North To Alaska

Day 170: Seriously, I did not intend to part with this Double Wedding Ring quilt, but when a friend in Alaska asked me if I had a quilt she could purchase, I told myself, "Well, you can always make another one." Y'see, I have a Double Wedding Ring my great-grandmother made. That's one. I have a rather plain Eight-Pointed Star, hand-quilted, which my Cockatoo Cocoa helped me make (he thought it was a bird trampoline), and I have my Cathedral Window kitty quilt (also hand-quilted). I also have a hexagon kitty quilt still in the process of being quilted (it went on hold when Merry decided he liked to eat polyester fiberfill), so that brings the total of quilts in my personal possession to four, and really, how many quilts does one person need? I'm working on another one even now. I decided I could back, batt and bind the Double Wedding Ring for my Alaskan friend on a timely basis, tying it rather than quilting it by hand (an option I had considered anyway). She was thrilled with the prospect! I completed it on Sunday, and will ship it off today. I love seeing my handwork go to people who appreciate it for what it is.

Tying A Quilt

Day 150: Quilts generally consist of three layers: the top, internal batting, and a backing. Unless the three are bound together somehow, the batting has a tendency to shift and clump with repeated washings. I generally prefer to hand-quilt around the edges of each piece, but I have been known to machine-quilt occasionally, and sometimes I even tie. Hand quilting takes the longest. A quilt the size of this one would take me about a year. Machine quilting would take a week or so, but since I only have a standard sewing machine (as opposed to a long-arm quilting machine), it is very difficult to wrestle half the bulk of a quilt through the arch. Tying (also called "tufting") is by far the quickest method, and the spacing of the ties is often determined by the design. My mother and grandmother both tied their quilts, and although it is faded and stained, one of my real treasures is a Double Wedding Ring hand-quilted by my great-grandma, who we lovingly called Old-old. I have just finished tying a Double Wedding Ring I made, destined for a new home in the chilly wilds of Alaska as soon as I get the bias binding put around the edges.