It's Going To Be HUGE

Bets and I are dusting off Big Bertha and starting to finish a quilt that I have been commissioned to do...years ago, right before Mark's dad passed, then my dad has had issues with his bladder cancer and then there was the little broken arm thing and rehab.  We have tried to do bits and pieces for a long time.  But now, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we will be working on this HUGE monster every Wednesday until it is finished.

Steve found me from my blog.  The man knows what he wants and how he wants it.  Now if can just deliver.  One of my issues has been that I have been so scared to cut one of the t-shirts to make it fit the 12 inch square.  Simply because if I messed it up there was no way on God's green earth to replace it.  It made we sweat just thinking about it.

Each of the t-shirts represents a marathon in each state (50 of them) that Steve finished a marathon in under 4 hours! Impressive indeed.  We figured and then re-figured.  It will be a little over a queen size quilt once we get it finished.

Last Wed we started.  We made sure that the squares were all 12 squares, made sure the backing was secure, made sure we had them in the right order, and this week I will be figuring how much black sashing and backing fabric to buy.

We stacked then and rechecked them.

We made sure one more time that the t-shirt squares were square and in the right order.

Then the lights went out!  SERIOUSLY, right at the very critical part of cutting the t-shirt to fit.  We figured and re-figured.  We even made a pattern from newspaper.  We cut and re-cut.

Then it was time.  We were positive after many discussions that we had it right.  My right are isn't as strong as it should be yet so I asked Betsy if she would cut for me.

We laid the quilt out on the floor and measured two inches around each square for the sashing.

And then the lights came on!

Now, I know that some of you quilters are multiplying rows up and rows down...there are actually 56 squares.  One front for each state and then a few backs of the t-shirts.  And one in training t-shirt.  This is BY FAR the largest quilt I (we) have ever attempted.  Wish us luck.  

Bets and I are dusting off Big Bertha and starting to finish a quilt that I have been commissioned to do...years ago, right before Mark's dad passed, then my dad has had issues with his bladder cancer and then there was the little broken arm thing and rehab.  We have tried to do bits and pieces for a long time.  But now, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we will be working on this HUGE monster every Wednesday until it is finished.

Steve found me from my blog.  The man knows what he wants and how he wants it.  Now if can just deliver.  One of my issues has been that I have been so scared to cut one of the t-shirts to make it fit the 12 inch square.  Simply because if I messed it up there was no way on God's green earth to replace it.  It made we sweat just thinking about it.

Each of the t-shirts represents a marathon in each state (50 of them) that Steve finished a marathon in under 4 hours! Impressive indeed.  We figured and then re-figured.  It will be a little over a queen size quilt once we get it finished.

Last Wed we started.  We made sure that the squares were all 12 squares, made sure the backing was secure, made sure we had them in the right order, and this week I will be figuring how much black sashing and backing fabric to buy.

We stacked then and rechecked them.

We made sure one more time that the t-shirt squares were square and in the right order.

Then the lights went out!  SERIOUSLY, right at the very critical part of cutting the t-shirt to fit.  We figured and re-figured.  We even made a pattern from newspaper.  We cut and re-cut.

Then it was time.  We were positive after many discussions that we had it right.  My right are isn't as strong as it should be yet so I asked Betsy if she would cut for me.

We laid the quilt out on the floor and measured two inches around each square for the sashing.

And then the lights came on!

Now, I know that some of you quilters are multiplying rows up and rows down...there are actually 56 squares.  One front for each state and then a few backs of the t-shirts.  And one in training t-shirt.  This is BY FAR the largest quilt I (we) have ever attempted.  Wish us luck.