Three Year Update On My Quilt

Some of you may remember that I posted two years ago about a King sized quilt I'm doing all by hand. Last year I shared about the things I'd made in Germany, and gave a brief update on the quilt. 

I started this quilt in February 2018, giving myself five years to finish it. We are at the three-year mark! And how lovely it is looking!! 

Stitching in a German Church

Four of the five finished strips

I began to sew all the blocks together into strips in February 2019. September 2020 I was nearly done . . . just one strip left! I brought this strip to Germany with me, along with the final bit of lace to knit. I wasn't able to do a lot of sewing in the German churches, because many that I attended were the sort with dimmed lights and fancy smoke. But there were a few churches that I offered enough light for sewing ;) 

Finished in the States

Sewing in Germany while listening to some Jane Austen book—please tell me you don't notice the black speck on my teeth ;p

Made and finished in Germany

Weaving ribbon into lace while at our "Rage Against The State" 4th of July Event

Once I was back in the states it was harder to find time to sew. What with helping with my Dad's campaign, moving, and dealing with many other things, even when I had time to sew I didn't always have the mental capacity. 

Even so, I did what I could. While church-hopping I wove the green silk leafy ribbon into my lace, then pinned my lace to a light teal-colored muslin for the backing. These two little things shouldn't have taken all summer long, but they did. 

Campaigning and weaving 

Shortly before election day, I began sewing my lace strips and quilt strips together. This is three layers together: the teal muslin, the quilt strip, and the lace barely caught. At first, it was difficult to manage the lace between the muslin and cotton. But now it's going along smoothly. I hope to have the entire top done before spring. 

Here is where I am at:

As you can probably see, the lace and muslin strips are a little longer than the rest of the quilt. I did that on purpose, as lace will stretch and is easy to trim. 

I was recently blessed by having a quilting rack given to me! It won't be very much longer until I am working on the entire quilt as one piece. Unfortunately, that does mean I won't be able to bring it to church with me anymore. I do hope I'll be able to find enough spare moments at home to finish the rest of this quilt within two years!