Lilly Done!

She's finished! I finally got my act together and got up the nerve to baste the largest quilt I've ever wrestled with! I got Karen to help me pull it taut as I pinned it together, but how do y'all baste quilts all by yourselves (or do you all rely on help for this as well?!). I wasn't sure how I wanted to quilt it, then decided I wanted to do straight lines, with alternating groups of lines with some open space in between. I'm really pleased with how it came out. Yay!

We drove across country in our trek to visit family, so I had PLENTY of time to do the binding. I think I've finally mastered my blind stitch! It was kind of strange to have a quilt spread out on my lap in the car when it was 105 degrees outside in Iowa! Yikes! It's a relief to now be in Boston where it's only in the 70s. Phew!

So, with much fanfare, may I present my current pride and joy, Mama Lilly:

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've made it for my mother out of her old, much beloved Lilly Pulitzer golf skirts. My mom is a marvelous golfer who had many great golf matches in those skirts, and I loved being able to use that great, totally crazy bright and unique fabric in this way. I've wanted to make a quilt out of these skirts for almost 20 years, much much longer than I've been able to sew, so it's actually a fairly emotional experience for me to have finished this quilt and to be so pleased with the finished product. I'm arriving at my mom's house on Monday and will present it to her then. Nothing like a warm cozy quilt right in the middle of the hot, humid summer!! If I had patience I would wait until her birthday in October, but I wasn't imbued with that kind of restraint!

Here's another shot with a peek of the outrageous Lilly Pulitzer peacock fabric I used for the backing:

I took these shots in my brother and sister-in-law's gorgeous backyard garden in Boston, where we're visiting this weekend. They have a beautifully landscaped yard, and with the weather mild and sunny I just had to take advantage of it for my photo shoot!