Where does the time go...the Making of a T-shirt Quilt

OMG…..where does the time go? It has been sew long since my last post. I have been busy with life… and….sewing custom orders…and…sewing gifts, and…oh yeah the kitchen makeover. Let's save the kitchen makeover for another post, shall we?

Where does the time go has a double meaning here. One of the projects that I worked on since my last post was a gift for our Godchild, Rachel. Our Godchild is getting married! Holy crap, when did she get old enough to get married? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were all in Vermont and she was being carried in a backpack? OMG…talk about time flying.

McStevie and I met Wayne and Carolyn when we moved into our first house - it was instant bonding. Carolyn was pregnant for her first child, Jordan and we enjoyed being rowdy next door neighbors for about 5 years. Then they moved…and we moved right behind them…only…in different directions. Rachel and her family live in Connecticut now…almost 7 hours away from us. Needless to say we don’t see that much of each other and there was a bit of a gap for several years. No drama, no big fights, just life taking its course in both families. Funny how life is like that, you kinda lose track without wanting or meaning to…it’s just one of those things that happens to many of us at one time or another with friendships.

We got reconnected in 2003 when Rachel and her Mom came to visit us in the summer a few years ago and we did some touristy things like visiting nearby Bolt Castle on the St. Lawrence River. (sidenote: The creation of Bolt Castle is an interesting but tragic love story, you can read about it here.) It was a fun weekend.

Rachel, Carolyn, daughter Mandy and Me "stormin" the castle!

Fast forward a few years and McStevie and I are visiting Rachel and family in Connecticut in July 2009 to celebrate the birthdays of Rachel’s Mom, Carolyn and her brother, Jordan.  Very convenient that their birthdays are only one day apart…and yes he’s the one that was in the oven at the beginning of this story…and yes...that makes me feel old…pffft. Oh, and, BONUS, we get to meet Ed, Rachel’s fiancé, a sweetie, good going Rachel!  During this visit Rachel tells me she has always wanted a T-shirt quilt and has been saving her t-shirts.  She would pay me to make her one. No rush…no rush..no pressure. We sort out all the t-shirts and I bring them home in a huge bag and look in the sewing cave for storage for them…until it’s time..say a couple a months from now. Right. From then on at least every other time I entered my sewing “woman cave” I would have the following thoughts:

~No rush, no rush, no pressure.

~You really need to pull out those t-shirts and have a look. Not now…you crazy woman…you are making (insert any pregnant woman’s name here) baby quilt. I believe I made   6-8 baby quilts in that span of time.

~No rush, no rush, no pressure.

~I’m gonna see how many t-shirts I have and get a plan together. No you are not…you ARE gonna get that custom order out for (insert any name here) because you need the money for (insert any fun fabric or quilt tool here).

And so it goes, the guilt mounting with every month that went by.

Several months ago an announcement arrives for Rachel’s bridal shower. I sheepishly walk over to the huge storage container of t-shirts and take off the top, and promptly put it back on again. Yeah, this is a bad idea…for right now. A month passes. I’m in the middle of 5 things and I go to the container and begin to separate the t-shirts and I start to get a plan…a vision. Do I have enough time now? My guilt instincts kick in and I’m off to the races. Cutting and planning, happily seeing an end to a means.

And then it happens.

Somewhere between writhing from the pain of cutting into Rachel’s brownie uniform to searching for her name on her high school senior t-shirt….it hits me.  It's like I am “with her” as she is in grade school, high school and college thru these t-shirts. I get a sense of nostalgia mixed with a big heap of love, that somehow I WAS there…sort of…indirectly….call it KARMA or whatever you want…but it sure felt right…and the timing was right…and it all just fell together…just right.  I was all warm and squishy.

Then…it became a race to try to get it finished so I could send it as her shower gift….a gift from Aunt Cindy to my little...getting married now...Godchild...Rachel. And…I…almost…made it. So close. One day late…or was it two? No matter…she was HAPPY to get it  and told me she was curling up in it when we spoke. (I heart texting and facebook.) Mission accomplished…and again...warm and squishy.

So, in a month she will be a Mrs. and I am very proud of the wonderful woman she has become.  I love you Rachel and I am honored to be your Godmother. We wish you all the happiness in the world.    Can't wait to party!  Smooches.

Click on the pics for a close-up.

T-shirt cuttings

Quilt Front

Quilt Back w/more T-shirts