Finished at last

Over 10 years ago I got the idea that I'd make a quilt while my hubby was busy with night classes and homework for seminary. We didn't have children then, so I found myself with a lot of free time. And an antique Singer sewing machine that only did straight stitches. I had watched my mom sew things, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to figure out.

I drew sketches, I rummaged for fabric. A library book I found said the "Shoo Fly" pattern ws a good beginning quilt pattern for young girls. Well, I wasn't exactly a 9-yr old, but simplicity was needed! I started cutting hundreds of squares and triangles one by one, tracing them onto fabric with a pen from a template I made from a cereal box. I even cut triangles while camping! I had not heard about rotary cutters...

The piecing went relatively smoothly, which meant I could dive in on the quilting. HAND quilting. On a KING size quilt. What was I thinking??

Well, after a lot of work, and lots of "rest" periods (some were years long) the quilt is finally finished! Here she is, in her rightful spot on our bed.
While I will probably not tackle a big quilt project like this again soon (at least the hand quilting), I do enjoy sewing and the creative problem solving that requires. The Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival is coming up this weekend... I can't wait to start planning my next project!