I woke up bright and early this morning to put the binding on this quilt. It is the first that I ever started and it is a bit embarrassing to admit that it is still unfinished after more than 25 years. There was a lot that I didn't know back then and the blocks are poorly constructed by hand because I didn't have a sewing machine. I used puffy high loft polyester binding because I thought that quilts were supposed to be fluffy. That made hand quilting really difficult and binding was incomprehensible to be at that point in time. So in it went to a bag to be carted around from our first condo in Chicago through two Florida houses and finally to our beach condo here. I used walking foot straight line quilting in the muslin sashing and border areas to try to smush everything a bit flatter. The quilt blocks will still need some hand quilting, but I can do that during cold winter nights at the cabin in Virginia. For now I will sew the binding to the back tomorrow during slow stitching Sunday and it will be finished enough to use. Do you still have the first quilt that you ever started? It is fun to look back and appreciate how much more I know now than I did back then.
I think that I added a few more blocks to the pink cross and dots leaders and enders project for this year and I've got a few hexies along to the top of the diamond hexie quilt to straighten out the tip. I think it just needs some half hexies all along the outside to be done. What pink scraps have come out to play in your sewing room? Misterlinky is below. Please share
6 comments:
Loving cross and dots. So tempting to add it to my list of RSC wannabes.
I'm in awe of quilters who "got it" right from the start. My first quilt was definitely a lesson in what not to do. I donated to my children's school for a fund raiser. Never took a picture. That would have been in 1986. It was a crib quilt made of red, white and blue calico prints. The block was log cabin based on Eleanor Burns Log Cabin in a Day method. Rather than bind the quilt I surrounded it with a ruffle. Probably went your route with a polyester medium to heavy weight batt. I think I quilted it by machine - stitch in a ditch. You and I have come a long way since. Somehow we weren't put off by our early experience.
Quilts always turn a corner when they've been quilted and binding is being sewn down. Congratulations on finding and finishing that sweet quilt! Have a great weekend, Angela!
Your first quilt looks good, much better than my first one. LOL And yes, I do still have it. You'll enjoy having it at the cabin this winter, and it will bring some good memories with it.
I'm not sure if I still have the first quilt I made. If I do, it's stuffed far back in the very top shelf of a closet. A wall hanging of 6 blocks, alternating applique hearts & pieced tulips, puffy batting, very little quilting, possibly huge binding. I never did hang it up - it would not lay flat when done. And even just finished...I didn't like it that much.
Love it!! I still like fluffy quilts!!!!
And I do have the first I ever made - i used some twills and I serged and Oh boy - but I love it!
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