Elmo Rag Quilt Done!
I finally finished the Elmo Rag quilt that I started in December for my 12 year old daughter. I bought an Elmo flannel print from Joann Fabrics, and several bright primary color flannels, blue, red, yellow, green, all colors that coordinated with the print. I have NEVER cut that many squares in my entire life. And that includes paper. I really don't remember how much fabric I asked for but I cut up the entire thing into squares. And then I cut batting too. Now here's the thing. I get a little crazy when it comes to patterns and numbers. I brought out my graph paper. I brought out my red, blue, yellow, and green markers. I counted all my squares and made a notation of how many I had of each. I figured out how large my quilt would be (how many squares across and down). I created the pattern you see by coloring in squares on my graph until it all came together. That took an entire day and then night. I drew tons of grids and then slept on it. When I found a grid that worked I used that as my blueprint. I referred to it while I sewed my squares together and then the rows. And oh the cutting. After the first day, I went out and bought some spring-loaded scissors. It took me about two weeks to finish cutting. I cut every night before I went to bed. Then, I took it to a laundromat next to my job and washed it and dried it during my lunch hour so what you see, is only a one time rag quilt washing. It has a lot more washing to truly rag up according to the stuff I read. The only thing I am really disappointed with is the pilling of the fabric. How do I get those balls off? I tried lint rollers but they haven't worked. Anyway, my daughter loves the quilt. She loves Elmo, all her friends in Middle school do.