Living in the Northeast, I find we all tend to wish the winter away just a bit longer, knowing all along that she's coming whether we like it or not. So my dear hubby has been business getting the firewood stacked while I have been winterizing the indoors and cleaning leaves. We live in the northern Catskill Mountains and our seasons change much sooner then the lower lying areas around us. Our fall colors are probably the best I have ever seen, but they are long gone and the black and white world of winter has arrived. There's even snow in the forecast!
Because of this black and white world we have to spend 6 months in, I had decided I would make a warm, cozy quilt. It had to be full of color, bright and happy. I had seen rag quilts in a few stores, but they all had a color theme. I wanted something that was really going to jump out and say "Hey look at me!". So I decided on all bright colored flannels, some prints, some solids, but the theme had to be bright. So off I went to the store and happened to find a spectacular sale on flannels. I shopped and shopped and shopped till I had what I thought would be enough.
Now I don't know how many others suffer from my syndrome, but it seems that when I start out on a project it all seems do-able. But it never stays small for long. Before I knew it, the crazy little voice in my head decided it needed to be a king size rag quilt, so that no drafty backs or cold necks would plague use during the winter. So what started out as a" I want to try making a rag quilt", turned into a king size monster.
I cut and cut and cut some more. Did the math, thought I had it all figured. I found myself getting bored with the whole project, but stuck with it. It was so big, that I could only plan one row at a time. After each row was sewn together, I would lay that one out and then plan my second row. This went on for what seemed like forever. Finally the construction phase was complete. Ah, but just when there seemed to be light at the end of the rag quilt tunnel, the cutting still had to be done. I clipped and clipped. I clipped so much that I had a welt on the fingers that go in the scissors and had to break the process down into a couple of days. Finally finished! Now for the washing. One of the most important tips I had learned while purchasing the flannel for this quilt was how and where to wash it. While having all my fabric measured and cut, the store assistant asked what I wash making. When I told her a rag quilt, she told me that when I was done, make sure to take it to the laundromat to launder it. Use one of those big machines so that it really gets agitated. The real plus to this advise was the fact that she had met so many people who had destroyed their home machines with all the bits of string that work free from the fringe. So I pass this tidbit of info on to all those who someday find themselves making the monster rag quilt.
