The 5 year quilt

When Adam and Melissa became engaged in 2006, I started their quilt.  Unfortunately I chose a pattern that was slightly more difficult than I expected it to be. I also chose to use a technique I hadn't used before - paper piecing.  After making 4 blocks that combined to make one large block, I got involved in wedding preparations and set the quilt aside, figuring I would work on it later.  After all, Jon and Becca didn't receive their wedding quilt until 7 months after the wedding.  I had plenty of time.

I procrastinated for a long time then started to work on it again expecting to have it ready for Adam and Melissa's first anniversary. My sewing machine started to act up and I got so frustrated I set the quilt aside again.  

Then there was the accident and Adam was gone.  

I still planned to finish the quilt for Melissa but the problems with my machine and the ache I felt thinking that Adam wouldn't physically be wrapped up in their quilt with her kept me from working on it. 

Fast forward to November 2010. I used some of the money I received from my layoff settlement to purchase a new sewing machine.  It has been wonderful to sew without threads getting caught and with perfect bobbin tension.  

After the holidays were over it was time to pull out the quilt again.  Shortly after I started working on it Matt and Wendy got engaged.  Now I had a new goal.  I wanted to finish Melissa's quilt before I could start on a quilt for Matt and Wendy.

I worked like a crazy woman to get it pieced, then Dan and I tied it and the quilt was finished a few days before we were to leave for Utah for the wedding.  Melissa knew that I had originally started a quilt and even knew the colors but I didn't talk to her about it at all and she had no idea that I had finished it and brought it with me to Utah.  After arriving in Utah on Saturday night and joining some of the family for dinner, Melissa came back to the hotel room with Fred, Dan and I and we presented her with the quilt.

Photos of the making of the quilt: 

Step 1:  cut pieces of fabric to cover the areas on the paper (it seemed like I cut a million pieces).

Step 2:  Sew the pieces of fabric to the paper, trimming and pressing after each seam is stitched.

I had to make 120 small blocks in order to create 30 large blocks.

That means I stitched 27 seams per large block, not counting the seams that had to be removed and restitched due to operator error ;-)  

Four smaller pieces combine to make one large block. (I forgot to take a picture of a large block stitched together.) Total seams stitched to piece the top of the quilt = 839 (not including borders, backing and binding).

The quilt on the frame and ready to tie.

Melissa with the finished quilt.

This was taken in the hotel room but I  

I understand she has slept with it on her own bed every night.

1.  Melissa's smile

2.  a new sewing machine

3.  blue and yellow