Art of Quilting - Final

I am so glad to be writing this final post about the Art of Quilting Sampler Quilt.  I finally finished it and will be starting the new year without this UFO.

I learned a few lessons quilting this one.  Stitch in the ditch and echo is just too time consuming for such a large project.  Quilt as you go would definitely have been a better choice.  Although this fabric was not my choice but came with the magazine, polyester cotton does not lend itself very well to quilting as it does not have any stretch whatsoever.  So, as a result there is plenty of puckers.  Definitely not a show piece, but it will keep my son warm.

I did not realise when I started quilting it that it would keep me busy for almost 6 months.  In my defense, my husband broke his femur in April just when I started it and my mother had been in hospital for 2 months as well.  I sandwiched it September 2015 and just put it on hold until I finally plucked up enough courage to quilt it.  Concentrating on one block at a time finally got me through it.

For the back I used sheeting and utilized the leftovers for the binding

and added this label I embroidered. 

Our little sheppard boy

Our kids from England have been visiting the past two weeks.  It was such a blessed time with Aiden (4) and Nathan (22 months), Megan and Mark.  The house is very quite now and with everything packed away just the memories remain.

Megan asked me to make a Sheppard's costume for Aiden's school play so while they were visiting friends on Friday morning, I came up with this.

He looks so proud.  It was such a privilege to be able to make this for him.