The day that I thought would never come.

After starting the quilt in January 2013, I’ve finished it. Finally!

I’ve watched more TV today – whilst slip-stitching the back binding – than I have in weeks. So there’s a perk. The skin on one of my fingers cracked under the pressure last night, leaving specks of blood on the quilt. Having tried a plaster today which worked for all of two seconds, I brought out the big guns.

Before I would allow myself to pick up the quilt, I had some other craft to attend to. Remember those baby shoes I made? Well today I met said baby. But first, the shoes needed ribbon adding. Having not read the instructions all the way to the end, I realised that I could’ve added the ribbon when sewing the shoes, tucked into the seam. Never mind. Then I saw mention of adding ribbon using buttonholes. I was tempted. Might it be neater than my handsewing? So I dug out my sewing machine’s instruction manual and gave it a go. So much simpler than I thought. So I’ve learnt a new skill!

First buttonhole.

Second one was better.

It was at this point that I realised that the buttonholes should’ve been vertical, not horizontal. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Here’s what they look like with ribbon.

All wrapped and ready for baby Bethany.

Back to the quilt. Hours of slip-stitching later, the binding was done. Next all I needed to do was to trim the loose threads on the backing from the quilting. I then noticed one of the stars wasn’t quite complete, so back under the sewing machine it went.

Here’s the finished (!!!!) article.

However, it may not look like that anymore. I’ve done a crazy thing and put it in the washing machine. On a delicate wash with hand wash, but still, I’m staying up anxiously awaiting the outcome. The cycle has finished and it looks in tact, so I’ve put it on a slow spin as it’s saturated. Think it will be travelling with us in a damp state tomorrow … Eeek. Why’ve I washed it? Well, where I’d marked on the stars, etc., for quilting and then tried to wash the pen off, the blue has run in places. Also, some mysterious black marks appeared when I was quilting. I think it could be the spraybaste gumming up the machine. I couldn’t bear to hand over a ‘dirty’ quilt, so, as usual, impatience has got the better of me. Before thinking too long about it, it went in the wash. Please please please, let it survive.

UPDATE: It appears to have survived.