FINISH LINE - Hugs and Kisses from Above for "Zelda"

This is a very special project, and I'm pretty sure it's what is referred to as a concept quilt.

Hugs and Kisses from Above for "Zelda"
56" x 61"
All-cotton top, micro-fiber poly minky back, poly batting

You see, a very beloved cousin died just over a year ago, and her very first grandchild is due to be born in September. Kelly was an avid quilter, and she and I were long-distance quilt buddies. There is no way I could not make a quilt in her honor for her first grandbaby! 

Now, modern was not her style - she was a Thimbleberries-type gal through and through - but I know she would have been delighted that I was branching out and augmenting my skills with free-motion quilting. And I think Paige is the type of young mother who can appreciate modern. So I went with my hankering to do something mod after all the UFO work I've been grinding away at.


Hacking away at that insane UFO list is the Prime Directive of 2011, so I took advantage of a challenge workshop at the local guild to do this project. I just knew Kelly (a different one!) would have modern fabric for us, and she didn't let me down. She'd put together charm packs of Sugarpop and paired them with a 1/2 yard of a pretty mint green solid. I'd brought some white with me, and when I saw the mint green, I started morphing the idea I'd had for a sofa quilt for my cousin (involving the idea of ski slopes) with the idea of Kelly (my cousin) raining hugs and kisses down from Heaven to her little grandbaby.

Thus, this design emerged - some charms patched together at the bottom to represent solid Earth and some green strips swooshing down from above, with X's and O's dropping down the field of the quilt. The quilting extends the idea - vertical waves in the mint swathes, straight verticals in the white to differentiate - with some hearts thrown in for good measure. It's supposed to sort of call up the idea of hugs and kisses raining down on one of those really cool sunshiny rainy days. You know - the kind of sunny sprinkle that prompts folks to say "A widow's getting married!"  


I haven't made a label yet (which I normally require to be installed before I work up a Finish Line post for the quilt). I'm waiting until I know Baby "Zelda's" real name to put on it with a photo of Grandma Kelly.  (Sure do love her prenatal nickname!! hehe)


I used minky on the back for optimal silky softness for a baby - and I just love the way the quilting looks on it:

Speaking of which - I did the binding completely by machine. I normally do the final stitching by hand. When I  machine bind a quilt, I sew it onto the back and pull it around to the front so that I can get a perfect topstitch around the quilt on the binding's edge. When I went to iron the binding after setting it, I thought it would be prudent to use a press cloth on top of the minky. Worked like a charm!

I can't wait to give it to Paige and Tyrie. I know Kelly will appreciate that somebody did for her what she can't do herself.  Here's to those we love who have gone on ahead of us. . .