Barn Quilt Finish (Finally)

I love Lori Holt and her Bee in My Bonnet blog! Her designs and fabrics are fresh and fun. About 2+ years ago I became obsessed with her barn quilt blocks (why do you suppose that happened???). She hosted a sew along that lasted many weeks. The tutorials taught me quilting terminology, demonstrated many basic blocks, and helped me increase my sewing skills through practice.

As a beginning quilter I was low on scraps and fabrics. Unsure about how to buy my own fabrics and hailing from generally frugal folk, I would sew part of a barn or a “door block” and then I’d wait patiently for Cindy to finish a project out west. When she sent me her scraps, I’d get to sew some more. It took me a really long time to finish my barn quilt top. It took me even longer to add the sashing. After I added the sashing, things didn’t quite square up and it took me a while to find my error, tear it apart and fix it. Then I searched for a long time for just the right backing fabric, making a couple of buying mistakes along the way (those fabrics are still in my stash!). The backing is made of red kerchief fabric — love it!

Finally it was off to Ms. G for quilting. Afterwards I eagerly added the binding and started the process of ‘bonding with my quilt’ (aka finishing the hand binding). I got to the last 10 inches and quit. For.a.year. I moved this quilt from place to place, taking note of my failure each time.

This week I could stand it no longer. I did it. I finally finished my barn quilt. I’ve decorated a guest room in farm girl chic and this quilt and a red chalk-painted dresser are the stars of the show. Whew!