Monday, October 5, 2009

Lets Get Started>>>



Today is the first day of my blog. I wanted to keep track of the quilts I am making and am going to make. I have sewn since high school, mostly garments and patchwork. In the early 1990's I took a class on Strip Quilting and this is where I learned all about a cutting mat, rotary cutter and a much faster way to piece my projects. It was at about this time that I had visited a local quilt show (first time) and was amazed at all the beautiful quilts on display. I decided at that time that I wanted to learn how to make something that was not only beautiful but also functional as well. A quilt.

I was a single mother back then and my children were getting more involved in activities in school and just growing up.

Quilting got set aside until last year my oldest daughter became pregnant with her first child. I decided I wanted to make something special for this new grandbaby. A woman I worked with at the time, who was a quilter, gave me a pattern called Magic Nine Patch to make a baby quilt. I put it together in soft flannels with christmas themes. I had never worked with flannel before and learned a lot with that baby quilt.
 My grandson Grant was born Dec 30, 2008 and I presented him with my first official quilt. It was really called a comforter since I had tied it instead of quilting it. Unfortunately flannel has to have a finished edge or be double stitched in order to keep from raveling. I didn't find that out until my daughter washed her comforter for the first time and the border separated from that body. I was so disappointed, but learned a valuable lesson.

It was on Dec 31, 2008 that I found out that I was going to be a grandma again as my second daughter announced that she and her husband were now pregnant with their first child. This was going to be a summer baby so no flannel for this one. My daughter and I worked on her baby quilt together. I wanted to teach her how to use her sewing machine and give her some tips on sewing.

Well she took to sewing right off and made her curtains for the baby room and a ruffle for the baby crib. Together we made a Magic Nine Patch baby quilt and this one I had quilted by a professional.

So up to this point I have a pieced quilt top from my strip quilting class back in the '90's that I call my "Quilt for Jesus" - the pattern is called Burgoyne Surrounded. I have completed one baby comforter (that needs to be repaired), one baby quilt (quilted by a professional), another quilt (queen size and quilted by a professional), a pieced baby quilt that I am learning to machine quilt on myself (unfinished), a throw that I am tying (unfinished), a table topper that I machine quilted myself and a table runner that is pieced but unfinished.

2 comments:

  1. This is my first blog ever, so be patient as I try to learn to proofread and edit before posting.
    Thank you,
    ~Nan~

    ReplyDelete