Operation Quilt: Day 3
I sewed 31 squares today. It was brutal. Just kidding. It wasn’t that bad but I am sort of feeling weary of all this fabric and wishing I could just stuff it in a box somewhere and forget about it. But I can’t. I did that once before. I have a quilt somewhere in the depths of one of my mom’s storage sheds. I think I was fifteen when I started it. I should dig it up and see if I hate the fabric. It’s funny how tastes change with time.
I’ve been thinking how tastes in colors and combinations change with time as I sewed together odd combination after odd combination. I like clashing fabrics but I have this feeling that Bug will probably grow up to hate them. It will be cool again when she has kids but I wonder if the quilt will last that long?
It’s sort of fun to work carefully on something that might live longer than you do. I asked my mom if she thought this quilt would last longer than I will and she was doubtful. I guess it depends on how well I sew it, what Bug does with it in her lifetime and how long I plan on living. I’m aiming for 80 but who knows…
It’s great to sit at a table sewing and talk about life and things with your mom. Especially when your kid is happy and playing with your nieces. I should pay those kids for babysitting. They played all day long, only stopping long enough to wolf down lunch and dinner.
I’m not sure what Bug and SuperChic were playing here but they were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for a good portion of the day. It was hilarious. Poor Bug was the boy most of the day. I don’t know if that was her choice or if SuperChic bullied her into it. She didn’t seem to mind being the boy. Though at one point I heard her yell at Superchic, “You’re not going to marry me and I’m not going to marry you!”
I think SuperChic took the rejection well.
Anyway, I quilted all day. At the end of the day I ran out of thread. Not part of the plan but it was just as well because I needed to stop. Quilting, it’s not for the weak.
For those of you who are not bored of this quilting subject, below is the general plan.
It’s just a sketch of course, the squares are more varied (I’m working with 12 different flour sacks) and more lined up. In between and around the edges will be three inch strips of off-white muslin. My mom is trying to get me to do a 1 inch wide strip of small squares around the border… I might do that. I’m not sure. I had wanted a queen size quilt but I’ll need 80 squares for that and right now I only have 31. I think I have enough fabric to do about 30 more… so I’m thinking I’ll be able to make a twin size quilt with 60 squares… that’s the plan.
Here was my first idea:
Here’s the new plan:
I’m going to hand quilt it. (I’m nuts.) I know it will take me a thousand years but I kind of like the idea of having something to do with my hands while I watch tv. Right now I never watch tv because I always feel like I should be doing something else. So maybe this way I’ll keep busy and watch tv! Silly plan, I know but I’m sticking to it. Besides I like sewing by hand.
14 Comments
beyond
substance, cause, identity, time and space… i guess quilting brings up metaphysical questions…
i still think the fabric is beautiful and that your quilt will be gorgeous and timeless.
Emily
Its like watching a marathon. Go, go you can do it!!
Melissa @ Galloping Cows
Last year when we moved back from England and took everything out of storage, I ended up giving away, gosh, I don’t know, probably 50 yards of fabric that 1997 Melissa liked…but 2008 Melissa didn’t. It was SO “grandma”. Yuck. Now I’ve rebuilt my stash and hope to actually do SOMETHING with the fabric instead of let it sit and collect dust! :o)
Good luck finishing the quilt! I look forward to seeing it when you’re done!
Sarah
All that sewing by hand? You must be crazy … but good-crazy ;-) I’m looking forward to more progress reports!
linda
Wow, I like it, great project for your last week and lucky you to have such a good babysitter.
Can’t wait to see teh finished project
Jen - Mom of 4
Love the new design – I’m excited to see the finished project!
kim
i hope you handquilt it bc i have no idea what that means and see it all the time! im a newbie to sewing period. april 2008 i got my first sewing machine for my birthday. i did want it. and coincidently never wanted to learn to sew. until i had 3 kids. their all boys though and not nearly as fun to sew for but it’s still fun. i do bags mostly. easy ones. ;) i love your quilting posts. you go girl! :)
Jen
You’re amazing. Just thought you should know that.
Danna
Ilove it! The fabrics are wonderful. I agree that the vintage fabrics need to see the light of day instead of living in a cupboard.
Thanks for sharing!
Danna
jadekitty
Hand stitch?? WoW!
Kuky
So I see you’ve crossed out the part of it being a twin size. How big do you think it’ll be?
I’m thinking of digging out my blocks from the last quilt I started to see how big it is. Maybe I’ll just make a quilt that size. Watch it be place mat size. Ha ha ha!
Sonja von Franck
I did a quilt when I was 15 too. My Mom even let me stay home from school to work on it – she was so proud that I was tackling such a project! It was a Christmas present for a boyfriend. After things didn’t work out with us, I wanted to ask for it back, but a couple months later he got robbed and would you believe it – they stole my quilt!! It really was cool… Anyways, YEARS later I took some old rolls of film in to get developed and lo and behold – there was a picture of me holding up the quilt before I gave it to him. I was so glad I had something to prove all my hard work and creativity. The energy and passion you have for things when you’re 15!!
silver
I don’t know about durability of quilts, but my son has several sweaters that his great-great-grandmother knit for his grandfather. So he’s the 3rd generation to wear the sweaters, and they are still in good condition even though great-great-grandmother is no longer with us.
gingermog
I’m back reading your posts. Your comment about making something that might outlast your lifetime resonated with me. My Great Uncle John died at the turn of the last century aged 21, so of course we never met, but he painted a replica of his ship (he was training to be a Captain) onto the underside lid of his seaman’s chest, which I inherited. It’s so precious to me as it connects me to him, his talent for drawing somehow got passed down to me. As the rest of my family aren’t very creative and were always suspicious of my ambitions growing up having proof of his drawing talent somehow spurred me on. He never knew when he painted it that his baby sister’s grandchild would wield a magic Wacom pen for a living in the 21st century :) I imagine your quilt is going to be well loved too. x