The Emergency Hug Quilt

A friend is going through a tough time healthwise at the moment, so I thought she might like a quilt (and to be honest, it was therapy for me making it for her).

The problem was that I really wanted to make this quilt quickly. Emergency hugs were required, and I wanted her to get those as soon as possible. Except I have this busy job and a busy life and did I mention the  flu that wiped me out for three weeks?



After choir last Thursday night I spent a little time selecting the perfect layer cake for Janice's quilt.



Just before bed I pressed the blocks into squares, as per the instructions in the pattern (which is Little Apples by Aneela Hoey, if you were wondering. It's a freebie and it uses every little bit of layer cake).



Friday night and all day Saturday were write-offs as far as quilting was concerned. But on Saturday night I finally had the time to work some more on the quilt. By 8.30 pm I had the blocks cut out.



By 11.30 pm I had most of the blocks sewn and up on the design wall.



I had a busy Sunday morning, but when I got home towards lunch time I finished the rest of the blocks, and then positioned them on the design wall. This was what took the longest time. Then I sewed the quilt top together.



Then it was time to look through the stash for some fabric for the backing and head to the shop for the batting.

Monday night, very late, I pin basted the quilt.

By Tuesday another friend and I had made plans to visit Janice at lunch time the next day. I didn't think I could finish her quilt on time, and I certainly wasn't aiming to. I still had to quilt, bind, wash, dry and label it. I thought if I could finish quilting it on Tuesday night I could perhaps pop around on Friday after work and give it to her.



But by 11.15 pm on Tuesday night I'd finished not only quilting the quilt, but binding it as well. I popped it in the washing machine, and this morning I moved it to the dryer to dry, ironed it, and went to work with the quilt, a sewing kit and a label.





And then I sat in a cafe with a coffee and stitched that label on before work. And at lunchtime today I gave the quilt to my friend. She loved it. I tried not to cry. That quilt had so much love poured into it.

I never once hated what I was making - I absolutely loved, loved, loved every second of the process. Even the pin basting. On my knees on the floor.



There's a lot to be said for a quilt made with love. Time just speeds by.



Every last bit of this quilt was made with stash fabrics, scraps or pre-cuts. I only bought the batting.



I hope it makes Janice happy, and I hope it provides a little bit of healing as well.