When a quilt is not like a book

So great to have this completed!

 

As of last night, the Grandmother's Flower Garden English paper pieced quilt is DONE! Washed on tap cold and dried on medium heat, I am pleased at how well the minky backing weathered, not to mention the rest of it. That backing, while adorable, was a bit of headache in how easily the nap is ruffled, but I imagine that element will be a fun distraction while my granddaughter fiddles with it when she goes to bed.

The weight of it is not too heavy, another relief; I worried that between all the extra fabric each hexie possesses combined with my usual brand of cotton batting, a minky back would be cumbersome for a youngster to wrangle. Of course it will be put to the test in a few weeks, but hopefully she will find it cozy and comfortable and what more can a quilting grandma desire?

Yet these two paragraphs, while necessary to frame this achievement, don't answer the question of today's title, which I pondered this morning amid stacks of dishes washed because my stove was littered with pots and pans. A quilt is not like a book when said book is planned as more than a rough draft. I've written LOADS of first drafts that won't see the light of day. But a novel that carries enough heft to pass those initial rounds requires further investment. And a finished quilt just needs a whole lotta corporeal love.

What I mean by the ruffly nap, but it smooths down easily.

Which this blanket will definitely earn, even before I give it to my granddaughter. This abuela will be trying it out nightly, hehehe, making sure that minky backing is truly warm. But after I give it to her, odds aren't high I'll see it more than peeks when I put her to bed when I visit her. A beloved fictional draft remains in my possession until I deem it ready for publication, then like that quilt I send it off to whomever requires hope and entertainment, joy and cuddles via prose. Yet these manners of crafting peace are otherwise similar, or that's how I see them. And what an honor, thrill, and yes at times headache to create these expressions. That minky, oi! It's dang cute but dude, I probably won't use it again anytime soon. Yet by trying something new I learned valuable lessons, which still occurs in the writing. I made the second novel in my current series a pre-order, why it's not a freebie like the rest of my books. I probably won't do that again, but I wouldn't have known that unless I gave a different method a go.

I added the cats near the end of the hexie basting; so many fun prints for a grandgirl to explore!

English paper piecing is certainly an alternate manner in which to make a quilt, but boy I sure love how intricately these quilts come together, how involved were both of my granddaughters in its making, and now I have evening time to finish up another EPP marvel, lol. And while I sew that next one, perhaps I'll ponder a novel-to-be, or just how good it is to have these gifts set into my hands. Passing them along, being from fabric or fiction, is a blessing itself. Gotta keep the pipeline open for further treats to emerge....