Finally Finished My First Quilt (and lessons I learned)

It took me ages to finish, but it's finally done! I started cutting squares from scraps back in 2020 with no real project in mind. I started piecing in the summer of 2024 but we got started looking at houses all over North and South Carolina and I got busy with other stuff. I knew when I put the quilt strips in a box it would be a while before I was able to devote time to it.

It may have taken months (okay, years) but it's done! I finished binding it all by hand a week or so ago. It's a really large quilt and the size alone was daunting for a beginner. If I were to do it again... well, I'd probably do exactly this because I'm hard-headed, but for anyone else who isn't me, I'd suggest a smaller quilt for a first timer.

It's all hand-tied just like my great-grandmother did her quilts. The ties are a little long and still need to be trimmed. You can also see some places where my squares don't line up. It's fine. Her blankets were usually a little wonky too.

Binding by hand made me wonder how many sides this quilt could possibly have. Every time I would think I was finished, there was yet another side to complete. Would I bind by hand again? Probably, because I'm stubborn. Unfortunately, my stitches did not get better or more uniform with practice.

Like I said, large quilt. I love the way it drapes and those little chickens.

What I don't love was this linen and the holes it left. I love how this fabric feels but every project I have used it for has had this same issue, no matter how I adjust my sewing machine. There were maybe 7 places where this happened and I patched them all up this week with fabric scraps.

Unrelated to anything but look at the bunny. He's eating freshly picked dill from our gardens. He isn't spoiled at all. I went out today and picked him lettuces and carrot tops for his lunch.

A bit heavier news - our Lulu was diagnosed nearly 3 weeks ago with large cell lymphoma. Prior to her diagnosis she hadn't been eating with as much enthusiasm as usual and then on a Sunday she wouldn't eat or move at all. I took her in first thing Monday and the vet found a mass in her abdomen, likely her stomach, but they can't really tell what it's attached to. She had a fine needle aspiration (similar to a biopsy) the next day that confirmed cancer.

We debated chemo, but she's almost 14 (with other health issues) and she hates the vet and car rides. Having to go twice a week for 1-2 hours each visit would be miserable for her, without even considering the possible side-effects. So we've opted for palliative care and she's doing well, as you can see. She's getting steroids, pain meds, and appetite stimulant. She was on an anti-nausea med but that created more problems than it helped.

She's getting all the attention and every kind of food she wasn't supposed to eat while on her prescription diet (she refuses to eat the prescription food now). She gets breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, second dinner, and more treats. She's never had dry kibble available 24/7 but we found one she likes and she can snack on that when she feels like it.

One day at a time, I guess. She's still Lulu, still yelling.