The Persimmon Dreams challenge this week is, "A Well Dressed Man". My first inclination was to not accept the challenge. But you know how it is, your subconscious brain starts working and the next thing you know, you have an idea.
I started thinking, not about a well dressed man, but about my man. He's more of a flannel and jeans kinda guy. But he really thinks he's styling' when he puts on his red corduroy shirt (because he thinks he looks good in red) and a new(ish) pair of blue jeans. So here's MY Ohio Star:
I started thinking, not about a well dressed man, but about my man. He's more of a flannel and jeans kinda guy. But he really thinks he's styling' when he puts on his red corduroy shirt (because he thinks he looks good in red) and a new(ish) pair of blue jeans. So here's MY Ohio Star:
Yup. Denim, red corduroy, and flannel. I have a hard time with the idea of making something that has no purpose. So I decided to make a piece that is large enough for me to give away. A group of ladies that I sew with (loosely called "The Good Deed Quilters) make quilts that we give away. And at Christmas time we take the quilts made in the second half of the year to the homeless shelter for women and children in Cleveland. And so I made this week's challenge large enough to give to that.
It's about 47" x 59". I got it sewn together and layered up by the end of the day on Tuesday, and I was quite sure there was no way I would get this done by the end of the week. But I also knew that if I didn't press on, using that deadline, this top would end up on next year's unfinished quilt list!
So I started quilting. By Thursday evening, I knew I could get it done in time for the challenge, except that I was going to babysit a 2 month old baby on Friday. Now, my belief about babies is that they need to be held as much as possible. Especially while they sleep. This only applies to other people's babies though, not your own. Don't be crazy! YOUR child cannot get the idea that they can only sleep if they are being held. But other people's babies? Um, yuh! So I was back to the idea of not getting it done. Then the dad came and picked him up early. Hmmm. Not sure he was held enough, but I had to let him go. :-D
So here it is. Done.
So I started quilting. By Thursday evening, I knew I could get it done in time for the challenge, except that I was going to babysit a 2 month old baby on Friday. Now, my belief about babies is that they need to be held as much as possible. Especially while they sleep. This only applies to other people's babies though, not your own. Don't be crazy! YOUR child cannot get the idea that they can only sleep if they are being held. But other people's babies? Um, yuh! So I was back to the idea of not getting it done. Then the dad came and picked him up early. Hmmm. Not sure he was held enough, but I had to let him go. :-D
So here it is. Done.
It is not flat. First of all, it is not square, which contributes. And the quilting probably didn't help. If I had quilted the straight lines along the rows first, that would have probably helped. But I didn't in the interest of saving time.
But the bigger problem, I think, is the issues that come with using flannel as I did. First of all, not all of the fabrics were prewashed. Some were, some weren't. It depends on when in my quilting career I collected each piece. I also didn't spray the pieces with sizing to give them more stability. Just didn't think of it until late in the process. And to top it off, there are different weights of flannel and some are woven and some are printed on. So, too much stuff going on there.
What I do know is that some young boy will get this quilt and it will be soft against his skin, and warm at night, and it will be HIS. And he won't care if it's flat or square. And that is more important.
Anyway, after noon CST (that's 1 p.m. for us in the Eastern Time Zone!) you can go to Persimondreams.blogspot.ca and vote for your favorite quilts. And I will be back soon with my March Unfinished Quilt project! ;-)
What I do know is that some young boy will get this quilt and it will be soft against his skin, and warm at night, and it will be HIS. And he won't care if it's flat or square. And that is more important.
Anyway, after noon CST (that's 1 p.m. for us in the Eastern Time Zone!) you can go to Persimondreams.blogspot.ca and vote for your favorite quilts. And I will be back soon with my March Unfinished Quilt project! ;-)