Friday, May 21, 2010

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (Part Three)

I finished a project this month that was a long time coming. For my son's 23rd birthday, I gave him what was supposed to be his high school graduation quilt. Better late than never, I guess. I blogged a bit about this quilt last fall, and if you'd like to know at least part of the reason this gift was so late, you can read the backstory in Part One and Part Two. In a nutshell, my round robin flew the coop, and this is round two...

I made the new (Blackford's Beauty) center block sometime last October:


Then, working from photos of the original quilt, I remade the first border, designed by my friend, Maura:


I was buying fabric for the next border when I learned that Hancock Fabrics was hiring. I started my new job the following Monday, and from there on, work on the quilt slowed considerably. I finished the appliqued music border sometime in February or March:


By April, I was scrambling to put together the 20 blocks that would make up the last border. I decided to repeat the center block, with a slight color change to brighten it up a bit:


Next came the embroidering of the lyrics (Rascall Flatts, "My Wish"):


One last detail, a guitar applique:


Loosely based on his actual guitar:


I finished the quilting on the last day of April (three days before the birthday), giving myself the weekend to get the binding on.


I added the label on the morning of his birthday, then washed, dried and gift-wrapped. Talk about last minute!


Here he is, getting his first good look at his quilt. I think he likes it. ;o)


And I love a happy ending...



I'm linking this post with Amylouwho's "Sew and Tell Friday" AND I just found out that Park City Girl Amy, from Amy's Creative Side, is again hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I don't know how I'll ever make all the rounds, but I'll do my best to see all the gorgeous quilts and projects!

(Just wish I didn't have to work this weekend!)

41 comments:

ktquilts said...

Great quilty finish!! Love how it is made perfectly for someone!!

Blessings,

KT

Kristen said...

Nice! Looks like a great quilt that will be well loved by the recipient.

Paulette said...

Love this quilt! The embroidered song lyrics and appliqued guitar really add special touches.

Mom said...

This is gorgeous!

margaret
www.quiltsoflove.blogspot.com

Angela said...

wow! a true work of art and act of love! I'm sure that he loves it!

Dolly said...

That is one outrageously cool quilt gift........who cares how late it is......it's a one-of-a-kind !

Outstanding job !

Colleen said...

That is a spectacular quilt! I'm sure he will treasure it.

SarahB said...

What an amazing quilt! Love the appliqued and embroidered border and the outer pieced border is an amazing finish!

Annika said...

Just gorgeous!

Angela Giles Klocke said...

You are so danged talented! :D

Michelle said...

This quilt is one of the most spectacular medallion quilts I've ever seen! Your applique is stupendous. A true piece of art. Well done!

Quilter Going Bananas said...

It was definitely worth the wait, the quilt is gorgeous! Too bad the original one is out there somewhere..

Army Wife Quilter said...

wow I love the music notes very cool.

Sarah Craig said...

Beautiful quilt! You have definitely created an heirloom for your son. Congratulations!

Ivory Spring said...

Heather,

What a beautiful finish!!!! I love reading the entire process of that quilt, and that guitar applique just stole my heart!

Thanks for stopping by to visit. It's great to hear from you - I appreciate the kind words. :)

Carol said...

That is a very striking quilt. Love it.

Kathy said...

Beautifully done! From seeing the photo of your son, I think he's delighted.

Marie said...

Beautiful quilt

Bunny said...

Love the story and you must be very proud of this quilt it is spectacular. Way to go.

Dayna said...

Wow! This is incredible! It made me want to give your son a hug. Bless his heart. What an amazing gift, and well worth the wait, I'm sure!

Dayna said...

P.S. I called all five of my children to the computer so they, too, could "ooh" and "ahh" over it. They really do appreciate good craftsmanship, even though they're not all necessarily quilt people (except at bedtime when they're cold). They loved it!

Miri said...

Fabulous quilt! The appliqued notes are wonderful! I inked lyrics from a Tim McGraw song on a quilt for my son. :)

Lynn Koeppen said...

Very nice! Your sequence of pictures really showed off your quilt!

Allie said...

Great quilt, and great story to go with it. I love the guitar.

Karen said...

That is a superb quilt! Love the outside blocks.

Anonymous said...

This is a cool quilt. I love the musical notes and words to the song. My what an undertaking. Good job for getting it finished.

mary said...

Spectacular quilt. Lots of love and thought went into it. I really like the musical note and lyrics. Nice touch. Good job getting it finished.

Denise said...

Great quilt! Love it!

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful! I love the music border and lyrics!

Heather said...

wow! That is spectacular!

Shannon w/ Monkey Dog Quitls said...

Fantabulous quilt! Sew On!

SewCalGal said...

Spectacular quilt. Absolutely beautiful. Great design, lovely colors. You did a great job! Love it.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Oddbjørg said...

Amazing!

Sandra said...

what a great personalized quilt-you can really see all your thought and work. Lucky guy.
Come see my antique quilt entries
http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com
http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com

em's scrapbag said...

This is a truly amazing quilt! Love the music and guitar.

SueWis said...

This is stunning. LOVE the colors. I think Nathan will appreciate it more now than when he was just out of high school, so good thing you didn't get it done until now. :)

Heather said...

Your quilt is stunning. Love it. Adding the guitar was the perfect touch.

Anonymous said...

This quilt is amazing. What a great gift to show your love to your son.

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Oh My! This is gorgeous! (I have a guitar-playing, music-making son also. You did an awesome job at such a creative quilt!...) I am a novice quilter with soooo many unfinished pieces, parts, tops, etc! The ones I started for our children are still unfinished. so you are leaps and bounds ahead of me and where I would like to be...with a completed quilt. (too funny, we are also alike in that I wish I didn't have to work...)

Blessings & Aloha!
I am still trying to squeeze some blog reading time and see the amazing quilts at this Quilt Festival! So happy to have seen yours. I would love if you get a chance to pop over...and if you do please leave a comment so that I know you were there.

JessicaSews said...

This has got to be one of the best quilts I have ever seen. The pattern, the fabrics...wow.

KeyQuilter said...

It's a gorgeous quilt and beautifully done!