Alleluiah!

At precisely 5pm today, Saturday 26 May 2012, the final thread end was tucked away into the quilt batting! Having been washed in the washing machine on a delicate cycle with delicates washing liquid and then spun at 400 then 800 then 1000 - I would definitely from this moment on only spin it at 200 or 400 not more - I then placed it in the dryer on low cotton - then read the batting label which said DO NOT TUMBLE DRY - so ran to dryer and rescued it! Then lay it flat on my banquet style sewing and cutting tables and am praying it will be dry by the morning!

Care Label:  wash on a short 'delicate' or 'hand wash' cycle at 30 degrees no more, spin on lowest spin, DO NOT TUMBLE DRY but dry quilts flat.  When the quilt is barely damp, it can be placed in a dryer on 'air' or 'refresh' or similar for a few minutes to fluff and soften the batting and fabrics - like fluffing up a cushion, no more.

That's that!

When I had tucked in the last thread end, I threw my hands to Heaven and said 'Thank you, Jesus!' as my thank offering, then I shouted down to Paul who was leaving for Evening Prayer: 'It's finished!' - 'Good!', he replied.  Then I phoned my mom and told her the news then I phoned and texted Roz, then I phoned Sally (a dear friend) and said please pray for the quilt - it's in the washing machine - she prayed there and then for it and asked God to protect it.  Then I phoned my mom again to chat a little, and then finally, I celebrated the triumph with a slice of toast with butter and marmite followed by a glace cherry - in honour of my family!  Our favourite snack at home was toast, butter, bovril (I now prefer marmite) and my gran always kept glace cherries in the fridge for baking, but every now and then we could eat one for a treat!

Here's to all mothers! And women who bake and sew! Cheers! I'm clincking my tea-cup against the saucer! Honest!

PS: The dates on the quilt indicate when the fabric was bought and ready for cutting and then when the quilting process was completed. (I felt that tucking in the thread ends didn't really count and besides I needed to sew in the dates first, and then get round to tucking in the thread ends. Make sense?)