My First Quilt!

This Encore Bride is a firm believer in giving experiences as gifts instead of "things" however, with Mr. Encore's impending deployment I knew there will be no time for any travel plans for Christmas. Instead I remembered how Mr. E fondly recalled the memories of his grandmother hand quilting when he was growing up. I decided to make him a quilt just in case it got a little cooler at night and that green Army blanket wasn't enough to keep him warm. It took me about 40 hours to finish (8 alone to cut the fabric!)

The blocks are finished and the border is set.

(click pictures to enlarge)

Here is a picture of it completed, please excuse the poor lighting on these pictures.

The back of the quilt, you can't see it but there is a custom silk label on the corner with his name, a scripture and my name.

This is what he found when he opened his last present on Christmas, I had a blue ribbon and bow around it inside of the box.

I never dreamed that he would be so touched by the quilt! Due to his deployment I could only give him things he could use and take with him; an iTunes giftcard, movies, hi-tech watch, calendar, custom letterpress stationery with his rank and name, a control remote Army tank (just for kicks) and the quilt.

He knew I'd been working very hard on this quilt and I had to tell him a "white" lie so he wouldn't know it was for him, when he opened the box and saw the quilt he was in shock. He took the quilt with us to his family (we did Christmas at home before we left for his family) and made sure to tell everyone about it.

The quilt is not perfect, it was my first and although I've been sewing a very long time I never made one before. Due to the prints I chose I realized after I started that it would take a while to cut as all the prints needed to be matched (the guitars, diagonal lines, linear prints, etc.) In the end I'm so glad it turned out well and all of my efforts paid off, it was a hit and is currently somewhere in the Middle East keeping my honey warm as I write this.

In the process I learned to never underestimate the appreciation for giving someone your time as you create something for them, small or large, it is the thought and effort that counts. Did you make any handmade gifts this season? Did people react as you expected once they saw them?

Update: Just received this picture from Mr. E, I can only imagine the looks he's getting!