Finally, the last seam was stitched, and my grandmother’s quilt is complete!

Each square measures 14 by 14 inches, and there are 7 squares in each of the 5 strips that make up the finished quilt. I ended up finishing the edges with a rolled hem, and I had to kind of finagle a little here and there. Hopefully, no one will take out a level to check how straight the sides are. None of us are sure if Grandma had planned to add more to the quilt or how she had planned to finish it, so I had to just “get-er-done” the best I could.

Part of my experience with this, especially in the early stages, was full of nostalgia. I also couldn’t help but think of my grandmother with fondness and admit to a romantic ideal going through my head as I channeled Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” story. However, the project become a little unruly near the end. Nothing really negative happened, but I have to admit that I’m looking forward to working on my own sewing project now.

I can’t help but think that my diving into making Blythe doll clothes was kind of a foreshadowing of all of this. Sewing the tiny dresses, some of which requires hand-stitching, has helped bring my sewing skills back up to where they used to be. Also, I line the top part of my doll dresses with muslin, so I had some already in my fabric stash. As it happened, there was one quilt square that was almost 2 inches short. Yikes! Luckily, though, I had muslin in the same shade as the quilt along with enough scraps for the piecing side of the quilt, thus allowing me to complete the square.

The quilt saga is over, and I will soon deliver it to my parents’ house where it will hang with honor. Unlike Walker’s quilts, however, this quilt is not intended for “everyday use.”