Finally Finished!

I cannot estimate the hours this took, but I do know it was 10 days.  I slowly worked on the applique pieces.  I began with these original 4 pieces.

     That was a good start, then it went out of control after that!  I began adding more and more and more.  The fabric was Arbor Blossom by Nadra Ridgeway of Ellis and Higgs for Riley Blake.  I added some solids from Moda.  I had the center finished when my husband went on a 3 day business trip.  Oh joy!  Staying in my pj's all day sewing late into the night.  I planned to be finished after a couple of days.  Not so fast!  I spent 3 days squaring up, adding the borders, the baby name and the lines from an old hymn in the stars.  I tend to avoid free motion quilting, but this called for it.  I did echo stitching around the name, the stars and the appliques, blending the echoes together as  I went.  Since I had fat quarters rather than yardage, I made 2" finished squares for the border.  When I got the fat quarters, I cut each into 2- 2.5" strips and 2 - 6.5" strips.  I used the first set of 6.5" strips for the appliques.  I pulled one simple plaid print in 3 sets of colors for the binding.  The backing ended up being the other set of 6.5" strips cut into 6.5" squared for the back.  It was getting late on the first night when I decided to offset the squares rather than taking the time to match each corner on a 4 patch.
    This was commissioned for a baby that was to be born in February.  I got a text in November that the baby's delivery was imminent.  So, since November 29 I had been keeping up with her progress in the NICU after being born at 29 weeks.   She is home now and doing very well.  Her parents are people of deep faith, so the words to this old hymn I thought were appropriate for this.  This should be going out in the mail to her this week.

All things bright and beautiful

All things great and small

  

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all.