Would you rush?
 

Friday we leave town for a family wedding. I have a top completed that is 64X75. I really enjoy taking my sweet time with my quilting. In fact now that I am retired, I prefer not to rush for anything. LOL With only 5 days, would you hurry and sandwich, quilt and bind? I am just using fleece for the backing (no batting). I know I could always mail it a few days after the wedding, but then there is expensive of mailing plus I would prefer it to be there on time. I lost 3 days because of evacuation for the hurricane. :-( Regardless, we are giving a cash gift. If not the quilt, we will also give something to open. Thanks for all opinions.

let's have a pic. We are anxious to see.

If I wanted to gift the quilt I would get it done.

I too would choose a less ambitious quilting pattern and get it done to gift at the wedding.

Nope, I would wait and do it the way it wants to be quilted.

Unless it's destined to be a family heirloom I'd get it done and over with and off my list of things to do.

What else do you have on your plate this week before the trip? If there are other things to also accomplish and this would add to the stress, I'd wait. If this could be a priority I'd get it done.

I hate to rush in general, and don't really know how I would speed up the process of piecing or quilting. It seems to take as long as it takes. I would not be able to quilt and bind a top in 5 days.

I would take a picture of the quilt top and put it in a lovely card with a note to say you are finishing it especially for them.

If it's a complicated quilting pattern, rushing it could lead to frustration. I know for myself frustration shows in my quilting. If you feel confident that you can do it nicely in 5 days, I would do that.

This would be my option as well. Get it done and over with as long as you're not planning an heriloom. If that is the case, I'd take my time and ship. I'd probably stay up the entire night a couple of days in advance to get it done. I tend to put myself under pressure. But then I'd have a day or so to relax; pack; etc.

I'd probably not rush cause then you'll be so fatigued you won't enjoy the celebration. Plus, often couples don't even unwrap gifts at the reception or even until after the honeymoon--so yes, it will cost more to ship, but think you need to do what's easiest for you at this point--or maybe that's my retiree point of view!

quilting is not a race. i would not rush. Do what you want and make the quilt look it's best. It will be worth the wait.

You've probably already decided what you're going to do.

I personally would want to hand-deliver it if at all possible, so as not to risk loss in transit. Most couples don't open their gifts right away unless they're postponing a honeymoon, so there's not much chance of you seeing them open it in front of you. But if there IS a chance of seeing that, I'd definitely want to see their reaction. But I'm no good at rushing--I tend to make mistakes and regret it. On the other hand, I work better with deadlines. I"m no help, am I?

I'd spend every spare minute rushing to finish! (I actually work more efficiently under a deadline.)

Yes, I'd rush so I could carry it with me rather than spend the $$ for mailing.

At most weddings they do not open the gifts that day. Some people send them ahead of time too so I would take my time finishing the quilt and give them a note saying it will be coming at a later date

I would finish it if at all possible. Sometimes we have to choose between fulfilling our own self imposed perimeters and participating fully in a celebration.

I agree...my son and DIL just married 9/17 and received some gifts in advance of their wedding and understand not everyone brought a gift to the wedding. I would take the time to quilt it the way you like it and then ship it.

I hope you decided to bite the bullet and are working on it. The QB will be here for you to catch up when you are done. We look forward to seeing the picture.

I would not rush. I always feel that it's better to give wedding gifts before or after the wedding date. There is so much going on and everything is a blur to the happy couple. I would send my gift after the honeymoon or have it waiting for them when they return and can appreciate the gesture.

I agree with this. It seems that you are making it for them, so....quilt it the way you would if you were not on a 'deadline'. As for getting it to them, surely you will see them in the near future....A quilt is something personal between both giver and receiver.

Since you are also giving a cash gift, I would take the time to quilt it as you like to quilt and mail it later. Since it's a gift, I would want to give it my full attention. Looking forward to pics!

Rushing always makes for an accident waiting to happen. Have you ever noticed that? This is when the machine acts up or you suddenly realize that the long piece of material you bought for the backing has a "marriage" in it that you didn't see when you bought the fabric.

My opinion would be to take a picture of it and let them know that they can expect their quilt after they come back from their honeymoon. They certainly won't be needing it before then and this will give you the space and breathing room you need to do a good job on it. No fuss, no muss. I can understand wanting to give it to them at the wedding, but we need to remember that we need to be kind to ourselves and not stress ourselves more than we have to.

I like the tradition in the South, where there is a bridal shower about 2 - 3 weeks before the wedding....all the gifts are opened then. Then at the wedding, there is nothing to do but enjoy the wedding and reception.

That being said, like someone else stated, most of the time, the gifts are not opened at the weddings. They are opened upon the couples arrival back home, so I would take my time quilting the quilt. It will be a surprise for them.

Excellent idea! I would bet they wouldn't open gifts until they return from their honeymoon anyway. Don't rush.

No - I did that once for a niece's baby shower present - a baby quilt. I made a couple of big mistakes on it - one cutting a hole in it by a hurried accident. No points matched due to being in a hurry.

I like the idea of the photo in the card. The couple would then know how special you think they are that the quilt is being quilted specially for them.

Take a pic and put a note the quilt will arrive at a later date.

I worked on the quilt for a total of 8 hours yesterday, including breaks. This is the most I have ever sewed in one day. No longer short on time as I have decided to do machine binding instead of by hand. ;-) Thanks for everyone's input!

I would just get it done. I only have 2-3 hours some days and i would still get it done. I FMQ on my 9" throat machine. I don't like to have to change my plan.