maryellen2u

It is spectacular! It will be the admired by all who see it! I am so glad you finished it and it all fits together just like it should!

Sleepy Hollow

Thanks

I was so worried about being able to fit it all together, but it actually laid out pretty easy once I started!

I did decide to applique a bucket (with a hole), and a stick, stone, or ax, to represent the parents on stage. I'll probably put them on the red four patch in the lower left.

Next step will be to practice my quilting on the "new" machine!

bookworm22

what a great quilt, I am so sure your parents will absolutely love it.

Ada Shiela

You could print several pages like this and make a pieced backing telling the whole story. You're lucky to have such close family ties and stories to tell.

Sleepy Hollow

Well, I guess it's a good thing I don't have this on the frame yet...

My brother texted me yesterday. My "only child" niece is going to be a big sister! So now my perfectly placed "grandkid blocks" aren't complete. I did leave some space near a corner where I could add more, by appliquing a piece over it if needed, but I'll have to see if I can piece one in.

I'd love to use question marks, but I don't have any and haven't seen any question mark fabric. I do have some baby blocks.

Sleepy Hollow

Oh!, I have some "counting sheep" fabric that I just pulled out for I spy quilts-- I could use make sure to use a sheep with the number "4", since that is how many months the baby will be born (hopefully, mine was early!), and also the baby's birth month. Now that I've typed it out, I think that may be the way I'll go.

It's kind of funny, because we were all "done" having kids. With my son at 19, I'm done for sure. My other niece and nephew are 18 and 14, and pretty positive their parents are done. Good thing I left that space!

rryder

What a beautiful quilt and beautiful stories to go with it!

Rob

midwife

I can't wait to see more!

nativetexan

I don't think I've come across your post before. wonderful blocks. this will be one wonderful quilt!!

Sleepy Hollow

Again, thank you, everyone, for the nice comments!

I still haven't been able to quilt it. Every time I have a few days off to get the sewing room set up (so I can get the frame up), something happens. I get called into work, my sink backs up (the last backup required me cutting the drain pipe and then repacking a joint to unclog it), etc.

So, I talked to my sister and came up with a gift plan...

We will be at my parent's for Thanksgiving, but we both are working either Christmas Eve or Christmas. So, I'm going to give them "gift part 1" after Thanksgiving dinner.

This way, my parents get to see it with both of us there (we wouldn't be there for them to open it on Christmas). I will be under less pressure to learn a new machine and have it all quilted before Christmas (I have two weeks off, but am on jury duty, so that may interfere as well). And, my mom will get to pick the backing (out of three wide fabrics I have).

I have found stencils for a drama comedy/tragedy mask set (to represent my son), airplanes (sister), sailboats (my brother and niece), dragonflies (me), and will have the time to draw my own or find more to represent everyone else in the family. For Christmas, "present part 2", I may try to do up a book with the stories I wrote here about each block. Then, when I finish it (hopefully very soon), they will get "present part 3", which will be the completed quilt.