It's hard to believe our oldest granddaughter, Ryann, will be graduating from high school next month! Where have all the years gone?
Last summer I decided to make a lap-size quilt to give her for graduation — as a sort of virtual hug she can wrap up in as she faces important challenges in the coming months and years. Making the quilt blocks has been a longer process than I expected it to be, but, I finally finished them and got them all sewn together.
Originally, my plan was to also learn how to machine quilt on my own sewing machine so that I would not only piece the quilt blocks and assemble them, but do the quilting, too. The realities of life at the moment, however, have led me to alter that plan a bit. (I think I need to learn the machine quilting part on my own time, when I'm not under any pressure to finish a specific project.)
So, on April 9th, I took it to a woman I met in Ashburn, Judy M., who has a long-arm quilting machine. What a machine! Wow! (And, I can only dream of someday having the space that she has for sewing.)
After looking at a variety of pattern options for the quilting, I choose a dragonfly and hummingbird design. The fabrics in the quilt are all very contemporary and I think it will be fun to have a more youthful motif in the quilting. Judy said it should be finished in about 5 - 6 weeks.
When I get it back I'll square it up and sew on the binding — and it will be ready to mail off.
I've learned a lot in the process of making it. And, despite it's flaws, it's a huge improvement over my first quilt (pictured in an earlier post.) I have a couple of other quilts in mind already that I want to get started on soon. :-)
