Learning to live: First quilting project=success!!

I completed my first big sewing project--two quilts for the boys!! I am pretty proud of myself because I taught myself how to sew with a machine...and I think the quilts turned out pretty good :) The whole process was very bittersweet because it reminded me of two very important ladies who are no longer in my life.

Andrew's mom passed away almost 4 years ago (this December) after a courageous battle with breast cancer. I wanted her to see her first grandchild (and all of her grandchildren!) so badly, but after 3.5 years of infertility...we are finally bringing her first grandsons into the world. I just wish she was able to see and hold these babies in her arms! I know she is looking down on us with a huge smile and is so proud of the daddy that Andrew has become! These boys are so lucky to have Andrew as a daddy and we can give credit to Cynthia...because she was a great mom and raised Andrew to be such an incredible man! I want the boys to know that their Grandma was an amazing woman...with many, many talents!!!

After Cynthia passed away I inherited her big sewing machine with the intention of learning how to sew. My Aunt Jan was an amazing quilter so I asked her if she would teach me how to sew on Cynthia's machine. Unfortunately, time passed by and I never made it up to Wisconsin to get my sewing lesson and Aunt Jan passed away this past March from her battle with pancreatic cancer. I felt extremely guilty after she passed away because I never took the time to learn from her.....I should've made time....and now it's too late! Also, my Aunt Jan made quilts for each "first-born" child in each of her nieces and nephews families....and since I wasn't pregnant yet...we didn't have one :( I was the only niece or nephew without a quilt from her so I made it a mission to teach myself how to sew the quilts she made. I looked up directions online and made two "rag quilts" for the boys' crib bedding. I think Cynthia and Jan would be proud and I know that whenever I hold the babies in their blankets...I will be thinking of them!

I started the quilts a while ago and I am glad that I did because my bulging belly is making it harder and harder to do things. There were many days that I would cry (blame the hormones) because I couldn't figure out how to thread the machine (Andrew would save the day!) or I would be overtaken with emotion thinking about how much I wish Cynthia and Jan were here to help me. Eventually though....they were complete! And each quilt only took me about a week to do so it wasn't too bad at all.

I couldn't find any fabric that I liked so I ended up using 3 different packages of receiving blankets. Each quilt uses 7 different patterns of fabrics. Here are the final products! What do you think???

Quilt #1