Wild Thing and His Birthday Quilt

Today is wild thing's 9th birthday, but since we have a baseball tournament all weekend, we ended up celebrating his birthday a few days ago.  He logically presented his case that he deserved his birthday gift then, and since I'm not the greatest secret-keeper, of course I let him have it!

He thought the entire idea of posing with the quilt outside was hilarious and could not stop giggling.

He was totally surprised, since he usually sees all of my projects in process.  When I told him how I managed to make Sailing at Sunset in one day without his knowledge, he just cracked up laughing that I was able to pull one over on him.  That kid just melts my heart.

There are so many joys of being a mom, but one of the greatest has to be seeing something that I created bring him so much happiness.  He loves the quilt for what it is, and he loves it because I made it.  Since he's had the quilt, if we have been at home, the quilt has been by his side or wrapped around him.  I'm so glad that even at nine years old, he's still not too old to love snuggling up in one of Mommy's quilts- and I know that I will never tire of seeing it either.

Birthday Boy Quilt- Sailing at Sunset

Well, I finished my wild thing's birthday quilt.  As I mentioned in my last post, he and my wonderful husband were heading out of town for an overnight trip, and I jumped on the opportunity to make a quilt for him without his knowledge.  Yes...yes...  I could have just worked on it for nights on end after he went to bed, and cleaned up all evidence every night before going to bed myself, but hey- that's just not how I roll.  Of course, that means that I had to sew like a mad-woman to get it pieced, quilted, and bound within the span of less than 36 hours (sleep optional)- 

even if I did choose a really simple pattern.  

Here it is all finished!  I'm calling it Sailing at Sunset, since the colors remind me of the ocean when it is most beautiful, and because there are a few nautical-themed fabrics mixed in.

Marathon sewing aside, I'm really proud of this quilt for a few reasons.  

1.  I've been quilting off and on for almost 15 years, but before this quilt, I have never done a pieced backing.  It's not that I don't know how to do one, it's just that by the time the top is all finished, I'm ready to get on with the quilting part and get it done.  After seeing lots of awesome pieced backings all over the blogosphere (thanks for the inspiration!), I decided to take the plunge and do one myself.  

The backing-

 2.  Until this quilt, I've never done a binding.  What's that you say?  No binding?  How did I finish the edges of my quilts?  Well, I used the method used by my grandmother, which is called "back over binding."  This method involves leaving the backing a couple of inches wider than the quilt top all the way around, and you simply fold it over, tuck the raw edge, and stitch it down, either by hand or machine.  This works great if you've chosen a backing that isn't too busy and will look great against the pattern of the quilt top.  Alas, the backing I wanted to do would not have looked good on the front side, so I had to learn a new skill!  All in all, I'm happy with it, even though my corners don't look perfect- darn that mitering!

3.  My FMQ is getting so much better.  I didn't have a single crossover in my stippling on this quilt (yay!  personal victory!), and I felt really relaxed while quilting.  Usually, I feel tense while quilting, and as a result I don't think my curves are as smooth as they should be.  I know I've mentioned that FMQ is still a new skill I'm working to perfect, and I've had one or two crossovers in each of my last quilts.  In this one- not a single one.  I'm also working on more even spacing of my meandering lines.  It's hard to take a picture of all this, but here's my best shot (no pun intended, lol!).

Check out the label I added to the back.  You can see the quilting pretty well in this picture too.  To apply the label, I used spray basting to hold it in place, and then appliqued it to the backing after basting, but before quilting (so the stitches wouldn't show on the front of the quilt) with a zig-zag stitch.  Have I mentioned that I really dislike hand sewing?  I find it tedious, and I don't think that my stitches are as strong as machine stitching.  Believe me, if I can find a way to do something on the machine, I will NEVER choose to do it by hand.  

and because I can't help it, I'm going to include a picture of my Boxer Beau, who takes every opportunity to visit me and forces me to take breaks.  He's pretty persistent!  :)

I actually managed to finish this quilt (from cut pieces to finished quilt) in about 18 hours!  Well before my husband and wild thing are due to arrive home.  Now, we'll have to see if I can actually make it to June 8th before giving the quilt to him.  I'm not a great secret keeper, and I love giving gifts that I know will be loved, so it's going to be tough!  I can't wait to see him snuggled up with it!  I love that even though he's almost nine, he still loves Mommy's quilts.  :)

Someone's Birthday is Coming Up Soon!

June is coming up pretty quickly, and it is a very important month in our house.  My son and I almost share a birthday- my wild thing's birthday is on the 8th.  He will be nine!  Even thinking that sentence just sounds plain wrong.  How did that happen?  Where did the years go?  My birthday is the day before, on the 7th and I'll be 36.  How did that happen?  Where did the years go?

Considering all of the things that my big nine year old thinks he's too old for or too cool for, oddly enough, (and blessedly) a quilt from his Mommy isn't one of them.  He does already have a quilt that I made for him several years ago-

It's made from all of his jeans and overalls that I saved from his babyhood (I even cut off the tiny pockets!), along with red and white ticking and wide, snuggly corduroy.  It's backed in the corduroy and all tied up with red embroidery floss.  He absolutely loves it, but it's really too heavy for him to drag down the stairs when he wants to cover up while watching TV or reading.  I'm always afraid that he'll trip over it and take a tumble down the stairs.

So, I've decided to make another quilt for him- one that is easily dragged around, and one that will make a good cape or tent (because apparently, he's not too old for that either).  It's tough to keep a quilt a secret from someone living in the same house, but I'm determined to do it.  I'm gearing up for some marathon sewing this weekend, because my husband's grandmother is celebrating her 95th birthday, and he and the wild thing are going out of town to be there.  I can't go for other reasons, but my sewing machine and I will get along just fine.

Here are the fabrics that I've pulled for his quilt.  The shades of aqua, navy, gray and red-orange feel so summery and almost nautical to me.  I'm going to do a simple brick path variation, with differing brick lengths.  

About to get a jump start and go press and cut fabrics now!