It's been a long time coming, this monkey quilt for my little monkey.
He sat on my lap and picked out the fabric months ago. I even let him loose in the quilt store where he chose a few more fat quarters to make it extra special.
We worked together, just the two of us, to lay it all out, number each row, and pin the rows together. After that, he sat on my lap and sewed every. Single. Square.
We celebrated every time he opened two squares to see they were sewn together. He could hardly stand waiting for me to iron a row so he could go show it to his dad. Each row. 8 times. We worked on it a little here and a little there, because the attention span of a four year old only lasts so long. The same could be said for his mother's patience. ;-)
He wanted it to be a "'C' - You're Adorable" quilt, just like his brothers. So he drew a C, (the letter he does best) but not just any C, a bubble letter C. This took some serious concentration. And a very, very long time. He was so very proud of his C. After I traced it onto fusible web and stitched it on the quilt top, he was literally jumping up and down.
He helped me pin the borders and sew them on. He helped me tape it to the kitchen floor and baste it with safety pins while he told me stories about his pre-school adventures. He went to bed (grouchily) so I could stipple it and put the binding on. You see, stippling is not the best idea with a 4 year old on your lap.
He helped me hand stitch the binding. He was so excited to finish, that he unthreaded the needle each time he helped me pull it through.
This quilt took longer to make than any other quilt I've ever made. Ever.
He loves it.
I am not writing this post so you can tell me I'm a great mother. I am definitely not writing this post because I believe I am a great mother. I am writing this post because quite honestly, I never want to forget that once upon a time, my little monkey was small enough to sit on my lap and sew.
And that he loved it.
