2010 quilt finished!

Remember when I was feeling crazy?  Somewhere between last Christmas and planning for a move these squares got tucked away in a box.  But last week's chilly weather was enough motivation to pull it out and finish.

Originally I had planned for 10" squares but because some of the scraps were cut on the bias there was enough distortion that I had to cut them down to 8".   There are 48 in total with my favorite being the ones personally designed, cut and sewn by members of our family.  Those who know my children well will be able to see the individual personalities in each block.  They each signed their names and I embroidered over them as a piece of family history.

The scraps are from all the sewing projects I've done in the last couple of years (mainly for the girls and their dolls).  Besides searching for their names they like to point out the little pieces of their favorite dresses.  

Here is Peter's, it is bold in its color and lines.   

And Maryanna's, she really put me to work with a 3/8" square in there, do you see it?  She enjoys cutting.

James' is clean and radiating.

Henry's resembles train tracks.

William's was one of the most interesting, very abstract.

Clara's is a collection of all her favorite dress scraps.

Paul's was practical and efficient and yes he did cut and sew a portion of it (the distortion there is only because of the wind).

This was picked out for George and sewn with him on my lap.

The rest were designed by me but I left my signature on this one. "Made with love for the warmth and comfort of those I love".

Since this was a group project everyone cheered me on in the finishing.  I had to consult Marie' a few times on the finishing.  The best tip she gave me was to blue tape the backing to the floor before pinning it all together.  I machine stitched around each square because a simple bar tac was not enough.  Maryanna was by my side cutting each thread and when I hand stitched down the binding during General Conference Peter stood there ready with the thread as I needed it.

The kids were actually dragging the quilt around the house and using it before it was even finished.  It seems to be always in use and I wonder if I have it in me to make another quilt for 2011 (even if I don't finish it until 2012).   

Besides the quilt can you tell we are also enjoying some very beautiful weather.  These little girls know just how to soak it in!