When I was little I remember my grandma spending hours sewing at her sewing machine. Always humming as she sewed. She had the sweetest singing voice. Every once in a while she would ask me to “help” sort through her scraps by size and that was the thrilling task I was waiting for.  She would cut those scraps into squares or rectangles, sometimes pausing and chuckling.  She would tell me how this piece was from a dress she had sewn for one of us grandkids, or how some other piece was part of a vintage pillowcase she had saved because it was too pretty to throw away.  I was fascinated.

Before I knew it, she would have an adorable quilt top ready to be finished and gifted to a new baby. When my son was born, she wrapped him in a bright, soft quilt she had specially made for him. I knew that there was so much love and so many memories wrapped in that little blanket.  By the time my daughter was born, we had relocated and my grandma was too frail to sit for long periods at the sewing machine. She busied herself instead with handwork.  She sent me the cutest little linen dress that she had hand sewn for my newborn with little rosettes embroidered at the neck.  She was an incredible woman, my grandma!  I wanted to be just a little like her 🙂

I bought a couple of charm packs when Bonnie and Camille released their Scrumptious fabric line for Moda. I knew I wanted to make a quilt with it.  Since this was going to be my first actual quilt (you know, something larger than 24 inches square!!) I wanted something super simple and easy!  So, what did I do?  I sliced into those charm packs fearlessly with no pattern in mind 😀  Yeah, living on the wild side at all that!!

Fortunately, it all worked out

I pieced each block trying to keep within the same color family.  I used Kona White for the background and boom, I had a quilt top done!

I used a vintage sheet for the backing and it is Oh. So. Soft.

The quilting is as “free motion” as I dared to do, a.k.a squiggly lines using my walking foot.  I really want to learn free motion quilting soon but it looks so complicated.  Any tips for where a newbie could begin?

I wanted a stripey binding and when I found this bias candy stripe, my heart just sang!!

Way before it was done, my daughter called dibs on this quilt. It’s the perfect size for her bed even though I didn’t measure or plan anything.  Accidental win, yay!  I basically just sewed blocks until I ran out of charm squares!

This quilt has been finished ages ago, the picture taking was what slowed me down.

#husbandsholdingquilts… yup, that’s really a thing!!

I’m going to wash this quilt this weekend since the white is beginning to take on a dullish grey with all the love!! Crinkle city… so excited!

Throughout the making of this quilt, I thought of my grandma so much. I thoroughly enjoyed the process, although, nothing compares to the joy I felt when my daughter wrapped herself in it and said, “Thank you Mama, thank you!!”

As a fellow maker, I now know why my grandma loved doing what she did ♡

** Linking up :: Finish It Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday **

Posted by Preeti & filed under Family, Finish It Friday, Quilting, Sewn Finishes. This post has 20 comments.