Thanking Our Donors

In the beginning, two kids created thank you posters...

...and each kid signed their name on pieces of scrap paper...

...and when the time came, those thirty pieces of paper were taped onto each poster and given to our donors.

And here is the message from one of them:


"Thank you for your thank you. It was completely delightful. I can't tell you how much it means to us to get acknowledgement back from something we've done. We give donations very regularly, and we rarely hear back from people, so it's extra special to hear back from the kids. Thank you so much."


Our kids did well. Let yours know.

We filled it with...

As I've mentioned, the class wanted to fill our quilt with love, joy and happiness. In reality, our quilt  was filled with so much more. It became a silent partner, a witness to our children's daily lives.

And so, we filled it with...

...disco on the couch and breakdancing on the coffee table.

We filled it with...

...piles of blocks and dominoes...

...six slices of apple pie...

...and the energy and excitement of 30 kids.

(All of which look very much like the crazy patchwork theme.)

We filled it with...

...one boy surrounded by four girls...

...and his insistence that those girls complete the obstacle course he built for them.

There was also the time when one girl was with two boys. And in the middle of the project, she yanked off her ponytail with the sequined ribbon, threw her kitten sweater to the side, and said, "Let's wrestle!" (You go girl!) And in the middle of that wrestling match, she leaned against those boys, pinning them down to the couch with crossed arms and a big smile. (YOU GO GIRL!!!)

We filled it with...

...a meaningful fall time story...

...and gray winter mornings...

...and the many celebrations inbetween.

And a little too much goofing-off on the couch when there was work to be done.

But laughter was never far away.

We also filled it with a reckless injury while repurposing old socks: the machine sewed through my finger. And while it recovered, the quilt had to be set aside for two weeks.

Zombies 1; Quilt 0

We filled it with our children's imagination...

...of quilts as castles...

...and monsters...

...and parachutes.

We also filled it with curious locks of long, curly hair discovered while sweeping the floor...

...and the recognition of the culprit months later after reviewing the photos.

(The thread snippers always attract kids.)

We also filled it with the hope that our hard work and dedication will pay off.

And after all was done and nothing remained but some of the cotton batting that was clipped from around the quilt's edges...

...the quilt gave us repurposed stuffing...

...for five Valentine's Day hearts...

...of both kinds...

...and one with a clear message for those sock zombies.

Quilt 5; Zombies 1

Welcome to the Machine(s)

Behind the scenes, you might be surprised to learn there were three machines that built this quilt of ours.

The first machine is the modern-day Pfaff. It's the one with which you see all the kids sewing.

The second machine, quite by chance, made it's entrance for the denim border. The Pfaff, exhausted by the excitement and vigor of those many little hands, suddenly gave up. While it was in the repair shop, I pull out this beauty, a 1940's Singer:

(Check out the Art Deco detail)

(Okay, now check out these nails in the instruction manual; useless for me since it's in German.)

Built to perform like an industrial sewing machine, the Singer cuts through leather and thick fabrics like buddah (and, no, it's definitely not for kids).

The final machine made it's entrance for the quilting. It's a mid-century Stradivaro that's so rare, I call it The Yeti:

(Unlike the Singer, this one was made in Japan.)

(The Yeti, poised at the end of our kitchen table, ready to quilt.)

I collect sewing machines like other people collect sports cars. And believe me, these machines were very fun drives. I'm grateful that the the quilt gave me the opportunity to use them.

The Homestretch

My son and I made the bias tape for the binding...

...and I'm handstitching as fast as my fingers can go.

And I've discovered that Levis 501's are very durable.

(Blasted Levis.)

Tomorrow, quilt supermodel will be laundered twice at the laundromat before heading out to its photoshoot.

More to come...

Beast Sandwich

Finally--finally--the moment had arrived to quilt the layers of our creation. There was the front crazy patchwork, the organic cotton batting and the backing with the heart. This sandwich would require patience and time, and I was ready for the challenge.

Originally, I had other ideas for how to quilt the beast, but since I had never quilted before, free-motion seemed to be the logical choice. It's simple. It's quaint. And more importantly, there's lots of room for error.

Basically, free-motion quilting is one giant scribble of thread. However, I didn't realize that scribbling with different thicknesses of fabric would burn through needles. I constantly adjusted the thread tension, but I still busted needles. I busted so many, I considered wearing goggles to protect my eyes from the flying metal pieces, some as small as glitter. I busted so many, it became ridiculous. And when things became desperate, I pulled needles off my other machines. And then when things became really desperate, I rifled through my stash of vintage machine parts and found a blessed stash in an unopened packet:

I busted so many needles, I decided to keep a tally. Our quilt burned through:

20 quilting needles
5 leather needles
13 denim needles
11 universal needles
4 vintage needles

That's a lot of needles. Thankfully, many of them were donated by a man at the machine repair shop who might have felt sorry for me.

But you can't feel sorry about this:

(my feet for scale)

The front? Be patient, we're still not done...

Wearing It on our Sleeve

In the most sincere way, the heart worked itself back into our quilt. Two boys crafted the message and one girl helped to appliqué it on the back.

And here is what it says:

This quilt was invented and made by Mr. McKie's class at Ainsworth Elementary. We dedicate it to all the kids of the world and to friends and family and to people who don't have a blanket or quilt. If you find this quilt laying on the ground, please donate it to the Oregon Historical Society Museum. To look at the kids who made it, search on the internet: www.schoolhousequilt.blogspot.com. Created on December 20th 2012 by:

Adhi, Amy, Annika, Ayler, Carver, Eliseo, Eowyn, Erin, Isabella, Nigel, Niku, Lise, 
Lucy, Charley, Eli, Elsa, Ella, Hanna, Helena, Henry, Jordan, Max, Megan, Miya, Phoebe, Quincy, Samuel, 
Trotter, Ursula, Vivienne