on point setting woes

[lotti]

What an amazing life story you have sewn into your quilt, and thanks for sharing it with us.

[twiglet]

Wow, such a treasure this quilt

[twiglet]

Thank you for sharing a part of you with us Heather.

[Zarah]

Heather, this is a touching story. I regret having not read your blog. I will some day in near future. You have done an amazing job. Really an artists statement.

[Zarah]

awww, thanks guys! Norma, no worries, the blog is there whenever -- I'm very wordy, so it's long! I originally posted each story behind each block as I first made the block, thus they tended to get long......I also wrote different letters to the individuals relating to each block, with a photo of their block. It was so so so fun to incorporate all of this into a quilt; this was the project that made me really want to try quilting --- an aunt and cousin made a Diary Quilt (using the same book) for another cousin, and I thought, "That's a neat idea.......if I quilted, I would like to do that..." Then I made a quilt block for Joyce (which was hilarious, I was so clueless), then thought "that wasn't so hard...." and got a jelly roll and a pattern for the red, white & blue, and then bought the Diary Quilt book and started that. I worked on those 2 projects at the same time. I'm a born story-teller, talker, artist, etc. (well, creative, not super artistic, though my grandma is) so this was a good way to join all my interests into one project.

I'm starting the next-to-last border today, and had a brainstorm for the outer/final border, need to work it in EQ7 and see if I have enough fabric to manage it. My hubby will be *thrilled* if I don't have to buy any fabric for the borders! So far so good.....all comes to that last one. We shall see.

And -- one thing I love --- the longer I quilt, the more people that Ohio Star/Tribute to my Quilting Mentors/Friends block comes to represent. Might have to put a little TQS symbol in there when I quilt it, to signify all of you! I could never pull most of this off without your help and encouragement, guys!

[lotti]

What a fabulous story/diary quilt. Soooo cool 8) 8) 8)
Thank you for sharing it with us!

[lotti]

Thanks Heather -

Neat to hear your quilts story, I've not done been doing that I should.

Barb

[lotti]

The top is finished!!!!

here it is ---


Off to the US this week and will buy backing fabric there, then have to decide --- do I try and quilt it (gulp!) or send it to my favorite long-arm quilter; she is suffering some health problems at the moment, so would likely be gone awhile if I go that route. Oh, but the quilting would sing if so!

Dilemma, dilemma.....will ponder, check with her, etc. and decide. Will buy the backing large enough to send to her just in case.

Many thanks for all the encouragement along the way!

[rehak]

It turned out very nice, Heather!

Nancy

[rehak]

Great looking quilt love the border you have decided on too.

[Renata]

It turned out a real beauty! Please show it again with quilting, when you get it totally finished!

[clhdabb]

It turned out great, Heather! Love the symbolism you told us about, too. What a treasure!

[lotti]

Excellent!

[Zarah]

It looks great. From now on I will not consider you a beginner

[Zarah]

thanks, guys!! I am so so so proud of this piece, and yes, will definitely come back once it is quilted and show photos. I am, -gulp!-, thinking of quilting it myself, which terrifies me.....wish me luck.

Norma, thank you for that!!! I still very much feel like a beginner, but definitely now a confident beginner vs. not. But then, I think it is like learning a new language --- other people consider me fluent in Portuguese, where I do not; all I see is what I still need to learn. Perhaps sewing/quilting is the same way -- the more you learn, the more you realize you have yet to learn. :happy sigh: I'm very grateful for the kind words, all of you.