UVA Quilt, Finished!!

It is finished!!! I finally finished my UVA quilt and despite all of its flaws I am in love with it. Since I loved the fabric so much I didn’t want to waste any and may have gone a little overboard with my squares. The quilt was originally suppose to be a lap quilt and ended up being 7’ x 6’ which is just perfect for two to snuggle under but much bigger than originally planned.

Below is a picture of the quilt right after I finished the basting process. With a quilt this size the basting process was difficult for a novice like me so I used quilt basting spray. I laid the backing out first and then the quilt batting on top of that. I cut the batting to size and folded it back so I could start spraying. I worked from the middle out to ensure there were no wrinkles. I then did the same for the top. It is still difficult for me to get all the wrinkles out but it turned out pretty well. Even though you do not need to secure your quilt sandwich with pins when using the basting spray it makes me more comfortable to add a few (as you can see in the picture).

My quilt sandwich ready to be quilted

I decided on straight line quilting each line about 2 inches apart. This took much longer than I expected and my walking foot quit on me by the end but I finished. None of my lines are perfectly straight and it will take more practice to learn how to handle such a large quilt while sewing but I am getting there.

Straight line quilting

 

Finally I had to sew on the border. I went with a yellow border to balance the orange and teal on the back of the quilt. I also like the contrast on the front with the large gray border. I use Elizabeth Hartman’s tutorial for attaching borders.

Pressing my border

And here it is! All finished.

My UVA Quilt

 

Believe it or not, I am already planning my next quilt. I have once again been inspired by Elizabeth Hartman’s Mod Sampler Quilt made by Goddess in Progress. She recommended it for a beginner and it is smaller than my UVA Quilt so hopefully it will take a little less time.



Go Hoos Go!

Disclaimer: If you are a Hokie then you should probably stop reading this blog post now. Although I will say nothing bad about Virginia Tech I will begin to gush about UVA.

Today is the big game! Usually we walk into the UVA v. Tech game knowing that we will probably lose. But this year we have hope. This year our beloved Hoos have had their miracle season and are playing Tech for the ACC coastal title. Now I am very much aware that UVA is not known as a football school but  to see our team finish out the year on a winning note would be so fulfilling! So go Hoos go! And whether we win or lose I will always be proud to be a Hoo!

Some of the reasons I am thankful to be a Hoo....



The Lawn




My amazing boyfriend is a Hoo as well (and he lets me steal his hat)

 
<>

The beautiful gardens that surrond the grounds





 My sister is a Hokie and it provides a great family rivalry (Here we are at Madline's VT graduation)



The amazing football stadium that has provided a home for our dream season

I will leave you with my new favorite poem!

And then they'll do something I hate most of all!
Every Hoo down in Hooville, the tall and the small,
They'll stand close together, with wine glasses brimming.
They'll stand hand-in-hand, and those Hoos will start singing!
And they'll sing! And they'll sing! And they'll SING! SING! SING! SING!'
And the more Bud Foster thought of this Hoo football Sing,
The more Bud Foster thought, 'I must stop this whole thing!

With just minutes left to play, all the Hoos, small and tall,
Were cheering their loudest when UVA got the ball

Backed up at their twenty, Rocco’s best they would need,
If they wanted to erase the three-point Hokie lead.

Bud sent Exum to blitz, but UVA went play-action,
While Bud smugly turned round to see the Hoo faithful’s reaction.
"Pooh-pooh to the Hoos!" Bud was grinchily grinning.
"They're shaking right now that the Hokies are winning!
They're just giving up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
Then the Hoos here in Hooville will all cry boo-hoo!

That's a noise," grinned Bud Foster, "that I simply must hear!"
He paused, and then Bud put a hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound rising over the land.
It started in the band, then spread all through the stands!

But this sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded glad!

Every Hoo down in Hooville, the young and the old,
Was singing with joy and elation untold!

He hadn't stopped London from winning! He’d won!
Somehow or other, the Tech streak was done!

And Foster, with his teeth and his beard clenched with rage,
Waved his fists and shrieked like an ape in a cage!

“They won without Wilson! They won without Coale!
They won without Hosely, Thomas, or Coles!"

He complained to the refs till his jaws were sore.
Then Bud thought of something he hadn't before.

Maybe London, he thought, isn’t just some dumb heel
Maybe London, perhaps, is the real freaking deal!

Now lets go Hoos!