Handprint Auction Quilt

Since beginning my quilting adventure this summer, I have actually completed two quilts.  The first quilt I finished was made for the church auction that supports the preschool where I teach.  Every year we create a project for this auction.  One year we made a picnic table with the students handprints, last year we made a chalkboard with their handprints.  Naturally this year I made a quilt with their handprints.

I designed the quilt myself (if you want to call it that) with 8" blocks, alternating handprints with prints from the Old McDonald collection by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Fabrics.  I chose the Old McDonald collection for two reasons.  1. It's adorable and I love the color scheme.  2.  I teach in a rural area, if my students don't live on a farm, their grandparents do.

We made the students' handprints with fabric paint and I crudely embroidered their names on their squares.  There was also a square with the class name and year.  Piecing was a breeze and so was creating the sandwich.

Now comes the best part.  I needed to quilt it.  I had studied tutorial after tutorial about free motion quilting and I was confident I could do it.  The only question was could my cheap, old, beat up machine handle it.  The answer was no.  It was the weekend before the auction and I needed to get the quilt done.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  I honestly felt like crying.

Right now you're wondering, how is this the best part?  Here it comes!  My husband tells me to go buy a new machine.  Not a cheap one from Wal-Mart, but a really nice machine.  Of course, living in rural Iowa quilt shops are few and far between, but I knew there was a good one that sold Bernina's about 30 minutes from home.

I researched Bernina's that Sunday and Monday afternoon when I was done with preschool, I went and bought a machine.  I started quilting that night.  I never wanted it to end.  Anyway, the quilt turned out great and even better it made $500 at the auction.  I would like to say it was my great quilting ability but I know the truth, those handprints are priceless.