Hive 2 June Blocks - Finished Quilt!

Love Letters Quilt

Hi, this is Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl. I wanted to send along my gratitude to Stash Bee Hive 2 and a few extra friends who shipped me quilt blocks when I was queen bee in June. I was so delighted to finish the quilt and gift it to my husband on Tuesday afternoon. He loves to be the first to pull a quilt out of the dryer and pet its soft (and warm) crinkly, cuddly goodness for the first time. When he called to let me know he was on his way home from work (about a 30 minute commute away), I put the quilt in the dryer, poured a large cup of orange juice (his favorite beverage), and set the juice and a love letter I made for him tucked inside a handmade envelope made out of a coloring page we colored together on top of the dryer. Trust me, he knew immediately what was happening when he walked in the door.

The genesis of idea for this quilt was based on the envelopes my husband always makes to tuck love letters, notes, and birthday cards into for me. He typically uses old maps or found / recycled paper and a small selection of the envelopes I have saved from him over the years are shown below.

I had hoped that the Love Letters Block tutorial I put together was going to create a beautiful and meaningful quilt to gift to my husband, and my bee mates and friends did not disappoint. The quilt is awesome, and my husband told me that he thinks it is really awesome that so many people contributed to make this quilt a reality. He asked me to pass on his thanks to you. :)

The back of the quilt is just as fantastic as the top. I had made 8 blocks myself, but I only needed to use 5 of my blocks to piece the top, which finished at 64.5-inches wide by 80.5-inches long. With 3 left over blocks, the grouping of 4 smaller blocks sent by Chelsea @Patch the Giraffe, and a handful of extra HSTs and triangles also sent along by my bee mates, it was quick and fun to put together a pieced backing.

Per my husband’s request, I quilted with a dense back and forth line, inserting love notes into each envelope (well, he did not request the love notes be quilted in).

I know first hand how wonderful it can feel when someone you love, trust, or respect tells you kind and true things about yourself. I am so glad I quilted in some long lasting thoughts and loving energy into the quilt for my husband, and I hope he feels these loving thoughts when he uses the quilt.

I used 50wt Aurifil 2620 (stainless steel) to quilt and bind the quilt. We auditioned several thread choices and colors, and my husband liked the stainless steel the best. It doesn’t hurt that he spends his days at work designing parts out of stainless steel for prototype aircraft…

Quilt Statistics

• Finished Flimsy: 64.5-inches wide by 80.5-inches long
• After Quilting / Binding: 64-inches wide by 78-inches long (3% shrinkage)
• After First Wash: 60-inches wide by 74-inches long (8% shrinkage)

Including myself, 14 people contributed to the creation of this quilt. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed; I am so glad to have made a quilt with so much meaning for my husband.