Beginning Joy

The quilting has begun. 

I don't know how anyone could bear to send this step out to have a machine do it.

How could you bear handing off the puffing to a stranger?  Or a machine?

I've quilted before.  Simple things.  I made quilts for the boys a couple time through the years, because even my amateurish work was better than store bought quilts in the late 80's.  That was the era of the tricot blankie.  The outer fabric fell apart after a few years and the batting?  What batting? I quilted because no matter how bad I did, I knew the boys would be warm.  They were not pieced work, and the quilting designs came from the patterns on the fabric. Simple, simple blankets.

What I don't ever remember is getting this kind of thrill before.  A lot of it has to do with the ability to take my time.  There isn't any rush to get this done till it gets cold in the fall.  Let's say late September.  I can think while I sew and contemplate all manner of things. 

If you don't look closely, this looks fantastic.  You do have to look past the uneven stitches and past the way that the one pink section doesn't quite make it to the blue like it ought to. It is my secret affair of 20 years and  I am having the most amazing love in with this quilt.

This is square one of row one of 64 squares.  This is also the easy square where the work to be done is laid out right in front of me.  I completely expect that by the time all 8 of the pieced squares and 8 plain squares of the first two rows are all stitched and done, that I will rue the day I thought I should do a quilt this complex by hand and will be dreaming that I had a long arm machine to do it on. 

Yeah, I am pretty sure that the day will come where all the quilting and hand stitching is going to be driving me batty but for now, for just this moment in time, I absolutely love what I am doing.