Quilt Rack

I never thought I would be so excited about getting a quilt rack.

The R.E.M. Quilt

My quilt is finished and functional! No longer are my old R.E.M. shirts destined for a life of darkness and squalor in my bedroom closet. No! They have been given new life, a breath of fresh air and a chance to be apart of something so much bigger; united as one. Their destiny has been fulfilled and they will live on to be enjoyed by all who snuggle in their warm embrace.

Well, maybe I shouldn't be so dramatic...

I am happy though, a project that started in January after being conceived the month prior is finally finished. With the invaluable help of Eva and Katie, my dream was realized, and I truly couldn't have done it without them for so many reasons. Thank you Eva and Katie for all you have done for me!

I ended up tying the quilt layers together which proved to be quite time consuming. I'm sure I did more than a few things to make the traditional quilter cringe, but I got it done nonetheless. I ended up using two colors of embroidery thread to make the ties because I couldn't decide which one to use. That decision alone caused me many more hours of work.

Here is a peak at the back of my quilt to show the ties:


Pictures I took of the quilt didn't look a whole lot different from my last post showing the completed front, so I took a picture of it folded to show it is quite a bit thicker with the three layers.
I am also glad to report that is fits perfectly on our queen bed.
Looks pretty good, huh?

I absolutely love my quilt and I am so glad I decided to do it. It was so nerve racking cutting that first shirt, but the payoff was more than worth it. The memories ingrained in those shirts and in making this quilt are priceless and I will cherish them forever.

Please click the 'r.e.m. quilt' label in order to see the different stages of the quilt.

Back in action

I've gone solo on my quilting project since Eva has been in France longer than she first anticipated. On Memorial Day, Katie and I got to talking about quilting and she offered me a sewing machine to use at my house so I could finish it. I politely declined because I wanted to wait for Eva to come back. I enjoyed our Thursday night quilting get-togethers as much as I liked the quilting itself, so I wanted to finish it with her. When Eva told me she had found a job in France, I decided I could not wait any more and asked Katie if the offer for the sewing machine was still on the table.

In my heart, I still wanted to wait for Eva to return, but I kept seeing my half-made quilt neatly folded in a bag in the den. It was just eating away at me; I had to complete it. I could not let it turn into a project that I would never finish and I just didn't know when Eva would be back. Katie brought the sewing machine to my house and gave me a refresher course on how to operate it. I was surprised how much I had forgotten since I last used it. Katie told me it was Eva's sewing machine I was using, and that Eva said if would be fine if I borrowed it. I tell ya, a guy couldn't ask for better cousins. You two are the best!

I have since completed the front and back of my quilt. It is almost finished! I have also had to fill the bobbin and rethread the machine a couple of times; something Eva always did for me. So I'm pleased that I'm getting more comfortable with the machine, too. I bought the batting last weekend, so all that is left is to sew all the pieces together and tie the quilt. These last few steps are making me quite nervous because I've come too far to mess up it all up now. I want to complete it all in one sitting because I don't want the batting to get discombobulated inside the quilt. I know that fear is probably irrational, but it would make me feel better to get it all done at once. I plan on sitting down and knocking it out this weekend, so stay tuned for an update on my completed quilt!

The beat goes on

Here is the progress I have made on my quilt so far. With Eva away, I am going to have to go it alone for awhile. I have sewn together the four columns of t-shirt material and now I am ready to cut the long strips I will need to sew the columns together. For some reason, this new challenge seems daunting. I keep looking at the fabric I am using to sew the shirts together and I don't know how I am going to cut such long even strips. I am sure I will find a solution though. I just need to do it. Anybody have any advice for this quilting novice?

And so it begins...

I recently became inspired to start quilting. My dad still has a quilt his grandmother made him when he was young. The back side is made entirely from his old blue jeans. It is a wonderful quilt and he cherishes it. The memories that must exist within the fabric and the love and care that went into making the quilt are evident every time he wraps himself up in it's warm embrace. So, I thought that I must have a quilt of my very own!

I decided to make my quilt out of my old R.E.M. shirts. I have many memories of those shirts, and I wore most of them quite often; especially when I was around 16. I can remember where I bought most of them, which one's were given to me as gifts and by whom.

Alas, over the years, I have outgrown all but two of the shirts. They sat, neatly folded, on my closet shelf for about 10 years, only to be disturbed a couple of times so my wife could were them as maternity shirts. I wanted to give them a new life, so that they could be loved again.

I developed a pattern the size of a queen size comforter by laying out the shirts so they would all fit. After I had the layout, it was time to cut the fabric. The hardest part was that first cut. It seemed wrong to cut all of my shirts, but I knew it was for a greater good. Now, I have all the blocks cut out, and I have now started sewing the blocks together. I will give more updates and pictures as I make more progress.

I am not doing all this alone, I have had a great deal of help from Eva and Katie; I really couldn't have gotten this far without them. Katie has quilting experience and I like to bounce my ideas off of them. So far, they haven't steered me wrong. We get together every week and work on our quilts and other creative projects. It's really a lot of fun, and I know these wonderful memories will last forever within my quilt.