A Quilt's Story

First of all, I can take almost zero credit for this beautiful creation. The story of this little quilt is just too good not to tell though.

My daughter used to do amazing embroidery needle work.  (Maybe having a 3 1/2 year old, a 2 year old, and a 7 month old have something to do with why she has less time for intricate embroidery any more.)

She'd done this fabulous Mother Goose piece several years ago and decided to try to make a quilt to put on the back.  She hadn't done that before... the blocks were kind of unmeasured... the tension on her sewing machine was all messed up... there was no batting so the quilt showed through... There were many places where the seams didn't take leaving holes in the seams... Basically it was a ruined mess. She was so sad that she'd messed it up that she just put it in a bag and put it out of sight.

She'll be getting a sweet new niece in a few weeks, (Yes! 6 grandbabies in 4 years for me! Yay!) so I asked if she had another embroidered quilt for her.  She brought out the bag.  I asked her if I could take it and see what I could do to fix it.

First I took a picture so I could put it all back together in the right way.

After I took the front and back apart, I discovered that it was indeed a mess.

Then one row at a time and careful to keep them in order, my ripper and I disassembled the pieces.

Next every piece had to come apart.  

A good shot of steam from the iron on every piece flattened them out.

If you wonder why my "helper" is not in these photos, it's because could not keep from rolling on the pieces. I had to keep them in their perfect order for putting them back together.

Once the patches were all put back together and I got some batting, I was at a loss as to how to move forward. It was too beautiful not to do right.

Sooooo.... 

Who ya' gonna call?  STASH Busters!

That's the group of quilters who meet at my church each Wednesday morning.

I thought that if I showed up, someone might help me with the next step.

Oh... my....

They were amazing!  They were like doctors in an emergency room!  They all dropped what they had brought, moved a couple of tables, and jumped into action.  I just sort of stood back and watched in awe.  They had a language and common knowledge and roles to  play. 

    "We need to get this sandwiched first."  

    "It will need to be basted all over."

    "I'll get some needles and thread one for each of us."

I just... okay... ummm... can I... "What? Oh, sure, get her a needle and thread too." I did one measly basting line. They discussed how beautiful it was going to be and how it should be quilted.  I don't have access to a quilter-quilter (with a long arm thing) and planned to tack it.  I could tell they were disappointed, but they rallied on with the next best plan.

Then I was given homework... each lady giving her two cents... to each other and to me."

    "She'll need to tack it all over." 

    "She should probably use white so it won't show."

    "Use embroidery string instead of thread."

    "You'll need to get binding material to go around the edges."

    "Let me calculate exactly how much you'll need."

    "Cut it in 2 1/2 inch strips."

    "It could be any of the colors... pink? orange? green? black?

I tacked it.

I took out the basting.

I walked into Hobby Lobby to find something to bind it with, and would you believe it... The exact material as one of the squares was right there!!! And on sale!!!

I cut the strips.

I ironed them.

I returned the next Wednesday morning.

They were ready for action.

    "I'll start cutting it down."

    "I'll show her how to fold and sew the strips."

    "I'll go to the store room to get the iron and ironing board."

    "I'll set up the machine."

    "I'll help her get started attaching the binding."

I left with my next assignment, to hand sew the other side of the binding.

I didn't do my next assignment at home.

I went back the next Wednesday to work on it and enjoy their company as they worked on their various quilting projects and needlework.

I sat beside a lady who is 98 years old and was hand quilting her project.  "I see 'Eaton' on the side of your bag.  Are you kin to Amanda?" Yes, she's my daughter. This is her project I'm working on. "Oh, I kept her in the nursery.  I remember her. I thought you looked familiar."  Well, I probably look a little different.  I think I had brown hair back when you saw me every week."  Sigh... how special that she'd have such a memory!

My fingertips are so sore, but the binding is on.

Her project is beautiful.

I can't wait until she sees.

Each part deserves a closer look.

Baby Margo is going to be lucky that this will be hers when she arrives!