Stitiching While I Work

(insert whistle here to the tune of Whistle While You Work!)

About 5 years ago, I pieced my daughter's graduation gift at work.  It took a little longer than I had planned working during lunch breaks, but it finally got done and she loved it (picture). Now my son will graduate in May and I've started working on his quilt...I know...it probably won't be ready either!

The pattern is the Drunkard's Patch, Devil's Puzzle version.  I have about 1/3 of the main blocks finished.  With just a little prep time the night before, I can piece several of the smaller blocks during my hour lunch break.

Oh my goodness!  I just searched my blog to see when I had started this quilt and it was in 2008!!!  At the time, my mother had cut out all the pieces for her, my grandmother, and me to all quilt the same pattern.  They both finished theirs right on up....not so much me!

But now, it has an even more special meaning to Adam since he knows that his grandmother cut all these pieces.  She knew I was working on this for him and I got lots of bugging encouragement to get the thing finished.

I'm doing it all by hand, tempted as I am to put it on the machine!  I use some of those makeup bags that you get when you buy perfume to carry my project to work in.  The night before I pin my little blocks together.  I use another little makeup holder (with the mirror) to hold all my pins, them, and cutter.  I don't carry scissors with me, but a thread cutter that slips on my finger for quick, easy use.

The thread is the same spool I used to piece Sally's quilt with.  It is actually a spool of thread that my father's mother brought home from the shirt factory she worked at once.  I know...the thread is old, but it's still in good shape and adds just a little bit more heritage to the quilt.

Dear Leah, Chris' Quilt

Dear Leah,
I wanted to give you an update on Chris' Quilt.  I also wanted to remind you that I had told (warned may be the better word) you that I had never done a commissioned piece before or worked with so much jersey material.....I say that in hopes that you will understand that when you read about this journey Chris' shirts and I are on, you see it truly as a journey...not to be rushed.  Thank you for not giving me a time frame.

This journey of redesigning all of Chris' shirts into a new design, with a new purpose, has been a bit more complicated than I had first anticipated.  I'm sure you could have found someone else that could have already had this quilt finished for you, but I am so thankful you asked me to.  I never take for granted that each little 2 inch square that I am holding is a memory for you.

This weekend, I finally got all the shirts cut into 2 or 3 inch strips.  I began the process of sewing 2 strips of the 2 inch strips together and then cutting that combination into 2 inch segments.  With these segments, I can build the blocks of the quilt.  With the 3 inch blocks, I made the white/colored squares you see below.  They will make the points of the leaf.  This step takes a little longer since the technique for making these half square triangles (as they are called) requires starting with 2, 3 inch squares, marking them, sewing, cutting, ironing, and then squaring them up to 2 inches.  Each square makes 2 HST.

The first set of leaf blocks will have the colored fabrics making up the body of the leaf.  This is what the finished block will look like.  I have to make 15 of these.  Then I'll have to make 15 blocks where the colored fabrics make up the back ground of the block and the body of the leaf will be white.

I have everything set up now to do more of an assembly line process while making the blocks.  I have the centers of all the first 15 blocks made.  I'm working on all the points of the leaf to add around what I have already made.  My plans are to have these 15 blocks done by this weekend, when I'll then start on the other 15 blocks.

I'll be honest...at first it wasn't easy to sew on the jersey material.  I switched needles and worked out my technique to make the materials slid through my machine without jamming it...which it had done a few times before, causing me to have to literally take my machine apart.  I can do a block fairly quickly now, that I have all the parts of the block done.

As I said, I never take for granted how special my task is,.  Every piece matters, it can't be replaced.  I'm being extra careful not to make a mistake.  We picked this pattern knowing how much Chris loved the outdoors.  I thought you might like the fact that the name of the fabric I'm using for the white background is called "Snow".

I'll continue to keep you updated with our journey.
Deborah

Dear Courtney - Your Gift

 Dear Courtney,
Wow, this weekend you turned 13!  I remember when you were just a tear in your mom's eye...a tear because when a young woman finds out that there is life inside her...there is a mixture of joy and fear, but the joy always outweighs the fear.  We sat and talked about you and how special you were.  We were right...you are so extremely special.

I started your birthday gift this past Saturday.  I saw a baby quilt and thought that if it was a little bigger, it would be perfect for a teenager!  I already had the log cabin blocks made.  I had used some in a table runner I made for Sally and I thought you might like the colors too.

Did you know that the log cabin block was your Great-Grannie Lewis' favorite block to work with and it was one of the first that I learned to make?

 I didn't really notice how the pattern looked in the layout of this quilt until I hung it up, after it was pieced, and walked away from it.  I really like the dark and lights all coming together to focus on the place where the flower will go.

 Oh, Courtney, I hope you know that just like every flower, you are uniquely made and while there are some similarities between you and the other "flowers"...there are no two alike.  Never forget how truly special you are.  You don't have to follow anyone else....be yourself, bloom where you are, the only way that you can.  Oh...that center of the flower...that was from your Great-Grannie Lewis' material stash.  I wonder what she made with it?

 Sunday morning, I started getting the quilt ready for quilting.  I thought you might like to know that your Great-Grannie had lots to do with this quilt.  I quilted it on her machine...she's the one that taught me to quilt.

She had bought lots of batting just weeks before she got sick....your Grannie intended to make lots of quilts. I used some of that batting in your quilt...that's the stuff in the middle of the fabric that makes it warm.  Mother also bought the material used for the back of your quilt.  See that seem down the center?  She already had the material all ready by sewing the material together to make it big enough to cover the back of the quilt.

I imagine you curled up on your bed, watching TV, texting your friends, reading a book.  Maybe you'll cover up your legs with this little quilt (it's too little to cover you all up!) while you are reading that Pink bible you got for Christmas last year.  I pray that you feel our love for you, just like you'll feel the warmth of this quilt.  I had so much fun making this for you and imagining all the ways you would use it.

Courtney...you are loved with an everlasting love....never forget that.

 Enjoy this little quilt....I enjoyed making it for you.

With love,
Aunt Deborah