25 May 2009

1993-ish

I know I keep going on and on about making my very first ever quilt. It has been on my list to-do's, my goals lists, my 30 before I am 30 list...every list :) Well, I have a confession to make...
I have made a quilt before :)
I wouldn't necessarily call it a real quilt, or maybe I would, who knows? Also, I made the entire quilt top but had my grandma's quilting club at church bind it and make it into the actual quilt for me...I was 13.
When I was in 8th grade I remember being at my grandparent's house in her basement (which was as magical as a basement can get). I was going through her drawers in the first room and found an entire drawer full of vintage fabrics!! I mean the drawer was jammed packed and it was a big drawer. I fell in love instantly. In fact, this may be about the time Fabric and I started our love affair. I asked my grandma if I could have the fabric and she said yes (as she always did when we stumbled upon a treasure that we couldn't live without in her house).
I think my original plan was to make dresses but later decided to make a quilt. I have always been super sentimental and wanted something that I knew I could always remember my grandma by, and her basement.


I OBVIOUSLY had no clue what I was doing :) I traced the squares out with a sharpie and ruler and cut them out with scissors :) I hand sewed the whole top and then went back over the whole thing with my grandma's sewing machine (my favorite sewing machine) when I realized some of my stiches were way too big or far apart. My dad taught me everything there was to know about the sewing machine :) I oiled it, threaded, changed bobbins, changed needles, etc. Good times :) Good memories.
I decided that I also wanted to add other memories to the quilt. I wanted it to be as crazy and as symbolic of myself at that time.
* So, I hand sewed patches onto some squares of things that I loved or were special to me:




Grateful Dead patch (oh I thought I was such a dead-head) :)
My little Pony patch
My dad's name patch from Vietnam
A Brittish flag (which I was sooooo obssessed with)
* I also hand sewed sequins on the quilt in certain places. It took me like a week to do this rainbow :) (You can tell this has been throught the wash a few hundred times)

and other places too!


I mean, who doesn't add bling to their quilts right??
* And sharpie too!!
I guess I felt the need to make this a green and black zebra print instead of the original white and black :) I added my name too apparently.

* Finally, I used iron-on printer paper to put pictures of the two loves of my life at that time...(embarassing)

Oh James Dean (so lovely) and that guy from Goo Goo Dolls (don't even know his name and apparently we were in love at one point).
So yeah, that's my very first quilt :) Like I said, I gave the top to my grandma and waited very patiently for 3 weeks as they bound it and added the ruffle trim that I had picked out :)
Even though this quilt is a HOT mess, I loooove it so much and I treasure it and I still use it daily, on the couch, as I blog. Great memories...
You can see why I didn't count this though right?
Im actually getting kind of emotional writing about it...LAME!
Ok, back to getting organized, I think I am going to tackle painting my living room tonight. Painting rooms is one of my favorite things. So relaxing....

12 comments:

  1. You know what? I think that should absolutely count! There's SO many memories on that quilt...and for 13 years old I think it looks AMAZING!! LOL It really does look great - and it will be something to talk about to your grandkids/great-grandkids...and they'll dfinitely have something to remember you by!

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  2. totally cute and it totally reminds you of what was going on when you were 13ish years old! i can't even remember that far back! packages are going out tomorrow...if the post master lets them. you will see what i mean when you get it :) LOL.
    miss you loves!

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  3. You girls are soooo sweet :) thank you!!!

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  4. That quilt does count. It is absolutely amazing and full of awesome memories.
    I bet that's the best quilt you own :)

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  5. oh 1993. i think i was five, but it was definitely a good year.

    my shameful admission: because i was stuck in my babysitter's living room all day and all she ever watched was mtv (back when they played videos the majority of the day) i'm pretty sure i had a crush on steven tyler of aerosmith. those alicia silverstone videos were on every five seconds!

    this quilt's adorable, and the fact that you still use it is great.

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  6. out of all the posts I have read since joining your blog, this is my favourite.

    I love your special memory quilt.
    It does count.

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  7. I love your quilt. So pretty. So sweet that you still have it too. I love all the patches and things you added to it.

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  8. this is really special (& adorable) and a cute post, the goo goo dolls guy made me giggle and love you even more :)

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  9. L-O-V-E it. Sooooo special!
    I have a quilt that my sister made me and it is so special to me, as well. There's just something about quilts!! :)

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  10. So lovely just like you ;) miss you

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  11. I so wish I could make a quilt. I adore them!

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Thank you so much for commenting!! xo