Suprises are the best... sometimes

I feel as though it has been months since my last post.  Over the last two weeks I have been in the hospital several times - not for me.  My grandfather began bleeding internally and he was rushed to the hospital.  We were told that there was not much chance he would be ok.  They put him in the ICU (as they no longer perform surgery for his type of bleed) and tried to stop the bleeding with medicines, blood, and plasma.  Let me tell you, those chairs in the ICU waiting room are rough.  Through many prayers and loving thoughts - He got to go home!!!  They stopped the bleeding and he is doing well.  He is still a bit weak, but he is also still here.  So, WIN!

Then 5 days later - my mom had surgery.  This was scheduled and she is fine and at home now as well, but I feel as though I have been living in a hospital for weeks. 

But I did complete something...Hard to believe, I know.

I finished my granny square quilt!!!  

(you can read previous posts here and here)

I have wanted to make one for awhile...but other than that want, I never had a reason to do so.  Then my mother told me that my next quilt had to be for my grandmother.  At first I just sighed.  I knew she was right, but I had been looking around for fabric and patterns that I thought my grandmother would like...but I never found anything. 

I decided on the granny square because it wasn't too modern for my grandmother and it was something I wanted to try. So with a "deadline" I set out to find the right fabric.  Of course I found out fairly quick that I didn't know what that was.  My mother told me that her favorite color was green.  What??!  Her house is FULL of purple and that is all that I had been looking at.  But before I even started looking for greens, I found myself at JoAnn's staring at Denyse Schmidt prints - in purple and blue.  No green, lol.  (Specifically Blossom Reel, Croquet, and a few others I'm not sure the name of.) And then...I searched for green.  I only found one print and settled for it.
I was worried.  I knew that I loved the prints and colors, but I just wasn't sure it would be loved by others. 
But I got started anyway.  I LOVED the way it started to come together.  Once I pieced the top together I went searching for a border and backing.  I found the fabulous green (moda - flats diamond rings) and It was perfect and fell in love with botanica sketch earth for the back.

The binding was hand stitched on (perfect for those nights in the hospital with my mother).  It is a moda bella color that I got from my local quilt shop.
And I quilted it with a free motion meander stitch and Aurifil!  First timer - its amazing.  But I did have plenty of trouble quilting at the beginning.  Perhaps I had to get used to the Aurifil and perhaps it was just a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  But i finished it up and love the crinkle.
I wanted to give this to my grandmother for her birthday - her birthday is in September.  She will be 83 years old.  I could not wait till then - So I gave it to her on Tuesday!

She said she was shocked.  She never would have guessed I was going to give her a quilt.  She was thrilled that I used white (apparently I never used white, huh).  And that she thinks it is the most beautiful thing I have ever made.  (So I am pretty sure she likes it, lol).  Then we sat there for 30 minutes while she looked at each and every block, picked out a favorite, and smiled the whole time.
I couldn't have guessed (or wanted) a better reaction.  I love her!

*I have decided to call this quilt Spring Breeze.  It makes me think of those spring days when you walk outside and the wind is blowing scents of honeysuckle and flowers your way (you know the 2-3 times it's not blowing pollen your way.  lol). 

- Katelyn