Let me start off by saying that for the past week and half I have been sneaking around, trying to hide the fact that I’m working on a quilt for my husband’s anniversary gift. It has not been easy, since my husband and I both work from home. Finally, yesterday he had to go out of town for the day, which gave me a few hours to sew all of my blocks together! It felt soooo good to get this done. Now I know I will be able to finish it! This quilt is not for our bed, it’s just a snuggle on couch kind of quilt just for him.
I have more quilting pictures to show you, but before I do, let me share with you a little about our marriage and the man that I’m married to. The picture below was taken in New York 19 years ago on May 17,1997. I grew up in Long Island, NY. He grew up in the state of Washington. It was an east meets west kind of wedding. A colliding of worlds really. On one side of the reception hall we had hippies and cowboys and on the other side were many bedazzled women standing beside men with strong smelling cologne. Reflecting on that dynamic of our wedding still makes me laugh.
My husband (Todd) has been and continues to be a loyal and supportive husband for all these years, but best of all he’s been my best friend through it all. Being married to your best friend still takes work, but somehow after 19 years, even their imperfections feel like home.
Not to brag, but I married a very talented man. I remember back in 2002 we bought some property in WA and he said “I want to build our house.” And I remember laughing. Why would I laugh, you ask? Well because he never built a house before. It just didn’t seem reasonable to attempt to build a house when you have zero experience at it. Well, four months later, look what he built us!
With this view day after day.
We no longer live in this home, but when I look back I still can’t believe what he did. He has such a creative mind, and whatever he puts his mind to, he does it with all of his might. That’s just how he is. Fast forward to year 2010, he said “I want to become a sculptor”. Now he is selling beautiful bronze sculptures in Scottsdale, AZ and Santa Fe, NM in high end galleries!
For this anniversary I wanted to make something special just for him. He is always making things for me. Just this spring he built me an amazing little green house out of recycled windows he had been collecting. Needless to say, I was once again beside myself at not only how capable he is, but how loving and kind he is towards me.
Some guys give their wives flowers, which is so beautiful. My husband rarely if ever buys me flowers, but he makes and does whatever I ask him to do. Quite honestly it took me a few years to figure this out, but that’s how he expresses his love for me. It is equivalent to a bouquet of flowers, except I keep enjoying his gifts year after year!
Let’s talk about the quilt now! I thought about designing my own quilt, but time was of the essence, so I thought it would be best to go with something that has already been figured out. I decided I wanted a quilt that would be no smaller than 60″x 80″, quick, and interesting to look at in the end. I searched Pinterest night after night, looking for just the right pattern. Then along came the Gather ‘Round quilt pattern by Bonjour Quilts. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one!
The instructions for cutting and assembly were very clear. I had to read it and study it well to ensure that I would not screw up the quilt, and it paid off. The whole quilt came together like magic! I would highly recommend Bonjour quilts to anyone.
While I definitely enjoy designing patterns, sometimes it’s such a treat to just have someone else tell me what to do! Following someone else’s pattern is like being on vacation for me.
So at this point, I only have the quilt top sewn together. Over the next week I will get it finished up. I will post finished pictures of the quilt on Instagram and possible in my newsletter as soon as I can.
Have ever made an anniversary quilt? Tell me about it in the comments below!