the Minutes and Seconds

People often ask how long it takes to make a quilt. The most impossible question! First because the time varies radically based on the patchwork and quilt size. Second because most quilters don’t keep track! When we’ve really found our groove with a delicious project, time falls away into an immersive, satisfying present.

Cutting and placing squares for this quilt has been that kind of immersive project. Only afterwards did I realize that I spent hours making the green section and another couple transitioning to blue. The minutes and seconds were a gift to myself and to the people (like you!) who will enjoy this quilt along with me.

After transitioning to blue, I was prevented from rounding off the work because my design wall was too short. Thanks to all these 2.5” cut squares, the quilt requires lots of space on the wall. So that’s when I started sewing sections a la web piecing and moving the project steadily down the design wall to make space.

Over the last few days I finished designing the quilt and piecing all the sections. Then came the matching and joining of sections to complete this cloud of rainbow plusses.

Yes, this project has been truly and wholly delightful. The colors and scraps and sense of wonder - it’s definitely my favorite quilt that I’ve made this year. As an extra bonus, I realized along the way who it is destined for. That makes the time spent even sweeter, of course.

Today while my longarm machine is humming over the finished quilt sandwich, I’m creating a special label. I so rarely do that, but it is definitely a nice touch for a gift. To refresh my memory, I read over my tutorial from my Handstitched coursebook. Then I penciled a rainbow, which will fall behind the quilt’s name. With these soft colors, I hope that the rainbow will be sweet but subtle.

Fingers crossed that I am back with a finished quilt in not too long!