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1st and only hand quilted project #
This quilt was made over a three year period. The assembling of the top was done with the expert advice of Rosy, my step mom. The fabric for this quilt was purchased in La Claire, IA at the local quilt shop. When choosing the fabric for this quilt I wanted to make sure to keep it hunting/outdoor themed. I used fabric with: river rock, bricks, birch trees, turkeys, and of course the crown bags. This quilt went to my Father-in-law for Christmas. I may have given this present multiple years in a row, because it wasn’t done in time. Also, this was my first realization at how much it cost to make a complete quilt.
Using Crown Bags #
My Father-in-law had collected crown bags for an extended amount of time. He asked me to make him a quilt from them. I had no idea how difficult they were to work with. If I would go back and change anything it would be to add stabilizer on the back of those crown bags. I found that without the stabilizer the bags stretched when we were trying to sew them into the blocks. Also when hand quilting, the embroidery on the bags was difficult to work through.
Things I Learned #
We already talked about the crown bags, and what I learned using those, but there were several other things that came up during the process. At one point I thought finishing the binding before finishing the hand quilting was going to be a good idea, definitely not. I also squared the quilt up with no knowledge as to what I was doing, and ended up taking way too much off of the borders. My last lesson on this quilt was that I pieced together the back, and found trying to go through all of those seams a challenge while hand quilting.
What I Loved #
I can’t tell you how proud I am of this quilt. This was my baby for a long time. I am proud of myself for just finishing the project. I have informed my in-laws that it comes back to me in the will. I recommend anyone who is wanting to take a crack at hand quilting to give it a try. You will be pleased with the end results.
My FIL loves it, and it sits on display in the bat cave!
What your in-laws don’t have a bat cave?
Every time I am there I wrap myself up in it. It just makes me so warm and cuddly on the inside and out to know I made it, and finished it!
Rosy taught me a quote that I keep in mind during any projects I complete: "If you can’t see it riding by on a fast horse, it doesn’t matter!"
Well there you have it. The story about the time I spent 3 years hand quilting my first ever quilt. Join the journey with me on the next project, where the road is never straight!
_It’s time to clean up the scrap, and make way for the next project. Until Next Time! _