Quiltin' It Up

I had been wanting to try making a lap quilt for awhile now, having been very inspired by the one featured in Bend the Rules Sewing. After the craziness of Christmas passed I had a craft lull, where I saved up my strength to tackle my first quilt.

As with any major project, it was done in phases. First came the cutting of the strips. (I wanted to get a rotary cutter/mat but ended up doing a paper pattern and cutting them pretty precisely). It seemed to take no time to sew the patches all together. I really like how Amy has you attach the top to the batting (so there's no inner batting travel going on in between the top and bottom layers) and then came attaching the bottom flannel piece. Finally I "quilted" it by machine,very minimally, and did the bias tape around the edges by machine, something Amy doesn't advise, and I can see why. I won't point out the flaws or the ways I wish it were different. For now it's what I'm capable of and I'm pretty pleased with the overall effect.

I might add that it's going to be a 60th birthday present for my most favorite person, my mother. I told her about it when I was making it and when she was at our house last weekend she saw it in the garage all bundled up and wanted to look but I wasn't done or ready to reveal it. Now I am, so it's a little bit of an early Happy B-Day loookie see for her. May it warm your lap every time you snuggle up under it, mother.