Christmas break began this week. It was just the nudge I needed to finish quilting my Tula Pink Butterfly quilt. I had so much fun quilting along with new friends as part of the quilt along hosted by Gnome Angel.
I first learned of this quilt along this summer when we were in the Netherlands. On a lark, I decided to order the pattern. It made it home before we did!
Gnome Angel offered several gorgeous kits, but I opted to use my own stash of greens, blues, teals, and purples. I was quite happy that I only had to buy the white background and peacock swirl border and backing.
How this quilt along worked was that we had weekly assignments following Tula Pink's pattern. Each week we posted our assigned blocks on Instagram with the hashtag #tulapinkbutterflySAL.
The scariest part of this whole project was the curved piecing I would need to do for the last three weeks. I've never done it and the thought of it was intimidating! This is when a quilt along is real blessing. More experienced quilters shared their wisdom and I built my confidence checking another skill of my list.
What worked best for me was dabbing three dots of fabric glue on both ends and the middle of the top section before pinning in just those three places. Worked like a charm! Wombat quilts has shared a tutorial that is pretty close to what I did, except I only glued the ends and middle, not the whole seamline.
The night before the deadline I double checked to make I had all my posted up and tagged correctly. It was a good thing I did because I missed one. And as it turned out, I won the grand prize! I was so excited to shop at Pink Door Fabrics with my $150 gift certificate. I bought lots of Elizabeth Hartman patterns, plus two Violet Craft patterns. I will be up to my eyeballs in patterns! 2018 is going to be a busy year!
We only had to finish the top by the end of the contest. When I started, I wasn't sure who I was making this quilt for, I was just along for the contest. By the halfway point, I knew exactly who deserved it. But that meant I was under the gun to finish it before school was out for the year.
I quilted it with a spiral. It's a big quilt, the finished size is 88" x 94", so I got a good arm workout getting started.
I watched The Christmas Story Live musical as I worked. It was panned by a lot of viewers, but I loved it.
Once the movie was over, I knew I could finish with a late night. By 1 am on the last day of school I finished. D always wants to put his love in my quilts, so I placed the finished quilt over him when I finished at 1am. Since this quilt was going to his amazing principal, I knew he'd want to have extra snuggle time.
He got a Christmas tree for his room this year. It was the perfect lighting for a late night finish.
I called the school secretary on our way to drop off and asked if Mrs. Graves would have a few minutes to see us. I also texted D's teacher to make sure he could make the presentation.
Our son's principal is an amazing person. She works tirelessly to advocate for our learners. The unique school she founded is a STEM-based learning environment where students are encouraged to learn independently, to collaborate with students in other grades, to dig deeper into the topics that pique their interest. They garden, they dance, they sing, they learn to research and present their findings. They are compassionate. They welcome visitors who are curious about how our school works. They excel. Our school is consistently ranked one of the best in the state. This was Mrs. Graves' vision and we are all the beneficiaries.
Last year, our school lost its location and for awhile, it looked like our doors would permanently close. But Mrs. Graves was tenacious and never gave up. We are now in a new home with a new sponsor. This quilt is a tiny show of our appreciation for being part of her legacy.
The big reveal.
Reading the label.
Lots of love exchanged.
Best. delivery.ever!
I have always loved this quilt! I know I must make one some day. What a lovely version you created! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful quilt! I have always loved this one and I must make it someday. Love your color choices. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.
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