I have procrastinated so much, simply because I just could not come to a decision on how to quilt this quilt!
To recap: I first posted about this quilt in December 2021. Way back, when my little girl really was a little girl, she wanted to make a patriotic quilt. Together, we designed and chose the fabrics, and then she cut and pieced. And then it sat for a very long time. A lot of life happened.
My not so little girl finished the applique in early 2021 (Or was it 2020?) and sent the quilt to me. I was supposed to quilt it.
We haven’t been in any hurry up to this point, so why hurry now?
Thus…procrastination.
I finally got around to pin basting by December 2021.
My goal in February 2022 was to get the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting done.
By the end of March 2022, I had finished the SITD quilting.
More procrastination.
In January 2023, I made up my mind to get this thing done!
By January 16, I had a plan for some of the blocks and set to work making stencils and machine quilting the pieced blocks.
More life, and more procrastination (Are you getting a theme here?).
What to do with the appliqued blocks?
I am happy to say that I came up with a plan and I have my part finished!
I find it difficult to photograph black thread on black fabric.
But I think I took enough photos so that you get the general idea.
I had to work out some tension issues.
Disaster struck when I washed out my chalk marks.
My daughter and I are pretty sure that back in the day, we washed all of these fabrics before using them.
But, doggone, if a red and the black didn’t bleed profusely and turn most of the light areas a plum color!
I have managed to get most of that bleeding out. What’s left doesn’t really look all that bad.
My daughter has a tub that she can soak it in, so she can circulate Dawn soap and water around much better than I can with my washing machine. She will try to rinse the rest of the bleeding color out.
I think it is okay if she can’t.
The quilt needs to be bound, and Jessica will do that.
The quilt will live with her.
Quilt On!
LC's Cottage 
Oh my! What a quilters’ horror story! Sounds like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I am so proud of you both for taking it to the final finish. That will be one of your most memorable quilts and you both with carry that story down generations of your family. Some quilts are beautiful, but not all of them are so memorable. It turned out beautiful. That was good to get that SITD done early on. I do agonize over how I am going to quilt the quilt while I am making it but by the time I get it basted I have decided that I should just start quilting! LOL I only quilt for family and friends so it’s ok and most of the time, I am happy with the results. It helps that I have a lot of UFOs and not much time to spend over the quilting process! Thanks for sharing. The time spent with your daughter is probably the best memory of all.
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Thank you so much for the encouraging comments, Pamela! They are much appreciated! I don’t enter quilt shows, either (I have entered a couple of local shows in the distant past). I figured out that I wanted to quilt for the fun of it (I guess the recognition and awards are great fun, but not something that I decided that I wanted to quilt for), and not have deadlines and stress to strive for perfection. Having said that, I guess one could argue that this particular project wasn’t fun. Ha, ha! Really, it was, and you are right…I do have wonderful memories to cherish from it! 🙂
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All that work, and then a bleed! It’s a pretty quilt. I have done the same, putting off finishing because I don’t know how I want to quilt it. (Assume you know about Save My Bleeding Quilt by Vicki Welsh)
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Thank you, Wendy! Yes, I do know about Vicki’s bleed recipe, and it is a great one to recommend! And now I have learned to take the bleeding in stride. Yes, I did my best to fix it, but I can live with it, too. It isn’t gonna be a big game changer in my life; there are other things that do that. 🙂
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Thank you! The quilting looks great! Frustrating about the bleeding but you’re right, it’s not the end of the world. At least it’s a somewhat subtle pink. 🤷♀️
Love you! ❤️
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Hey… it is my partner in crime! Ha, ha! I think we will live. Love you, too! 💕
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Great job getting it done, Laura!!! Such a detailed quilt! And love your quilting!!! I’m sure your daughter will treasure it with all the memories that accompany it.
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She’s a great kid! Fortunately…very laid back.
Thank you! 🙂
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Yay on the finish (a finish is a finish no matter the length of time)
Boo on the the bleed (a nightmare for all quilters)
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Thanks, Laura! Yup…done and done! Moving on. 🙂
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The quilt is beautiful! In your photos, I couldn’t see discoloration. Will she hang it? It should be seen. 😊
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Yes, I probably will hang it. I’m afraid the cat would destroy it if I put it on the bed!
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A little cat hair isn’t going to hurt it now. Ha, ha! 😛
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The claaaaawwwwwwsssss
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Gotcha! 🙂
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Thanks, Sis! I see she answered you, which is a good thing, since I had no idea what she was going to do with it! And I appreciate that you can’t see the discoloration! From now on, I will tell people that it was planned that way. Ha, ha! 🙂
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Hi Laura! Oh, I feel your quilting anxiety over how to quilt this beauty. I have been there many a times. Yay you for getting ‘er done. I’ll bet your daughter is just thrilled! I didn’t notice any discoloration but Dawn works miracles. It looks huge! I hope it is for a bed, nice and snuggly. Good job, ladies. It’s a fabulous finish. {{Hugs}} a bunch! ~smile~ Roseanne
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Thanks, Roseanne! My daughter says that she wants to hang it; she doesn’t want her kittie’s claws to ruin it. I wouldn’t have stressed so much about the quilting except that I couldn’t make up my mind about quilting over those silhouettes or not. 🙂
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Hi Laura ~ first of all it’s a gorgeous patriot quilt. I am so happy you were able to fix the bleed the best as you could. In fact with the bleed it lends to the historic aspect of this beauty. The bleeding could actually age it and add to her character. At the least you have a great story to go with her. I am so glad you are getting her done 🙂
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Thank you, Sharon! That is what I thought, too. Sometimes, a little aging is good! 🙂
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Great quilting, and now you don’t have to look at it anymore. It’s a win all around.
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My daughter is happy and we had fun with it! It is a win! 😁
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Oh dear… this quilt made a memory for you and your daughter! It really is pretty even with the bleeding fabric. Hooray on a finish!!👏😊
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Thank you so much, Deb! Good memories indeed! 😁
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Laura, what a pretty quilt and how frustrating that the fabric bled. I procrastinated too long on my quilt tops, but it does feel good to get them going. I can tell you that sewing on black binding with black just about did me in – especially since the first bias binding had to be ripped off and then resend with WOF binding. All caused by black Hoffman 1895 batiks. But I have learned to never give up even if it takes forever! LOL. I love the quilt!
Hugs
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Black on black…oh the misery! But we like the results! Ha! You are right…never give up! 🙂
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That is such a beautiful quilt and so much work! Well worth it though! Too bad about the bleed, but I think this has happened to most of us at some time. (not that it makes us feel better). Thank you for sharing, it is such a lovely memory for you both.
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I am looking on the positive side, Connie! The bleed simply makes the fabric look aged and I am okay with that. It could have been so much worse! And we still have a great memory quilt! 🙂
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Oh my! I love what you did with the quilting in the appliqué… but so sorry about the bleed. I had an overdyed fabric bleed (after washing before too I am sure) and hot water and dawn did it. It really is a beauty and I am sure your daughter is thrilled with her quilt. It is a really beauty and so many hours of work. I sometimes think that for every hour of quilting , I think for 7 or 10 or 30 depending on what the heck I am hung up about. Hooray for a gorgeous quilt and a daughter who loves it.
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Thank you so much, Kathleen! Yeah, it was a surprise to see so much bleeding from prewashed fabric! But all is well that ends well…daughter and I are still quite happy with the quilt! 🙂
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Well! It’s definitely a proper family heirloom quilt, filled with stories to be remembered for many years to come. A very special Mother-Daughter collaboration.
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Thank you so much, Allison! 🙂
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Yikes! I just had a discussion with another quilty friend about fabrics shrinking. We rarely pre-wash, but this may encourage us to return to doing so. Oh, and to using color catchers!
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I also rarely prewash, but back in the day, I prewashed all of my fabric. At least I thought I did. Ha!
Oh yes…thank the Lord for Dawn soap and color catchers! 🙂
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