Right after I took my beginners quilt workshop back in 2006 , I promised both my boys a quilt each. I took them fabric shopping with very little knowledge of quilting fabric myself .Let them choose what they wanted. They did.M , being little bug that he is , bugged me till he got his quilt and only then let me off the proverbial hook. A on the other hand, my patient patient baby, would mention in the passing that he was waiting for his quilt now and then.And me being the uncrowned queen of procrastination kept put it off and off.
I told him ,beginning of this year, I would first finish his quilt and only then do anything else. Sadly I did not feel inspired at all to work on it. Finally, guilt ridden , I promised him that I would definitely make it before we left to India for our annual vacation.
Some of you might remember I was working on the pinwheels a few weeks back.Then we had terrible dust.Apart from making everyone depressed, it also brings with it allergies. So the pinwheels and the sewing machine were left unattended. With just a couple of days left for our trip, I was again struck by guilt pangs , what kind of a mother would I be, if I could not keep promises? made specially to a very patient accommodating child? So I got into a quilt making frenzy and completed his quilt just in time to take with us to India tomorrow. The aches all over my body ,a very stiff neck (from start to finish- piecing ,quilting etc all in a day and half)are nothing compared to the relief at finally being able to cross this quilt off my list. I’m not joking when I say its like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I used this tute to make the pinwheels. I’m in love this method. I used 61/2” squares .Previously I had planned to make just a squares quilts and cut 61/2 “ squares.When I chanced upon this tutorial,I decided to use the same squares for the blocks. I loved how easy it was, not to mention my fascination with the pinwheel blocks
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It also seemed to capture A’s fun loving, carefree and happy personality………….plus I wanted to make up for the wait by doing something more than just a basic square quilt.The fabric in the quilt were all chosen by him. Some of them are not even quilting fabric but I kept them because he chose them.They all represent his fascinations ;bikes, football, music, Cars the movie, dogs,his one time fascination with fire and fire engines .
I did have a skateboard flannel for the backing, but decided to go with the bikes as I figured flannel might be too hot for him.
I used warm and natural low loft needled cotton no pre wash necessary batting which I absolutely adore and think is the best I have worked with so far. I guess that it made quilting that much more manageable and easier for me. This is the first big solo quilt that I’ve made.I had help for the one I made M from my teacher.
After piecing them,and attaching the border, I stitched in the ditch with the quilt top across the border and the pinwheels .This is basically what I did.
I thought I will be cured of my pinwheel addiction after this quilt, but the fact is I’ve fallen deeper into pinwheel pit and oh I totally get that quilt blessing “may your bobbins be always full “ now 
what I don’t get however is ,when I could finish this quilt in such a short time, why o why did I take so long to get to it earlier?
