I finished my first quilt!  It’s been a long time coming (10 years) and a big sewing milestone for me.  This quilt has quite a story.  It is the very first quilt I started years ago with my mom as a surprise Christmas present for my best friend.  Let me emphasize:  first quilt and surprise present.  No pressure.

You see, my best friend is a fine artist.  She had taken me to a stained glass supply warehouse to pick out a few small sheets (around 8″ x 8″) of art glass for a surprise project she was making me for Christmas.  I had no idea what she was making, but it seemed she was setting the bar high.

My mom had recently gotten into quilting and I was home on Winter Break from college, so I thought it would be a great time to learn how to quilt with my mom and make a memorable gift for my friend!  My mom suggested the Yellow Brick Road quilt pattern.  It comes together quickly and the piecing is random, so it’s good for beginners.  After picking out fabric at the quilt store, cutting my pieces, and sewing my blocks, I started to have second thoughts. Quilting is a lot of work… and I didn’t even let her pick out the fabric like she did for me with the art glass.  I like the fabric, but will she?  Time out!

I decided to tell my friend my plan and let her pick out her own fabric and start over.  All was well in the end – she loved the quilt!  How exactly it all gone done in time is a little foggy.  With the time crunch toward the end due to starting over, I think I received a little extra help from Mom with the quilting and binding.  Somehow I don’t have any photos of that completed quilt.

Fast forward to January 2013 and the first quilt I ever started is officially finished!

The back: Stitch in the ditch and echo quilting on the blocks. A few rows of a specialty stich for the border.

I’ll save the stories of the trials and tribulations of finishing this quilt 10 years after its beginning for another post.  Today I’m happy it’s a completed project I can enjoy!

What was the surprise my friend made (with the help of her handy dad)?  This amazing walnut nightstand with illuminated stained glass top!  Yea, she’s pretty great.