The Quilt is FINALLY Finished

So...Töchterchen's quilt...

I gave it to her for Christmas...and at that time it was mostly finished.  But I knew that I wanted to add some hand stitching to the center of each flower.  I hemmed and hawed over how exactly to do this, then this week I just went for it and I couldn't be happier with the results.  I added a spiral of hand stitching to the center of each flower in a thread that matches the natural color of each center. 

My stitches are far from the precise, even stitches of my Grandmother, but I still think she would be pleased with the treasure I made for my sweet baby girl - named in honor of her.  I have found that every time I work on a quilting project (quilt #3 is currently underway), I think of my Grandmother often.  I wish that I had taken an interest in such "arts" while she was still here on Earth, but I find that I enjoy quilting that more than some of my other sewing endeavors because I feel connected to her through it.  It also feels like I am helping to carry on a legacy of the women in my family - our family is rich with beautiful quilts!

I am so excited to share with everyone the finally product!  Her quilt is a good bit larger than the one I made for Jackson (oops!).  She loves it and refuses to go to bed or naptime without it.  (Which made finding time to add the finishing touches a little trickier.)

The whole, finished product.  I love the 30's prints!

I hope the stitching shows up enough in the pictures.  It is subtle, but I really think it added the finishing touch to my Töchterchen's quilt.  My hope is that she will take it everywhere she goes and will use it so much that by the time she has a daughter of her own it will be in tatters, much like my baby quilt is (the one she used until I completed this one for her). 

Yes, making a quilt is time consuming.  But all that time would be a waste if the fruit of the labor wasn't used and used and used!  On that note - drag out any family heirlooms hiding in your closets and USE THEM!  A quilt is a practical work of art, one to be used and admired.  My Grandmother made a gorgeous double wedding ring quilt for my 16th birthday.  It was pieced by machine, but all the quilting is hand stitching.  It still blows my mind that she did all of that stitching by hand.  So much time, labor, and love was poured into my quilt.  For years I kept it in a closet, afraid of ruining it.  After making the quilts for my children, I realized what a disservice I was doing to both her and the quilt.  The quilt is now on the foot of our bed - to be admired on the warm days and nights and to be used for extra warmth on the cold ones.  If it weren't pink, green, and everyother color that isn't in our living room, I would proudly display it on the back of our couch - just to show it off to the rest of the world...or at least those that come into our home.

And on that note - go snuggle up under something beautiful and handmade!  Winter is returning to Southeast Virginia, at least for the weekend!