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Saturday, October 4

My Daughter's First Quilt

It hardly seems possible that this last month flew by so quickly.  I have been working more than full time on my book and somehow managing to stay on schedule, despite unexpected surprises.  It has wiped out my free time and I miss visiting everyone else's blogs.  There are only 5 1/2 more weeks to go before my deadline, so wish me luck!  

I had to steal a little time today to crow though, because my daughter Kaitie made her very first quilt!  I am so proud of her!  

It is quilt for her friend and co-worker Mary Ann, who found out that her cancer has returned.  Kaitie came up with the idea of having everyone at work draw on a square of fabric in themes that Mary Ann loves - like the beach and pizza, etc.   
Before we started, we got wonderful advice from Val of Val's Quilting Studio, who wrote a tutorial on How to Make a Quilt with Kids.  Val did a lot of helping us via emails as well.   Thank you Val :) !  

Kaitie sewed the squares all together on her Featherweight and then came over last weekend to sandwich, quilt, and bind the quilt.  (One of my sewing machines has an even feed system that we thought would help)  Kaitie chose Minky for the backing fabric and satin binding.  She was aiming to make this quilt super cozy, like a hug.  Kaitie used fleece for the batting, because the quilting was going to be very minimal and she wanted the quilt to hold up well in the wash.  Wow was that satin binding a pain in the patooty to put on.  It kept slipping as Kaitie sewed.  She wanted to try fusible seam tape and I don't know why we didn't switch to that after we found out the clips weren't holding very well.  It might have helped.  

How do you all cope with satin binding?  I would love to hear any tips you have on that because my next big quilt for my son Sam is going to have homemade satin binding.  

Kaitie's first quilt:

Some of the neat blocks people drew



Mary Ann's finished quilt

My blogging is going to be spotty for the next month, but I do have something fun planned to celebrate after I meet my deadline.  My only hint is that it is non-fattening!   



A little update to add here:  Mary Ann was very surprised and over-the-moon-happy about her quilt and has it on her bed now.  It was just in time for her birthday, so they had a pizza party for her.  

15 comments:

  1. Man, I have no idea on the satin binding! But, what a sweet and thoughtful quilt that I'm sure will mean the world to the recipient.

    Good luck as your deadline approaches. You've been in my thoughts!!! :)

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  2. well, I cope with Satin binding by pretending it doesn't exist, and you can't work with something that doesn't exist, :) But the quilt is very beautiful and your daughter does you proud with her caring and thoughtfulness.

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  3. Lara, this is such and incredible quilt! Katie should be very proud and you definitely deserve to crow. . . a LOT! what a beautiful and thoughtful quilt! Beautifully done!! I have used minky, never satin - I'm guessing the combination would be difficult to deal with! Maybe glue basting would help? Katie did an awesome job with it even though it presented a challenge :)

    Good luck as you work through this book! I've been thinking about you too! Such exciting times!!

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  4. What a special quilt - that was so nice of your daughter to coordinate this, and I'm sure their coworker's heart was greatly lifted by it.

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  5. I wondered where you were! Mary Ann's quilt is gorgeous, such a personal piece, Kaitie did a wonderful job putting it together and bless her for sticking it out with the satin! I know I sure wouldn't.

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  6. What a great gift, congrats to her on a wonderful and thoughtful first finish! I have never sewn with satin binding, I can imagine it is not very fun lol. Best of luck on your book finish :)

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  8. Well done Kaitie - a great quilt and such a thoughtful thing to do. Satin binding sounds hard! Good luck Lara on the next few weeks - you're doing really well to have kept on schedule. Now for the final push...!

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  9. Good luck Lara! Your daughter's first quilt is so sweet!

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  10. Satin binding? Never! lol But I love fleece for the batting. I use it mainly for baby quilts. That fabric makes them very comfy and supple. Your daughter made an excellent choice and had a very good idea for the squares. Those drawings and words will themselves provide comfort. And it's beautiful too!
    You seem to be working very hard on that book. I'm so looking forward to see it. :-)

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  11. Okay apparently my comment did not go through...good thing I copied it! Apologies if it does come through twice...

    Lara, this is a heart-swelling and profoundly moving quilt, both to look at as well as to read about. I love all the input, the care and love shines through. Have never done satin binding, nor used fleece for batting, nor Minky for a backing...so I got nuthin'. Made my husband a reversible hunting jacket of fleece for both sides, and found that to be a nightmare, even with a walking foot, so have avoided fleece and similar fabrics ever since! What did Kaitie give the workers to use for drawing on the fabric? Whatever it is, it sure is vibrant!

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  12. Congratulations on your upcoming book, Lara! That is so exciting!
    Your daughter had a cool idea and she and her friends at work did an amazing job on this quilt.

    Yeah Satin, binding could be rough. I tried once and didn't succeed. I have had luck with minky bindings though. I used a walking foot and 3" wide binding. And my 7 year old absolutely love it :).

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  13. Oh you guys are so very welcome! This quilt is so touching I got tears in my eyes as I read and looked. That milky finishes it off as the perfect quilts hug for sure! Good luck with your deadline!

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  14. That is the sweetest story EVER! I love that this special quilt was her first and that she used a Featherweight. I also love the story about who it was for. What a sweet gift!

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  15. What a lovely first quilt! I wish I had tips for a satin binding but I surely do not. I will have to learn from you on this one! :)

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