Thursday, October 27, 2011

Whats in a Name?

This is the story of Sophia's Quilt.
My husbands good friend had given birth to a lovely little girl around 2004. I told him that I would make a quilt. Time past and I completely forgot about it. My husband lost touch with his friends for several years. One day last year (2010) he received an email from them. Dear husband reminded me about the quilt. I was busy making quilts for our daughters, friends, AAQI, and assorted online swaps. I kept putting him off because I just didn't have the time. He bugged me so much that I went online and ordered a special selection of  fabrics for Sophia's Quilt. Something girlie. We have three daughters but none of them are especially fond of pastels, flowers, or bows. You get the idea.

I found a great pattern called Arrowhead by Anita Grossman Solomon in a Quilt Magazine. Loved it. I cut everything out,  sewed and sewed and after several weeks I had all the blocks made. Pinned them up on my design wall and was happy with blocks. My husband not so much. Anyway I sewed the middle blocks together and ordered more fabric for the borders. While I was waiting for the fabric to arrive, I started a Fun and Done quilt. You quilt it as you go. So when you get to the last block you are done!


  Last year the living room had been very cold due to the tile floors so I thought FUN and Done would be an easy way to make a few dog/cat blankets and throws for us to use.  I had been in an Obnoxious Fabric Swap and had gotten 53 - 10" inch blocks back of some crazy fabrics. Lots of them were bright big prints. It was around February and the online hostess suggested a Superbowl String quilt block sew in. Everyone would sew while the Superbowl was on TV. I got everything cut but didn't get to sewing for a couple more weeks. Months went by and I worked on all kinds of stuff and my husband kept asking  about Sohpia's quilt. I was working on the Fun and Done quilt one day when he came in. I told him I would get to it. He asked me if this was Sophia's quilt. I said no it is for us. He then told me that he liked it better than the one I was doing  and wanted it to be for Sophia instead. FINE! So now I had to make it bigger than I planned. I cut out an additional 24 blocks.

It is now 10 months later. I have finished the quilt. Label and all. It is ready to mail and he does not have an address for them. Apparently they got caught up in the hurricanes that hit NY, NJ a few months back and got flooded out.  So I am waiting for an address. AH it gets better! My husband shows me the last email he received from them . They are a lovely family. I'm reading over his shoulder and I see a pretty little girl named Sonya. Who is Sonya? Why, that is the girl you have been making the quilt for, he states innocently. WHAT!
 Are You Kidding Me! For 10 months he has been asking me about Sophia's quilt. The label says SOPHIA!!!!. AGRHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It could have been worst. I was short some backing fabric and kept toying with the idea of making blocks that spelled out Sophia. I would have surely been a arrested for assault if I had to rip out six blocks and replace them. He is a lucky man that after 39 years I love him enough not to knock him out with a frying pan!

Sonya's Quilt.


 P.S. Package on the way!   Quilt  has been received! They love it! Happy dance here! ;o}

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Hearts /upon Squares

This is the little quilt I made for AAQI for August. I had mailed it without photographing it or writing down the quilt number. I sifted through hundreds of quilts until I found it.
The background was on my sewing table for months. I just couldn't think of anything to finish it with. The whole month was going badly. I finally said to myself, "What does this quilt need to finish it?" A hug! So that is what I did. I added hearts. Actually, I am the one that needed the hug. It came out nice in the end.


So while I was sewing the baby was playing with the plastic tub of scraps.I thought this was great!

Then I started to think about the 20 plus tubs that I have sorted into sizes using the the Bonnie Hunter method for leaders and enders, Will I find them in a heap one day. UGH! Could very well happen and it would be my own fault! LOL!