Quilt in Process

So, I have very imperfectly finished piecing my first baby quilt. I love the fabrics ... the bali batiks, the soft pink toile, the shiny pink and apricot "fairy" fabrics. I am pleased with the way they have meshed together. Don't look too closely ... not all squares have evened up perfectly ... but my mother-in-law, Ann, who has taught me what I know of quilting quotes the Amish "quilting is a human art. And humans are not perfect. Humans make mistakes." In fact, the Amish will sometimes intentionally make a mistake in order to encourage humility.

Quilting is soothing and quiet ... but also time consuming ... and I was missing my reading. So, I downloaded The Waves by Virginia Woolf on my Ipod and have listened to half the book while contentedly stitching away. Then, in the evenings, I read the book before bed. It's interesting how hearing the words and then reading the text helps me understand the book better. I love this Virginia Woolf ... an amazingly clever book by a brilliant author.

Now, I will decide whether to take the little quilt to the Amish to hand quilt or have local artists, who machine quilt beautifully, finish the project. I am torn between the two. I am told that the machine quilting is better with batik fabrics and the artists will do an all-over pattern which may minimize the mistakes in matching squares. But, Ann has a wonderful Amish lady who quilts all her beautiful quilts, and Barbara is excellent at which she does. I am still trying to decide.

Comments

[Kimmie]

Your quilt is beautiful and looks PERFECT to me, all your corners are so nice.

Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted

[sab]

wonderfull patch in progress...I love batik...
and lovely reading..; virgina.. incredible woman

[Pat]

Ah - your quilt is so pretty! I like to listen to books on tape also, especially when they aread by the suthor.

[Marjolijn]

Dear Becca, I would like to congratulate you with the coming of your 1st grandchild! When will it be? Today I have a little surprise for you on my blog... just come and see! :)

[kari]

Bravo! A lovely quilt, sure to be cherished for many many years. I am compulsive about making quilts for family/friends, especially newborns. There is something so wonderful in creating a work of art that is also so useful and brings comfort to those you love. Congratulations!

[Simon]

Beautiful!

I also love The Waves - one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Must try and seek out an audio copy - I think the language would lilt wonderfully, it's very audio-friendly, I should think.

[carolyn]

The quilt is beautiful and I'm sure you will make the right decision for it.

[Zoe]

Beautiful colours and a beautiful quilt. Lucky baby.

[mary]

Incredibly well done - you are so good for finishing this project - and it is beautiful.
Can I vote for the Amish - only because it would be something I would just about kill for here !!

[Elizabeth]

Congratulations on your wonderful news... a baby! The quilt will be a precious gift for a precious new life.
Super colours too. Good luck with the quilting - I did my own and it was a little time consuming but enormous fun and very satisfying; not difficult at all.

[Felicia]

Its quite beautiful. One day I'm going to attempt a quilt :)

[Cornflower]

Just beautiful!

[PG]

Oh the Amish lady, the Amish lady! Absolutely.

[Alice C]

I love those muted pinks with the green. It will be a very treasured gift.

I know that the Amish sometimes incorporated an obvious mistake but it usually draws attention to the perfection of the rest. Not the intended outcome!

[Terri]

Oh!!!! That's lovely!
Great job.

[Nan]

I love the colors, the way they go together. What a gift to be able to make something so beautiful.

[Dana Henry]

Becca - your talents and gifts amaze me!! The quilt is beautiful - I LOVE the fabrics that you chose!

And you do prefer "Lily!"

[tut-tut]

It's beautiful; I love the way the colors "spangle" like the sunlight across it. I would vote for hand quilting . . .

[nikkipolani]

Beautiful beautiful colors, Becca.

[Danielle]

Oh, your quilt is gorgeous! I think your points nearly all match up perfectly. That has always been my problem, too!! I have heard that about the Amish--it makes me feel better as my quilts are far from perfect! By the way, I love the idea of reading and listening together. I plan on doing that with The Iliad.

[trish]

The quilt looks gorgeous!

I do all my own quilting by hand - it's the best part of the whole process in my opinion, very meditative and relaxing. You might want to consider it, there's batting these days which only needs quilt lines every handwidth, which really speeds up the process.

And if you're lucky enough to have friends who quilt, a quilting bee is fantastic. When I was finishing up my grandfather's quilt for his bed (a large double) my mother and her best friend each helped out and we sat for an afternoon, drank white wine (in case of spills), and quilted the entire border. It was a wonderful day.

[Britt-Arnhild]

The colours are so delicate Becca.

I have one quilt which is quilted by the Amish. I might share the story in my blog one day.

[cathy]

Beautiful. The photo makes it look almost like an aerial view of a midwestern landscape. Don't fret over the "mis-matched" corners--to me it's part of the charm and unique quality of a handmade piece. (And I think the Amish may be right ;-)
Blessings~
Cathy

[AmandaMay]

So beautiful! Your colors are just lovely, and any little mismatched corners only prove the quilt is handmade. I also take note of the Amish custom of leaving and loving little mistakes, its a good thing to remember.

[Sonia]

Wow! That is BEAUTIFUL!

[Linda]

I love the quilt-what fabulous colors all melded together. It will be a family treasure for years to come.

[susanna]

Wow! What a wonderful project. I would love to learn to quilt as you do.

[Bellezza]

Phew! It is you who wrote about Persephone. All I had to do was scroll down to January THIRD, for crying out loud, not like it was a million years ago. Sometimes, I am just Short Attention Span Theater.

The ones I ordered were Fidelity, Home-Maker, and Mrs. Pettigrew...I'll get to them as soon as I finish War and Peace. You know, in a million years.

[Bellezza]

I like how you said the Amish will sometimes deliberately make mistakes to encourage humility...that's very good for me to think about, as too often I'm preoccupied with making something perfect. As if that's possible in this fallen world.

By the way, I ordered three books from Persephone thanks to you and Nan; it was you, wasn't it, who also touted them? I hope I'm correct because I certainly love that site and wanted to thank you for sharing it.

Your baby quilt looks lovely, in all the right places with all the right colors. What a lucky child to receive it.

[Florence]

That's gorgeous! And lucky you having access to so many external quilting options...I don't think I even have one (oh, other than doing it myself...which is a bit daunting!)

[marita]

your baby quilt looks beautiful!
i just love the soft falling light of the sunshine, it looks like spring is in the air.