My first quilt! I can barely believe that I finished it!

[LimeRiot]

If you ever visit the quilting discussion board you've probably seen my frantic requests for help over the last several months as I've tried to complete my first quilt. Thanks to the help of everyone that responded I actually managed to finish the dang thing! And just in the nick of time...my best friend's baby shower is less than a week away .

It didn't turn out as perfect as I'd hoped...there are some wonky squares, the mitered corners are a bit bunchy and I couldn't master free motion quilting. But those little things aside, I'm really happy with how it turned out and I'm even happier to be DONE with it!!







I haven't washed it yet. Does anyone have suggestions for the best way to do that? I'm very nervous about the process.

Thank you SO much to all of my craftster friends who provided support, advice and encouragement. I really never would have finished without you!

[alwaysinmyroom]

holy cow!!  it turned out wonderful!

The colors and the pattern are so modern and fresh...I am sure that the recipient is just going to be blown away by the generosity of your time and effort...what a gift you have given!

I believe in using quilts, so I would wash it in a detergent safe for babies (usually no fragrance and mild)...or let the new parents wash it

limeriot--I think you have lost your quilt "virginity" and will be looking forward to making more quilts in the future!

good job!!!  you should be so proud!

[pjherbert]

your quilt is beautiful and I love your colors!

[myguybri]

I think it looks wonderful!  It is so spring-timey and cheery

I washed my first quilt the same way that the recipient would wash it (I put it on a cold, regular cycle and then also dried on low heat) just to make sure that if it was going to fall apart it would do so in my hands rather than hers.  Luckily it stayed in one piece and nothing came loose, and also some of my wonky small mistakes were a bit camouflaged once the quilt was washed as well!

I'm sure your best friend and the new baby will love it!

[roccstarr75]

Adorable!  I would wash it in warm water and dry it on medium/high heat.  This will cause to get that neat crinkly look.  And as someone else said, it camouflages some of the "mistakes".  I use warm because I want to see if it can take it before I send it off.  They're going to wash it a lot (in warm) if its used by a baby!  I would also using the baby detergent, but if you don't want to buy a whole thing of it, baby shampoo works well too!  Or, you could just gift the rest of the detergent to them too, I'm sure it will get used!

[alwaysinmyroom]

myguybri--ha ha new quilters just do not seem to believe it when you tell them that washing the quilts really does fix up a lot of the wonkyiness of any crooked lines, puckers, etc.

I never judge my quilts until I wash them...

[natto]

Wow! I love the fabrics!
Congratulations, it's beautiful!

[LimeRiot]

Thank you all SO much!

I appreciate the advice on washing. I don't know why I'm so freaked out to wash the thing! I'm certain it will have baby puke all over it in just a couple of weeks and yet I can barely touch it without worrying about somether-er-other!

alwaysinmyroom has been assuring me throughout the quilting process that the little boo-boos I made will disappear when washing. I trust you, alwaysinmyroom!! I'll wash it tomorrow night .

roccstarr75 - I really like your idea of gifting the rest of the detergent. I was thinking I didn't want to buy a whole thing just to wash one blanket but knowing I can pass on what I don't use makes me feel good about the purchase.

[MareMare]

Whoa that looks awesome! Great job! The colors are so pretty.

[Phizzychick]

It's beautiful, I love your colour combination! They're going to love it!