The Quilt is Done!

It is with great pride and relief that I can announce

my quilt is officially completed!

Here is a summary of what was involved to pull this together:

I began this hope quilt during my junior year at PSU (2002). Zach and I had just started dating.

Each of the squares contains 25 pieces that were machine-stitched. I created 103 squares, but only 75 were included in the quilt. The others didn't make the cut due to size or color selection.

I set the quilt aside for quite a while, primarily because I was so frustrated at the way the squares were coming together. In the meantime, I completed seven quilts: a twin-sized quilt for my bed, a hand-quilted PSU quilt and a Keepsake T-shirt quilt for Zach, and four baby quilts for friends and relatives.

In Dec. 2009, the center, including 49 squares, was pieced together. The quilt top, with borders, was finished that same month, but the fabrics for the borders didn't work well and I ended up redesigning it.

The redesigned quilt top was finished in August, 2010. It is for a queen mattress and measures 90" x 90".

I began hand-quilting in August, 2010. Each square took approximately 50 minutes to quilt. I used over 250 yards of quilting thread. Over a year later, the hand-quilting was finished on Nov. 20, 2011. The binding was hand-stitched and it marked the true completion of the quilt on Nov. 27, 2011!

I thank my mom for her knowledge, support and encouragement while I took on this project, which was honestly very frustrating for me at times. She spent many hours on this quilt as well! Thanks, Mom!!

PSU Has Changed

Last Saturday, Zach and I had the opportunity to attend the PSU/Nebraska game in Happy Valley. The decision to attend this last home game of the season was made in advance of the recently released sex abuse scandal and the resultant firing of JoePa. I had mixed feelings of attending the game, knowing that it would be a different PSU experience. But we decided to go and in the end, we were happy that we did.

As I'm sure everyone knows, the game was special. The team and the fans handled themselves the best that they could, given the situation. And the news reporters got one thing right - in the end, we won't remember the score or who won. The game will be remembered because it was more than a game. The team spirit, the supportive fans (for both teams), the pre-game prayer, the tears, and the absence of JoePa.

In a somewhat melancholic mood, we walked through campus and Zach and I reminisced on our experiences at PSU. We had such a fun time while we were students, experiencing life without our parents, falling in love, figuring out what our future would bring. Nearly each building held particular memories for us - watching the twin towers fall on the HUB TV with hundreds of fellow students, walking across the lawn of Old Main late at night as Zach escorted me home, statistics in Thomas building, dungeon-like classrooms in Bouke, endless hours studying in Paterno library.

Yes, PSU is more than football, but the loss of JoePa was tragic. I am still PSU proud, but I am also sad.

Monogram Pillows

For a recent wedding gift, I made these monogram pillows. I have had limited experience with fusible interfacing, but I really like how it has expanded the types of projects I can do. I did an online search and downloaded a font that I liked and used that for the pattern of the letters. I used the interfacing to secure the fabric applique pieces and they were reinforced with a zig-zag stitch. These pillows were actually quite easy to make, and I think they turned out great!

Otis

Just another post of my handsome boy, Otis. He found a nice spot on top of this comfy chair, looking out the window. Love!