There is a certain cloud of satisfaction that clings to a person upon completion of a large project –  an aura of accomplishment and pride, worn like a crown of victory. Such were my feelings on completion of  the Queen size wedding quilt I made my youngest  daughter and her husband. With visions of how magnificent said quilt would look and a fanatical gleam in my eye, I began the preparations for my great work and proceeded with great gusto. A pattern was suggested and agreed upon, colours were chosen and so the journey began.

  

My darling little featherweight Rhonda, although almost 60 years old, entered into piecing the blocks with enthusiasm and glee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends, she purred! It was her first real job since I’d bought her off Gumtree a few months earlier and coaxed and nursed back into a functioning machine –  thus being saved from years of abuse and neglect – and she showed her gratitude for her new-found health and vitality by doing everything asked of her willingly and well and with a joyful anticipation of many more productive hours of quality time together with me.

Although this quilt “Big Star Quilt”  is pieced together in the ordinary way, I decided to assemble this one via the QAYG method (which I have never done before!!! Crazy much??) There is a YouTube video here on how to piece the blocks together here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkm3nCferp4  and a very good tutorial on how to make this quilt  here: https://ifthesethreadscouldtalk.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/big-star-quilt-lesson.pdf

After developing a plan of attack I started into it with fervor. It didn’t take Rhonda long to get through the piecing and then I got my modern plastic monstrosity to quilt them and join them together.

After joining the squares together into strips, I added the side borders and then did the top and bottom borders last. I decided I’d try UHU glue sticks for gluing the batting into the sashing (these ones had blue glue that dries clear) and I must say they worked very well, any excess that got onto the fabric washing out in the wash. I found this handy to know because those glue sticks are much cheaper than the specialty quilting ones.

I must admit there was one day at the end I wanted to dig a hole in the backyard, throw the quilt into it and jump up and down on it for awhile before burying it, but I soon got over that, and the frustration was due more to a sudden malfunction of my modern plastic monster, not the quilt itself.

All in all, I’m very pleased with it – even about 18 metres of hand-sewing can’t dull my joy in finishing my biggest quilt ever! My son-in-law and daughter certainly are very happy with it and that makes me happy. I enjoyed the process and learned a few new things along the way. I just love to look at it on the bed. I think it looks amazing.

But my next project *won’t* be blue…. just sayin’……