The Story of a Quilt

So, I completed Leanne's quilt top on the 13th, and all I had to do before her birthday party on the 19th was finishing. I always underestimate how long it will take - and how much is involved - in the final details of almost every project, but I'm still new enough to quilting to seriously underestimate. Let's walk through it . . .

First you sew the backing pieces together, lay the whole thing out on a large, flat surface

and tape it down with assistance from a handy helper. 
 
Next is layering the batting and the quilt top, which is best done without said helper. (She was indignant at being excluded too.) 
 
Then you pin (and pin and pin) the layers together, 
trim off the excess batting and roll it into a tidy package - using a new little helper, if you can't get rid of her available. 
Next comes the quilting. This was my first time 'stippling' a quilt and it was intimidating. I started out doing very careful rows but gradually loosened up - and sped up - doing free motion doodles.
 
There are a couple of spots I wish I could do-over, but for the most part I like how this turned out. 

Then the final steps - trimming it up, sewing the binding to the quilt top and hand-stitching it down around the back.
 
Three.Full.Hours. just for the hand-stitching. Didn't think I'd ever get done. (Finished at 3 a.m. Reminded me of Christmas Eves when the kids were little.) 
 
A quick trip through the washer and dryer,
 
then a short photo shoot the next morning - with yet another helper - before it was wrapped up and tied with a bow.
 
Was it all worth it? H*ll yes! By happenstance, the quilt was the last gift opened at the birthday party.
 
Leanne grabbed it out of her mom's hands and refused to let go of it the rest of the afternoon. 
 
I thought she would like it; it's pink and princess, after all. But I was surprised - and thrilled - at how much she LOVED it. 
 
I see lots more hand-mades in that little girl's future.