Happy Thoughts

I am very happy to share a finish!  This quilt has been a year in the making, and I am so glad it's finally
done and can be give to its intended recipient.  Plus, it's on my First Quarter Finish Along List, so I get
to check something off!

This quilt was started last January as a gift for a friend who had recently been diagnosed with breast
cancer.  It's so hard to know what to say when there just aren't words, so a quilt to cuddle up in
seemed like the best way to say what I was feeling.  She is in a very different place now than she was
a year ago. She has come through the storm and is finding her way to a new normal. So, while this
quilt was intended to provide comfort, it will now be given as a celebration! It' a little over-due, I know,
but it's never the wrong time to give a quilt.

The pattern is named "Happy Thoughts" and was created by Allison of Woodberry Way.  It was the name that caught my attention first. My friend was certainly in need of some Happy thoughts as she faced chemotherapy and then radiation.  But, beyond the name, I was really drawn to the modern cheery look. The block construction is pretty straight forward, too, and I thought it would go together quickly.  Ha. Famous last words. Actually, the blocks were pretty simple to piece, there are just a lot of them! I would work on this exclusively for a while, then something would get in the way. . There were times when I just couldn't sew, even when that was what I needed most. Life is just like that, sometimes.

I kept at it and pieced the blocks a few at a time, finishing the last one in mid August.  I posted a picture
of them on my design wall on Instagram, and the caption said I hoped to get the top pieced and quilted
before school started!  Ha! More famous last words!

I didn't touch it again until sometime in November.  A new job, costumes for two musicals and our usual
crazy busy life kept me occupied.  But, by the end of December it was pieced with borders added. On
New Year's Day I moved the kitchen table, grabbed some painter's tape and basting spray and made a
quilt sandwich!  

I decided on simple, straight line quilting, across the width of the quilt.  I really love the look of it. It
seems to complement the modern style of the blocks, and it was surprisingly fun to quilt. I set a goal of
doing a minimum of 5 trips across the quilt each time ! sat down to sew.  I found that I usually did
more, and it only took 12 sessions to get it done!

Monday January 21 was a scheduled day off of school, and I had long been envisioning spending the
day  under this quilt as I hand stitched the binding in front of a Hallmark movie or two. I was SO
looking forward to it.  But, that ended up being the day my daughter was admitted to the hospital.
So, the binding was finished in the hospital recliner with several episodes of  Nailed It instead of on my
couch with a cheesy romance. But, it got done. I added a quick label, and now its ready to be given.'

While I knew that it would take me some time to piece a top and get it quilted, I certainly never
intended it to be a year long process. But, as I went back through my photos looking for some pictures
of this quilt in process, I noticed that a LOT of life happened during the making of it.  This quilt at
many times was a sort of therapy for me. It's been a difficult year as I've been struggling with anxiety
and coming to terms with my mom's diagnosis of dementia. Most makers find solace in the process of
creating, and I certainly found that, time and time again over the last 12 months as I took out the
pieces of this quilt to work.  I might have started out feeling stressed or sad or worried. But within a
short time, I felt myself relaxing into the rhythm of the work, and ended up feeling calm and comforted.

Happy Thoughts.  It's a fitting name for a quilt that helped to calm and comfort its maker and a fitting
name for a quilt given to celebrate the beginning of a happy new chapter for my friend.

I'm really proud of this finish, so I'm going to link it up to Finished or not Friday over at Busy Hands
Quilts and Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict AND the Brag About Your
Beauties Pageant at From Bolt To Beauty.
If you're stopping by from one of those, please leave a comment! Now that I'm blogging somewhat
consistently again, I'd like to jump back into the community of commentors and commenting!
That's the fun stuff, after all!

I am editing to add a "glamour shot" of this pretty quilt, from her photo shoot in the snow:

P.S. I apologize for the wonky spacing and formatting in this post. I had it all typed but lost my internet
connection, copied it into a word document and then later pasted it into a new post. That,
apparently isn't a good idea. I'm not starting over for a third time...so, this post is just a bit off.
Oh well!