my Ice Cream Soda quilt top!

Oh. my. gosh. This quilt top is finished people. FINISHED!

That’s four and half years of meditative hand stitching. So many moments, so many journeys, changes and dreams.

This quilt is a time capsule, connecting me with looooong threads to our South Carolina life, where I cut out the first pieces for stitching on the train and plane for our big move abroad. Its last trip was when Elora and I traveled with my boyfriend and his son to France during fall break last month. I knew that I would take this quilt places, but I sure never saw that coming.

When I was pulling out papers and stitching on the final edge pieces, I didn’t really want to finish it. I didn’t want it to end. But it did, and I accept that. I finished the quilt top off with a mitered border this weekend. And, yes, I am already thinking about my next English paper piecing quilt. There will be a next.

Have you been dreaming about sewing an Ice Cream Soda quilt? Do it! Pattern designer Jodi Godfrey of Tales of Cloth is hosting a 2024 sew-along, which you won’t want to miss. Get the details here. Enjoy every stitch!