Quilted

I put Harvey's garden-inspired quilt across his bed to stay a few days ago and, I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself.  The quilt is far from perfect (quilting in the ditch is something that takes practice evidently), but this four year old's little eyes don't notice any of the imperfections.  He lit up so when I gave it to him that I felt truly awed and, at the same time, anxious in anticipation for the time when he won't want these handmades any more.

I started the quilt in May when the weather here in Northern New Jersey began to warm and all I could think about was what was growing then, what would be growing soon, and what might be growing after that.  So the garden was on my mind when I dipped into the greens, browns, and yellows in the fabric stash.

I used a very simple pattern found here and paced myself throughout the summer.  Like knitting, quilting takes time, patience, and the ability to undo and redo (not a strength of mine).  In the end, and despite its flaws, it is a little piece of our summer and of our garden that is keeping our son snuggley at night.