It’s a Festivus Miracle.

David’s pair of guitar quilts, which I started back in *mumble, mumble, shuffles feet* February of last year are finally pieced.  I’ve been working on it sporadically, piecing  the elements but never really getting the push to get it all together.  Finally, between Christmas and New Year’s I decided enough was enough and I wanted to wipe my sewing slate  clean of the biggest project I didn’t complete in 2011.  Ten months is certainly long enough and I’m frankly ashamed it took that long.

Here’s the result.  I also completed a second, identical quilt since Davey has bunk beds in his room.

The quilt pattern is ‘Diamonds’ from the February 2011 issue of Quilter’s World.  I changed the colourway entirely, basing it around the Michael Miller fabric ‘Jam Session’.  There were a lot of great colours to pick out – taupes and grey, a muted teal and a couple of different shades of brown.  Very appropriate for a boy and when I re-do David’s room this summer (we have to hang new drywall and do some electrical), I’m going to be taking my paint  from the fabrics there, too.

These funny lumps kept showing up in the pictures.  I don’t know what they are.  Specks on the camera?  Wrinkles in the fabric?   Try and ignore them 🙂

I think that these quilts will age well – I didn’t want to do anything that would be inappropriate or too young in the coming years.  At the speed I quilt, longevity is a key concern.  As you can see in the close-up the dark and light blocks are identical but by turning them 180 degrees, they form a really interesting diagonal design.

I actually met with the long arm quilter today and discussed the quilting since I’m not tackling the quilting myself.  I just don’t have the set-up for it and struggling with a full quilt under the arm of a smaller sewing machine isn’t my idea of fun.   Struggling with it twice?  Even less fun.  Alison’s great and I think she’s going to be doing a guest blog here on the site in the next little while.  Her work is gorgeous and I’m looking forward to her sharing some of her best quilting tips.

Now I have three more smocked dresses to complete and my SAGA samplers to mail off and then the slate will be completely open.   The New Year’s gotten off to a great start for me.  What projects do you hope to wrap or tackle this year?