A Wedding Quilt

About a month ago, I promised to show you pictures of my super secret project today (well - yesterday actually) if you came back, and so - here they are!!   I am hoping to get some better pictures still (will have to ask Cori about that) as I never really achieved the "perfect finished product picture" that I was aiming for.

This project began - oh - about 12 months ago.  Wait.  Is that right?  Well - it began about 3 hours after my sister told me she was engaged to be married this May.  *** Cori - jump in if you're reading and tell us when you got engaged because I can't remember now.

Anyway - it started a while ago.

And I needed that long to finish this puppy up, because for some reason I decided that, this being my first ever quilt, I should just jump RIGHT into the fire and make a QUEEN size.

Looking back, I realize that this was far more than ambitious, and just not even bordering on pure lunacy, but was actually full-fledged, unequivocal MADNESS on my part.

The lady at the quilt shop who let out a snort (yes, a snort) when I told her I was making a queen-size quilt for my sister, and no, I had never made a quilt before... and did she have any patterns to suggest?  MAY have known this for the sheer madness that it was.  But she didn't tell me.  She just sold me the pattern and I went on my merry (blissfully ignorant) way.

Because my way is not to think self thoughts like "how will this be done?" or "what is the smartest way to begin this project?"

but to say simply - "THIS,dear Crystal, is a FABULOUS idea, and you should definitely begin it right AWAY!"

And so I did, and I spent the next year cutting and cutting and cutting, and piecing, and ripping back seams, and piecing, and again - ripping back seams...and watching Youtube video after Youtube video for every step along the quilted path... and then

one day...

Wha-la.

It was done!

 (mike calls this the "porcupine" hair bun... he gets a kick out of this hairdo I think)

here's the finished quilt top before I made the quilt "sandwich" with batting and back...

 sewing on the binding... I actually enjoyed this part quite a bit, because I could sit in the living room and have the nice warm quilt on my lap as I worked.

 all done!

Rhama and I are test-driving the quilt on the floor.  yep!  It's comfy!

And now it is living in it's new home.  And I hope my sister and my new brother-in-law like it.  And I hope they know that all through the steps I was thinking how much I love them both, and about how happy I know they'll be together as man and wife, and I was putting all of these lovely thoughts, and hopes, and dreams for their future into each stitch as I sewed it.  Yes I was.