Ta-Da!

My quilt top is finished!

I have the quilt top "sandwiched" with the batting and backing fabric and secured with safety pins so that I can begin the daunting task of hand quilting. I considered machine quilting it, but I just can't bring my traditional, perfectionistic, antique-loving self to do it, at least on this quilt. So I am savoring this "ta-da" moment, because I have a feeling it's going to be a long while before I reach another one...

Here's a close-up of the beginning stages of the quilting. So far it has been a rather painful learning process. Literally painful. Quilting needles are sharp, and I am, well, clumsy. And S-L-O-W. After close to two hours of whiny quilting last night, I was seriously considering other options. Options like, "these safety pins don't look that bad, do they?" and "maybe I could pay my Grandma to do this for me."

But this morning, I'm feeling more positive. I am taking to heart the mantra of my dad, in those gentle yet oft-spoken words from my childhood: "Buck up, kid."  

So my sewing box is out, and the couch will be out of commission for a while, pressed into duty as a quilting frame. I'll keep you updated, and sooner or later I'll have another "ta-da" for you. Probably later, rather than sooner. :)