least a few hundred mistakes, so having the extra proved a good decision after all. The countdown to my son's eighth birthday was on. I was close, but very unprepared for the prep work and what came after the front of this quilt was done. I needed material for the back. I was not doing more tiny squares. I also required cotton batting for the middle. How was I going to do all this in two weeks? I wasn't. I thought I'd finish it over the Summer break. Instead I picked up as many shifts for my part time job as I could. That Summer taught me that money wasn't everything and time with family was priceless. I was burnt out. I didn't spend any time with my family and Summer came and went. My garden suffered and the finished quilt was just a dream. It remained so until this January. I was not going to let another birthday go by without my son receiving his quilt. I had come so far. To give up now would be failing, not how long it took to get there. So back to the facebook group, strangers at Fabricland with advice, my grams and myself I went. All the help in the world means nothing if you don't face your own fears. Fear number 1: basting and quilting the quilt. I worked so hard. I didn't want to ruin it. (Thank you youtube and countless people who uploaded tutorials.) Fear number 2: Binding. I had to make my own bias tape and put it on. Again back to youtube and some friends on ideas for what I'd do for my binding, colours, ect. What is squaring off corners? How do you do that? How much do I trim down? Finally, it's done. No more waiting and no more fear. Some adjustments, not perfect, but for an ecstatic seven-year-old, just right. It was all finished one month and one week before his eighth birthday. Here is my first quilt.
2 Comments
|
AuthorCreating makes me feel alive. Whether it's sewing, crochet, crafting, or writing. Archives
January 2016
Categories
All
|