Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Yes, I Did!

Way back in February I put up this post where I said I was going to make a quilt. It's got a picture of yards and yards of fabric that needed to be cut into squares. By the end of that month I actually had all 900 squares cut. You can see that pile at the end of this post. They sat for a while before I assembled some of the 3 layer sandwiches. The first ones were completed just before I wrecked Beulah the minivan of love. Then they sat until the end of July or so when was able to sit at a sewing machine for long enough periods to get anything done. I figured I'd better kick it up a notch or two to get this thing done in time for Diana to take it to college. Then I began running into a few roadblocks, not the least of which was the "Great Spackle Incident."

Monday I finished sewing. Tuesday I began the arduous task of clipping all the raw edges. Since this is a rag quilt the seams are left unfinished on the top and then clipped every half inch or so in order that when it is washed those edges fray, giving it a fuzzy appearance. The clipping took a much longer time than I anticipated. I am glad I was smart enough to invest in this spring loaded set of snips which automatically open back up after you take a snip, otherwise I might still be clipping.



After finishing the clipping late Tuesday morning (did I mention we had to leave to take Diana to school at 3:00 pm?) I dashed off to a couple of last minute errands then the laundromat to wash and dry the quilt so as to remove spackle crud and hasten the fraying. I think my mind was a little frayed so I guess it was good that I found this sign on the washing machines otherwise I may have gotten confused and climbed in myself. Seriously though, makes you wonder what sort of lawsuit occurred that requires this warning now, eh?


No such warnings were posted on the dryers so theoretically you can tumble dry your kids if you hose them off outside first. The quilt took forever to dry. I kept pumping quarters into the machine and cranking it to high heat.


I got home all of 15 minutes before it was time to pile into the truck and take the kid to her dorm. That was just enough time to throw it over the washline and snap a few pictures of the finished product. Here is what the back of the quilt looks like (except that top row flipped over). The back is all neat and tidy with no raw edges showing...


...unlike the front which is all fuzzy.

(There were a couple more pictures of the process before clipping but Blogger is being a pain and won't let me upload anything else right now.)

18 comments:

Desmond Jones said...

What a treasure for Diana to take to school with her. . .

And what a lot of work. . .

I salute you.

Bijoux said...

Glad you finished in time! Looks great.
And unfortunately, I have heard news stories of kids being killed in washers/dryers, so I think we're going to be seeing more of those signs.

Craver Vii said...

Since it says "do not put any person in this washer," I'm sure it's fine to play in any other washer that does not have that warning. I probably won't fit, so when I get home, I'll shove my ten-year-old into our washer. It will be "loads" of fun.

The quilt looks great! Congrats on getting it done in time. (big sigh) Kick your feet up and have a latte, tea, mango smoothie or whatever you like; you deserve it!

Jazz said...

Ooohhh it's lovely!!

And I always put kids in the dryer - maybe that's why i never had kids,it would've cost me too much in new dryers. I mean really, how many kids can you dry before they wreck your dryer?

S said...

Wow that came out fantastic! I love the fluffy flannel edges! You know, I ONLY sew with those spring loaded scissors for the past 12 years now. There is no way my hand can open and close scissors at this point, AND you can use them left handed as well!

Wow, that came out awesome and I am so happy you didnt climb into that washer.

:)

Suldog said...

Lovely, and loving. GREAT job!

g-man said...

The quilt looks fantastic Sister Lime...Now about that barn raising:P

Mona said...

Wow! That is quite some handiwork! And it looks beautiful!

Hats off to you!

~Dragonfly~* said...

Wow!!! The quilt is amazing!!! Love the color choices. Was Mr. Lime allowed to live long enough to see it?

You know... my brothers and I used to give each other "drier rides" all the time as kids.... that's way back when you could get the thing to spin without closing the door... could explain a lot!!!

You are an awesome mom with a heart full of more than enough love and determination to "Git er done"... no matter what the task!!!

DF

BTExpress said...

That's beautiful, just like the seamstress.

Ananda girl said...

Gorgeous! Now she will have a piece of mom and home whenever she needs them.

BTW... my kids were into getting into the dryers of a friend's parents laundromat. They were at least smart enough to put it on air fluff... and yet, not very smart.

Gledwood said...

hey when I'm rich and famous will you do me one on commission..??

misticblu said...

Beautiful piece of art!!
So how far away is the school?

~Tim said...

Great work! And you are upholding a great tradition: If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done!

EmBee said...

Perhaps all this handiwork has helped take your mind off the inevitability that one of your baby birds is leaving the nest?

Beautiful job!
:-)

crazy4coens said...

BBEEEE-YO-TIFF-ULLLL quilt. and thanks for the scissor comment - i wondered about those and now i know!

Hilary said...

Wow you did a great job. Good for you. :)

Malicious Intent said...

So pretty!