Our Peppermint Quilt

Finally! It's complete! A little late, worth the wait!

Really, the label says it all -

Instead of thinking "this quilt was meant to be for last Christmas," I have decided to think, "this is a really early finish for next Christmas." Eh, pretty clever? I really like the bright red binding and crisp red and white contrast. It measures 56x70. My daughter slept under it last night, and that's a big moment for a quilt. This morning, at 7am, I went in to wake her up for school and I saw the quilt was pulled way up and tucked under her chin. I thought about how quilts are a powerful extension of our love.

My daughter also loves the tossed gingerbread backing fabric and when she first saw it she said, "GINgerbreads!" and there was a wonderful squeal accent that she included as she said the word.

I managed to find the original sketch which, in all of it's arcane coded scribbles, reminds me that every project has to start somewhere. And how a simple hot mess of a sketch can become something gorgeous, containing an indescribable amount of passion and devotion.

Linking my seasonably late finish up to Finish it up Friday...Happy Quilting!

Christmas in February

I am trying to finish this "Peppermint" Christmas quilt, you know, the one that was supposed to be under the tree on Christmas morning?

I'm excited about this quilt because it's a keeper for my family. I had envisioned it being my Christmas gift to 

them this (past) holiday. My future vision for this quilt involves packing it away all year, then bringing it out exclusively at Christmas time to envelop chilly winter shoulders or lay across our laps as we watch holiday movies. Once Christmas is over, I'll fold it up until next winter. I chose to quilt it using chunky criss-cross straight stitches and bright red thread.

 

 It's probably taking a million years to complete this Christmas quilt because it keeps getting bumped back by other quilty projects like these...

 Sofia's Quilt (above, complete and gifted) and 

A Star Wars Portraiture quilt (below, also complete and listed here)

...and then there's the weather which greatly effects photographing completed quilts outside in "natural light."

 Ahhh, February in the Pacific Northwest. Stay dry friends.

A Star Wars Portraiture Quilt

Last September a new tradition began in our family, taking my daughter to the bus stop each morning to catch the bus to Kindergarten. She goes to a K-6th grade elementary so some of the other kids at the bus stop are older, 4 older boys and 1 older girl in total. The older boys are extremely ruckus! It's like walking into a laser tag game every morning. You have to dodge flying pine cones and sticks become loaded weapons.  What surprises me is that Star Wars seems to be one of the the main inspirations behind their gaming antics. Star Wars is, what, 40 years old and all of the kids know it, some kids know it backwards and forwards, and they still do the Darth Vader breathing sound with menacing, "Luke...I am your Father." I can't believe it! So, every morning I see this Galactic action play out and I can't help but feel affirmed in my choice of fabrics and their lasting popularity...and I wish I could take this quilt down to the bus stop to show them. I just can't risk a light saber cauterizing through it, you know?  

I used The Force and listed this quilt in my Etsy Shop, free US shipping and discounted shipping for any Galaxy far, far away. Happy Quilting!