I managed to finish 3 quilts amongst the craziness. All 3 of these were in pieces mid-September and I've managed to finishing piecing them, get them quilted & bound, and even get one of them mailed to the family I had intended to finish it for last year. More on that later.
The first quilt I finished is from a Moda Bake Shop pattern called Auntie's Diamonds. I loved this pattern as soon as I saw it and knew that it would be perfect for a layer cake I had in my stash. The fabric is "Flirt" by Sandy Gervais. She is my all-time favorite fabric designer and she rarely designs a fabric line that I don't love. Flirt is my favorite line that she has done that wasn't fall-related. She designs the most beautiful fall fabric ever! I paired her fabric with a Kona solid and I really love the contrast it gives.
My next finish was a quilt that I started for myself during the NFL football season last fall. I had always wanted to try a chevron quilt and I wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I decided to make it for me. That way, if it didn't turn out, I could still use it and enjoy it. I used the method of sewing 2 strips together and cutting them into squares, then alternating the squares on the diagonal to create the chevron. I figured it would be easier than making a whole bunch of half-square triangles & trying to get them to line up! I love how it turned out and I love the back just as much. The Broncos are having an awesome season & this is the perfect quilt to snuggle under while watching them play!
This last finish was the hardest quilt I have ever finished. Emotionally that is. I started this quilt last October with the intention of getting it done in a hurry for a woman I had "known" online for several years. She had been battling rectal cancer for 3 years and we knew that it was spreading and her time was getting short. I wanted to get this quilt done for her, but the cancer moved faster than we all imagined it would and she passed away in early November. She was just 36 years old and she left behind a husband and 2 young children. (Who just happen to be the same ages as my oldest 2 kids.)
After she passed, I couldn't bear to work on the quilt any more, so I stuffed it in a box and threw it in the closet. Our LQS is having a UFO contest this year and I wrote down this quilt as a UFO, not knowing if I would ever finish it. As I remembered this friend and was thinking about the anniversary of her passing coming, I decided to pull the quilt out. I contemplated donating the completed blocks to the local guild and just forgetting about it. But, I didn't. I decided to finish it and mail it to a friend of hers, who would gift it to her husband and children for me. I finished it last week and it was received by her family just this past Wednesday. I am glad to have it done, but I am even more glad that her family can have a soft & snuggly quilt in remembrance of their mom/wife. I still miss her, even though we never met in person. I hope the quilt will bring comfort to her family for many years to come!
