I spend most of my time over on the Vintage Machine site - and this is the first quilt I'm sharing pictures of.
I've been sewing for over 40 years, and just started getting into quilting. This is the third one I've done on my frame, and I still need a lot of practice.
This quilt has an interesting story.
I've got a lot of vintage lace and wanted to make a quilt with it. In my mind it would be creams and whites, but as I got started it sort of took on a life of it's own and went Rose pink and teal blue. I had thought I was making it for myself, but about halfway through I knew I'd never keep it, but had no idea who it would be for.
I had planned on taking my time working on it, yet once I got started I couldn't seem to get away from it, and I had it all pieced in about two weeks and then ready to go on the quilt frame. I had a lot going on in my life and really should have just put it aside for a while, but I felt very strongly about getting it done.
My mother has been terminally ill for some time, and she's had my nephew and his wife living with her for over a year now, since right before Dad died. I live 5 hours away and had seen Mom on March 8th and talked to my siblings (I've got 9 of them) and we knew it was getting time. I guess working on the quilt helped give me something else to focus on, though I still had no idea who would get it. I figured it would be put away for some future person (maybe a DIL . . .)
Family got together on March 15 to meet with Hospice and afterwards my niece was talking to one of my sisters about the small lap quilt I had made for Mom last spring, and how much she liked it. It was like a lightbulb momment, and I knew who the quilt was for, and now I understood why I needed to get it finished quickly.
Family knew it would be less than two weeks, and I planned on going out again the next Saturday (22nd). I hadn't planned on getting the quilt done to take with, but I got in the grove on Friday afternoon, and just kept at it. It was 11:30pm when I got done, and we were on the road by 5 am.
On Friday, the nurse commented that we'd know when Mom was in her last days, and they felt that it would be another week possibly. But Saturday morning Mom didn't quite wake up, and they started calling family telling them that in would not be much longer. I was already on the road, so they did not call me to tell me it was time to come. Mom had her own ideas, and not long after, she turned her head and took her last breath.
I was still an hour out when I got the call. When I arrived, most of the family had gathered at the family home to say goodbye to Mom, and I walked it and showed them the quilt, and said it was for a very special person. Then walked over and gave it to my niece, who has so lovingly cared for Mom/Grandma so she could stay at home in peace to the end.