What started as a quilt group project ended up becoming a pain in the neck. Nothing new there, most projects I start end up that way and they stay that way until something sparks in my brain. This time it was years in the waiting before I finally I came up with a plan to sew these house blocks together in a way that would put a smile on my face and someone elses.
This is the finished quilt, one that took many turns in the making but now that's it done I love how it turned out. This is also the first time I've quilted anything with straight lines, so don't look too closely!
This was my first attempt. I thought I was done with this quilt but every time I pulled it out to finish, it just screamed HELP! I was on the ugly-quilt-path yet again. Even Rosie isn't impressed. Fortunately I was able to make a U-turn, came to my senses and took the denim sky off and replaced it with a blue cotton and it seemed better. But still it wasn't done...did it need clouds? A sun? Trees? Yes, it needed trees!!!
It also needed the perfect saying hand-embroidered at the top - now the houses were home. And I knew the perfect person who would love this quilt! Little Caroline!! I had given Caroline's newborn sister a baby quilt, but Caroline glommed onto it herself telling her mom she loved it. Caroline is 6, so a baby quilt is just not big enough for her. I was really happy finishing up this quilt, excited to give it to Caroline, because I knew she would love it. I finished up the quilting and binding and wrapped up the quilt and delivered it to 6 year old Caroline's house, ringing the doorbell and leaving the package on her porch.
This quilt is colorful and happy, just like Caroline. Caroline is always smiling and is very animated, it's a joy to be around her. This quilt reminds me of the neighborhood where Caroline lives, pretty houses all in a row, filled with lots of kids.
Caroline and her family became my friends through another friend, Rui, who moved into the house across the street from me with her family 4 years ago. Rui is a dear friend now and because of her I've met many of her friends who I have grown to love. People say making friends when you're older is hard, you don't have little kids to help you meet people, that sort of thing. I suppose it can be hard but only if you close yourself off. How hard is it to say Hi to someone? To smile and wave? To ask if they need help? By doing that when Rui moved in, I gained a wonderful friend and that friendship has given me more than I could have imagined. I'm being preachy, yes? Well so be it, life is all about relationships and it's never too late to work on the ones we have or to make new ones! Amen.
I dropped off the quilt to Caroline's house, rang the doorbell and left the package on the porch. I wanted to stay to see her open it but I was running late for an appointment and I probably would have cried big blubbery tears and scared her to bits! Later that afternoon when I got home, I had a nice surprise waiting for me, one that did have me crying big blubbery tears!
This card reminded me of why it's good to be a quilter and even why it's even better to give a quilt to someone I love. Happy Quilting!
