Big sigh of relief...

Anybody remember this project? It was going to be a very special present for someone's 16th Christmas.

Then I got hung up on border choices, and questioned the durability of the fabric I'd chosen for it, then Thanksgiving and cookie baking got in the way, and some shiny new bright sock monkey fabric showed up on my doorstep, and...well, it obviously didn't take all that much for me to throw the thing into the pile of unfinished projects and buy my nephew an iPod instead.

Fast-forward almost two years to last month, when the question arose of how a favorite aunt and godmother, while unemployed and of meager resources, should commemmorate an event as big as high school graduation. If I were working on a regular basis I'd probably get him something over the top, but that ain't happening at the moment. Since I got laid off, I've pretty much stuck to the rule of giving only handmade gifts, so why deviate for this occasion? And because I didn't really start getting into quilting until this boy had grown beyond the size of my production limits, he's never received a quilt from Aunt Kate. It was high time he did.

"Checkerboard Squares" came off the UFO pile and went on my "Spring to Finish" list in hopes of getting it done with plenty of time to spare. And what did I do? I put it off. I did everything BUT work on this quilt. I got an impressive number things (for me, anyway) checked off my to-do list, but the top sat, untouched, until it could no longer be ignored.

This past Monday (nothing like waiting 'til the last minute) I pulled out my original inner border choices and ditched them all for a navy-on-navy print found in my stash (which, incidentally, was there in the first place when I bought all the alternatives, zheesh); the nine-patches for the outer border (which I originally wasn't going to use, but he's grown quite a bit since he was 16) were all done but not sewn together. The pattern called for yet another outer border, an idea jettisoned very quickly because it would have exceeded the width of available space on my kitchen floor.

I started waffling again, this time about the backing:  I'd purchased some flannel way back when, but now it seemed too heavy, and not the right color...indecision threatened to derail the process again, but I couldn't afford a trip to the Apple Store this time around. I shrugged off the doubts and went with the grey-blue plaid flannel for the backing and ironed it all together with fusible batting to save time by not pinning.

In retrospect, I probably should have used something lighter weight, but oh well.

Archie looks for the seam in the back and can't find it!

Fueled by caffeine and dark chocolate for three days, I quilted, though it was more like wrestling -- honestly, I don't know how y'all who quilt big quilts on little machines do it!  I've never quilted anything this big before, and I think I need a lesson on maneuvering all that fabric evenly through the neck of the machine without having the results look like I was impaired. This time I was actually trying for once to quilt straight lines, but between the bulk and the weight of the sandwich (and despite support in front and behind), there are places where my talents might be questioned, even by a teenage boy.

But it's folksy, right? It's supposed to be a little rustic...right?

Just work with me here, folks.

At this point, it is what it is. I tied the last threads off Wednesday night, and currently it's flying through Memphis (gotta love FedEx) on its way to arrive just in time for tomorrow's celebration. Don't get me wrong, it's a very handsome quilt, and I'm proud of it -- I just wish the quilting had gone a little more smoothly. I expect it will suffer a great deal of abuse over the coming years, anyway, that will render all my transgressions moot, and provide enough comfort and warmth to compensate for any crooked quilting.

Besides, the way I see it, it completely reflects the personality of its creator:  down-to-earth, a little wonky, flawed in several places -- but at the same time, all warm and cuddly...and full of cat hair.