Friday, July 12, 2013

The 5 Year Quilt

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Do you often start sewing projects and maybe forget to finish them? I do that all the time. They usually end up getting finished (usually...) but I get distracted during every project and eager to start new ones--which is why I usually have at least three projects going at once and another half dozen in my head.

This quilt is one that I didn't think would ever get finished. I started it five years ago, not long after I learned to sew, and it was going to be my first quilting project without any help. I got as far as picking the fabrics and cutting the blocks, then I stacked them up neatly and put them in the bottom of my fabric bin and ignored them for the next 60 months.
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When I pulled them out a few weeks ago I debated giving them away, but that just felt wrong. So I decided I would finally finish it, even though the fabrics aren't necessarily designs I would pick today. I figured it would make a good picnic blanket (which it does).

My first job was to recut every. single. block. My cutting skills have drastically improved since I first cut these blocks and the original ones were something of a mess. After that it was ready to piece, which I did in a repeating brick pattern. I added some cream colored borders and a sage green backing with tiny cream polka dots, and a coordinating green binding.

Funny story about the binding. I sewed it on backwards, so when I flipped it over to hand stitch it to the back I had a raw edge looking at me instead of clean folded edge. I decided to just let it be and sew on as it was, raw edge and all, since this was just meant to be a casual picnic blanket and not a bedspread or wedding gift or something where it might matter. I knew if I had to rip all the binding off and start over it would be another five years until this was finally finished. :)

And now I present the "making of" photos:
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It feels good to call this one finished!

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