Stars and Stones Quilt - a fourteen year project

When I was a very young wife, I spent a bit of my free time delving headlong into quilting.  I made a bunch of mad blocks before I realized that I really prefer a bit more order, and I started some blocks for this quilt, generally, before I knew what it would be in the end.  Those blocks, all red, blue and brown, are still floating around in my stash, somewhere.  Some of them were sawtooth stars and some were Job's Troubles, and all of them were pretty scrappy; it was going to be for my dad, who served in the military, including a bit at Arlington National Cemetery.  While I was still sorting out my style, back in the 00s, I spotted a quilt on a blog or in a magazine, called Stepping Stones, or perhaps Stars and Stones, and I knew that was what I was working toward.  I have long since lost the location of that image but it is an easy concept, especially having a few of each block done.  

The oldest digital picture I can locate is from February of 2008 but I believe I started the oldest blocks several years earlier, before I had kids! Here is an early picture where I was trying out the layout and figuring how many more blocks I would need, and of which colors.  

By September of 2008, I had most of my blocks made: 

By March of 2009 I had most, maybe all, of the blocks done, and sorted into rows and marked with pins in Roman numerals.  Thank goodness!  That saved me time later, when I went back to figure out what was left to do.  

In July, I had begun to sew rows together. 

Then I started knitting, and my quilting really stalled out.  To be completely honest with you, I have a few other quilts that need finishing, and this top has since been added to and is ready for basting.   

I visited the Loopy Ewe in Ft. Collins and purchased backing and bias fabric for two quilts.  They have since closed the quilt side of their business and changed ownership.  It's been a few years!  

Meanwhile, my dad had a few of brushes with death; every time, I thought, "He is going to die and never see his quilt."  I know, it's not the most important thing, but it represented to me how we spend time on good intentions that never come to fruition.  A few years ago, I wrote it down as a goal to finish the quilts for my parents, and when the knitting world changed in 2019, I knew it was time to switch gears.  I had enough batting in my stash to finish this one, the smaller of the two, and I basted it using some 2x4s on my kitchen table.  I had seen this method on a video somewhere, and never could find the exact video again, but I knew the general concept and found some similar instructions.  

Along comes 2020 and we all had more time at home, so I pulled this out and started the quilting with the intent of chipping away at it until it was complete!  In progress:  

Apparently Stitch the cat even put in a few stitches - ha ha!

Just when I thought I was rounding the last lap, I would decide it needed a little more stitching in these blocks, and a bit more per inch in those blocks.  Oh and at some point I offered to embroider everyone's names in the centers of the "stones" (momentary lapse of reason on my part, I don't even embroider!).  My dad suggested names of God, instead, so... I was committed to that, too, and put it off until the end because like I just said, I don't embroider.  And then I lost his list and had to track that down.  

The backing looks to me like dirty mattress ticking, but I don't mind it; it was THE only fabric I found that fit the colors and style.  I used it also for the binding.  I forgot to make a separate label, and by the time I was done with all the embroidering, I was over it, and kept the labeling simple.  I washed it in the machine, yes I did.  I want it to be able to be used, and I feel that if I give a quilt with a washed look, then owner will never feel like they ruined it if they wash it and it looks like it did when they received it.  Some of the reds did bleed, but luckily only on the back and I showed my mom so that she wouldn't worry.   

October 2022: finished!!  There are 81 8-inch blocks, the quilt is 72" square.  Every stitch - pieced block, quilting, embroidery, baste, bias, all of it by hand.  All of the quilting and embroidery was done free-hand.  I never did nail down a good method for marking on the quilt.  Mostly, I enjoyed the hand stitching, but it does take a looooong time.  

Thank you for following along, it has been a joyful journey and I was finally able to give it to my dad last month.  Hopefully my next quilt finish won't take another fourteen years!  

What's your longest work-in-progress?