D.O.N.E!!

Hallelujah! After 2 years and 8 months, I have finally finished "big boy" quilts for my twin boys. I had set a goal for myself to finish these quilts before their birthday - and I did it! With 5 days to spare!

Back in January of 2010 I decided that I wanted to make quilts for my twins to use on their "big boy beds" some day.  At that time they were 1 1/2 or so.  I put the design together (my original design) and ordered my fabrics.  Note: 2 months before this, I had started my Etsy business, and at the time I was 4 months pregnant with my third son.  Somewhere between January and June, I decided to put these quilts aside and completed two (2?!) quilts for my soon-to-born child.  Somehow life then took over and I didn't get back to quilting for another year...or so. 

This January I had a few free days and jumped at the opportunity to layer and pin-baste these quilts. That's when I really decided that I MUST have these finished by the twins' 4th birthdays.  By this time they had been sleeping in those "big boy" beds for at least 6 months.  Between now and then I attempted to be very disciplined and didn't allow myself to start any new quilt projects until these were done.  Fast forward to today! I did it! The quilts are DONE. And I can't wait to give them to the kids tomorrow (a few days early).

Specifics of the quilt:
The quilts are identical, other than the backing. They are roughly 64" x 84" and each consist of 48 blocks that are 10" x 10" (with a 2" border around the outside). 

For the quilt top & backing, I used Kaufman Kona Cottons in the following colors: Canary, Clover, Purple, Surf, Tangerine, Rich Red, and Snow.  I was inspired by Rita from Red Pepper Quilts, and decided to put a bold black and white stripe binding on the quilt (Michael Miller Clown Stripe).

I machine quilted these guys myself on my little Janome machine.  I outline-quilted each bright colored square, and then made a series of 3 lines of stitching along each block and around the border. I debated long and hard about what color to use for quilting the top: if I used white it would stick out on the red fabric, and if I used red it would stick out when I crossed the white stripes. In the end I decided to go with red - and I'm happy with the results.

Now on to new projects!