Sunday, May 6, 2012

The big finish

The smallest quilter in the house had a very proud moment today.  A finish.

 The pesky sewing-teacher mother was bustin' out all over with pride, watching the confident 6-year-old working her way around the improvisationally pieced quilt with the fancy-schmantzy Bernina Stitch Regulator.
 A ridiculous number of photos were taken... ahem... and a video....

Her confidence with the machine is a joy to watch, but the biggest surprise is that this  has been an ongoing project since the Christmas holidays, and she has kept coming back to it.   Little Miss Attention-Span-of-a-Gnat's-Eyelash has really WORKED on this project.  And it's for me.... a quilt to keep my knees warm while I work on the computer.

By just after midday we had the proud hold-it-up-and-take-a-photo moment.
 I'm loving the slightly unconventional binding on the quilt.....
The kid is determined to do things her own way.

Her independent, creative spirit inspires a cocktail of pride, hope and excitement about what the future might hold for her ..and an absolute terror of what lies ahead for me as her mother...  But right now, I'm just so very, very proud of her.

She told me that the quilt is full of love...but she didn't have to tell me that.

30 comments:

Leah said...

Lovely! Warm knees and a warm heart :)

Cass said...

What a gorgeous quilt and well done to the wee girl. I wish I could do an improvised quilt sometimes

Shontelle said...

Love it. What a prodigy! Fantastic binding and I love all the decorative stitches she's used.

Tania said...

That's gonna keep a whole lot more than your news warm, bustin'-with-pride Mama...

Tania said...

KNEES.

KNEES.

What the heck has 'news' go to do with anything?

CurlyPops said...

That is the sweetest little quilt I ever did see! The wee girl has talent.

Unknown said...

Awesome - there's lots going on there. Crazy patchwork, applique, fancy stitches free motion quilting and binding. She's done well to stick at it until the end! Some of us could learn from her.

Fer said...

Precious little girl. You've even made me get tears in my eyes with that last sentence. xoxoxo

maya =^o^= said...

soooo cute and soooooooo beautiful!!!!!kind regards from Greece!!!!!!!!

NessaKnits said...

It is vibrant with colour! She should be immensely proud of herself! (and happy to have a helping Mummy!)

Leonie said...

Can't talk, crying.........

seabreezequilts said...

Excellent first quilt, she has the making of an art quilter.

Chrissy said...

I have a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. What a corker your daughter is! Your heart must be exploding with pride at her creativity and determination. You can see the seeds of an artist just starting to sprout. I wonder were it will take her. It will be an interesting adventure to watch!

Cathie said...

a m a z i n g !!

Sally said...

Oh my! I've got tears welling up in my eyes. So wonderful. Perfect. A treasure.

Jane said...

Oh seriously, best quilt ever. The woolly bits! The cat...ish...thing! The foldy bits! I would be torn between using it constantly and framing it.

Katy Cameron said...

Oh hell, what did that sewing teacher mother know anyway...

Vintage Grrl said...

What blossoming talent and determination! I can imagine your pride :D

willywagtail said...

Major congratulations to the wee one who is growing at a mighty rate in ability as well as age. Cherrie

Anonymous said...

Pure sunshine.

rachelmp said...

How beautiful Nikki! You must be proud of her finishing it too. Great job

punkychewster said...

Wow it's beautiful! Love the clash of bright colors and the details, like that little heart and the free-motion quilted stitches!! Well done!!!

Karen said...

AMAZING!
Such a fabulous little piece of treasure - the wee girl and the quilt Nikki.

nicole said...

oh my goodness! that is the LOVELIEST thing!
what a clever girl you're raising! she does seem to be taking after her mum ha ha!
xo

Lisa H said...

I remember how proud I was of my daughter when she completed her first quilt; I am feeling this way about your wee one. Tears and a lump in the throat. Enjoy your quilt.

Helene said...

Oh my gosh Nikki, I haven't enjoyed reading a post as much as I loved reading this one in ages! So gorgeous! And the quilt! Divine! I especially love the randomness of stitched edges - some yes, some not so much and left to flip over. Your daughter should be so proud, it's so colorful, and there's so much to look at and enjoy! Bravo to her for her perseverance and artistry. x H

Anonymous said...

Before I got to that last line I had already planned to say that I see a lot of love in that quilt. You justified in feeling proud, that's for sure!
Kathy

ellie said...

This brought tears to my eyes. Oh, little one - of course we can all see that it's filled overflowing with love. This is the most special special piece of quilting I have ever seen. (I'm pinning it on Pinterest, as it's so inspiring). And I might have to start using her binding technique, looks quite good to me! xx

Leonie said...

It's gorgeous Nikki, the wee girl has done a fabulous job and it is indeed full of love and perfectly in time for Mother's Day :-)

Michelle said...

I need to congratulate both of you for this amazing feat! Your daughter, for having the tenacity and drive to fulfil her vision, and loving what she was doing to make the MOST BEAUTIFUL quilt I have ever seen in all my years as a quilter (seriously! I had tears in my eyes!).

And you - for being such an awesome mum. I once sat in a sewing workshop with a young girl and her mum, and her mum was so super critical of this 9 year old and her sewing skills it enraged everyone there. And you could see this poor kid visibly deflating with every criticism. So I admire any mum (or dad) who can let their kids do their own thing. Because creating is what's important, not the "sewing skills".

xxxx