I promised you a quilt post today — but even better — it’s a FINISH post!  I started this baby quilt in September 2010 (intended for baby Noah, who was then 2 months old) at a retreat.  When I unpacked after retreat, I put it neatly in a crate in my quilt studio until I could work on it again.  I went to work on it about three weeks later… and could not find the fabric or blocks I had started–anywhere!!  It remained lost for several months until one day I was looking for a particular stabilizer for a bag project, I pulled some out of a crate in my quilt studio, and lo! and behold!  The entire project was right where I left it. 

I finished the top at my retreat a few weeks ago, and I made the back there, but when I started basting the quilt layers at home, I realized the back was about a half an inch too narrow.  urgh!  Well, this was one cool quilt back, so I wasn’t about to replace it with something else…so I sliced it lengthwise, and inserted a 3″ strip of leftover fabric into the back:

I chose the Groovy Guitar fabric, because Noah is part of a family of musicians.  His grandmother provided the music for our wedding ceremony, his Daddy was in a local rock band, and also provides music at Church… Noah will probably know how to play a guitar by the time he turns 3 — a musically themed quilt was inevitable.  To quilt it, I started by quilting the large guitar applique from the back, in raw-edge applique and echo quilting…

As I continued quilting, I had lots of help.  This is Kato, who will put up with anything to be close to his people…

He eventually got pushed away tired and left, and then Maggy came by (to take advantage of the fresh quilt, not to be close to her person)

A little while later, I laid it on the floor to remove some of the basting pins, and I turned my back for three seconds… (he’s pretending to be asleep so I won’t disturb him)

Eventually I was able to finish the quilting, which turned out great, the guitar that is quilted from the back shows up from the front as contrast quilting, surrounded by medium sized stipple quilting:

 

And the square-in-a-square border and inner borders are quilted with straight line quilting:

No need to make a label, I just used the guitar opening to write my label on:

I always give myself a deadline on finishing baby quilts–the child’s first birthday.  Noah will turn 1 on Thursday.  I gifted it to him yesterday (but I was only three days early because I had it in my head that he was born on the 25th), happy mistake on my part…

For more Summer Fair Quilts (and recipes!) go here: