Quilting completed!

I have really enjoyed quilting my red and white ocean waves quilt these past six weeks.  There is nothing better to help me get thru the winter than having a quilt top to hand quilt.

My ocean waves measures approximately 76 X76 inches.  Not a huge quilt but the kind my husband and I like to cuddle under while watching tv.  No fancy feathers, just some outline quilting on the triangles and a mariner's star quilted into the larger white squares. It doesn't get better than that!

Today, I will work on hand stitching the binding down. That final step in finishing a quilt. One that I truly enjoy!  That sense of accomplishment never gets old.  Years ago, I always wished we had family quilts in our family. But since my mom immigrated from Austria we only had plenty of handknit sweaters, hats and mittens but no quilts. So my dream was to own a hand quilted quilt, but the funds were never there.  I finally decided the only way I would ever own a quilt, was to learn to quilt, but I always feared that I wouldn't have the tenacity to finish a quilt.  Maybe that fear is what drove me, not sure, but I now look back in amazement at all the hand quilted stitches I have put into my quilts.  Those stitches have always amazed me and still amaze me!

Celebrating Accomplishments!

Another busy week here, but I was able to fit in some hand quilting each evening.  I started the final row of blocks around the outside edge of the quilt last Sunday.  I have three units left to quilt.

A fellow quilter asked me what I was going to quilt into the white squares and I thought about a Lemoyne star back when I first started quilting this quilt.  She suggested a mariner's star, since afterall this is an ocean waves quilt.  So I got on Blockbase and found this mariner's star that I thought would look great and also balance with the quilting in the triangles.

Yesterday afternoon I got out my Elmers rubber cement and my cereal box cardboard and made some templates to help me mark my quilt.  It's a great feeling to get the decision behind me and sparks me on to get this quilt finished.  However, I will be heading out shortly to have lunch with my hubby of 41 years.  Yes, anniversary 41 and going strong!