Quilt of the year.

My fingers are sore this morning from removing what felt like 90 kajillion safety pins from the quilt I'm trying to finish. I have the binding sewn to the quilt top so all that's left is to whip stitch it to the back of the quilt and, after a wash to make sure it all stays together, it will be done. It's been a year in the making.

I started a quilting class last fall at Intown Quilters here in Decatur, GA. It's one of the best, if not THE best fabric shop, I've ever been to. I'd always wanted to learn to quilt (shocker - let's just add it to the list) so I was excited when I learned they offered classes. Beginners Machine Quilting 101 here I come! There were three sessions of I think 4 hours each. We started with cutting and piecing, learning how to properly press our seams and join our pieces so that everything lined up just right. We moved on to sandwiching and the actual quilting part. Binding was the last class but I had to miss it. My stepfather Chas, who my mother had dated since I was in 5th grade, had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in August 2007. A year and a few months later, during which time he and my mother finally married after more than 20 years, he was finally letting go. Being there for my mother was more important than learning how to finish a quilt.

That was the weekend before Thanksgiving last year. Early that Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, Chas passed away at home.

I have a goal to finish this quilt before Thanksgiving. I will stay focused on just this quilt, for once. I'll sew my fingers to the bone if I have to. For my mother more than anyone, it's been a year of "firsts" - and this month has been hitting her hard. Just like being with her was more important than learning how to bind, focusing on finishing the quilt is more important to me than flitting around from one thing to another. I can, and will willingly, put my erratic behavior aside in order to complete this one project, if only to commemorate a year of life without Chas.

It's been a hard year for all of us. Maybe this quilt will give us all a little warmth and comfort as the second year begins.