Quilt in Progress

My goal for this week is to finish quilting and binding this quilt (and then maybe organize that green basket in the back corner).  I'm about 3/4 of the way finished already, so in theory this should be an attainable goal.  I started by straight line quilting the length of the quilt, both vertically and horizontally, a quarter of an inch from the outside edges of the large squares, creating a large grid pattern.  I've already "stitched-in-the-ditch" around the small inner squares, so now all that's left is to stitch the inside edge of the larger squares (also stitch-in-the-ditch).  I have an entire jelly roll of these 2 1/2 inch strips leftover that will make the perfect scrappy binding.  If my darling son isn't feeling very cooperative at naptime, I may find myself burning the midnight oil to get this one finished, but I am determined to finish it this week!

The Big Reveal!

Some of you may recall that over the past few months I have been working on "the biggest quilt I've ever made."  (You can view past posts here, here, and here).  The mystery quilt has recently been gifted to its new owner, so now I can show it off.  I apologize in advance for the not-so-great photos.  Are you ready?

Tada!  The Aggie Quilt... 

It seems that in Texas you're either a Longhorn or an Aggie.  For my friend Sherry, being an Aggie is a family tradition.  I'm pretty sure she bleeds maroon.  She wanted to give her daughter Megan (Class of 2012) a birthday/graduation gift to celebrate their shared love of all things Texas A&M.  That gift was The Aggie Quilt. 

The Aggie Quilt represents quite a few "firsts" for me.  It was my first time to...

• use a quilt kit (Stars Over Texas A&M kit from Lone Star Quiltworks)
• do raw edge applique
• attempt free motion quilting
• make a scrappy binding

 

 At 66x84 inches it is the largest quilt I've ever made.  This sucker was so big that even standing on a ladder I couldn't get a picture of the whole quilt.  And every bit of it was sewn on my Babylock sewing machine while sitting at my kitchen table.  By the time the final stitch was sewn, I had used nearly 4 spools of thread, 9 bobbins, and had broken one needle.  I lost count of how many times I thought "what did I get myself into??"  But I was determined to see it through from beginning to end, so I stuck with it and I'm really glad that I did.  I'm very proud of this quilt.  You never know what you're capable of until you challenge yourself, right?

I am very pleased with how the free motion quilting turned out.  It was tricky in the beginning and at times it wasn't so easy to maneuver such a large quilt under my machine, but once I figured out the setting for the tension and got into the groove it went pretty smoothly.  I feel like I've got the hang of it now.  I even managed to sneak a few traditional Aggie phrases into the quilting in the bottom border (you may have to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to see it).

"Gig 'Em Aggies!"

"Whoop!"

I would like to send out a big "thank you" to my mom for completing the appliqued letters and embroidery on the borders.  And another one to my sister for spending two hours sitting at my kitchen table clipping a billion tiny threads.

Hopefully this quilt will become a treasured family heirloom that is passed down to many more generations of Aggies.  Gig 'Em!  :)

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A Star-Spangled Quilt

The photo featured in my last post was actually a block from a quilt that was made by my grandmother, GeeGee.  From time to time I'll share some of her creations with you.  When GeeGee makes a quilt, she does every single step completely by hand...no rotary cutters or fancy rulers, no sewing machine, no walking foot.  She uses the most basic tools...fabric, scissors, a needle, thread, a thimble, a quilt hoop, and the power of her own two hands, to create the most beautiful quilts.

I love nothing more than to call her up and talk quilts with her.

I received this red, white, and blue star quilt a few years ago as a Christmas gift from GeeGee.  It is one of my most treasured possessions.  I love the pattern, I love the color scheme, and I love knowing that she most likely stitched it while watching a Texas Rangers game (or maybe the Dallas Cowboys).

Love you GeeGee!  :)

Progress...

I am still knee deep in free motion quilting "the biggest quilt I've ever made," but I can see the finish line.  The quilting is about 80% finished...roughly one nap time's worth left to go if my son cooperates.  The next step will be figuring out what to do for the binding.  Since both the border and backing are solid, I'm considering making a scrappy binding using the leftover scraps from the blocks in the top.  I think a scrappy binding would stand out more and make the edge of the quilt more interesting.  Hopefully the next update will be to show off the finished quilt!   

The Little Engine that Could

I've used an entire spool of thread and broken one needle, but I'm still chugging along...

It's a Good Day to Try Something New...

This week I'm going head to head with the biggest quilt I've ever made (66 x 84 inches).  This quilt will be a gift for a close friend, so for now it's top secret, but I will definitely be showing it off after it has been gifted. 

The piecing of the quilt top was a snap, but now the time has come to quilt it.  I typically use my walking foot to quilt straight lines, but this quilt needs a little something extra, so I'm going to try my hand at free motion quilting.  I've practiced on little quilt sandwiches (see photo above) and I'm pretty confident that I've got the hang of it, but the thought of trying to maneuver such a bulky quilt through my tiny machine is intimidating to say the least.  It'll be a challenge, but I can do it....I think.  I'll have my seam ripper handy just in case!  Wish me luck!