I learned how to quilt in 1989. I made two quilts back then. Both were hand pieced. I remember enjoying that process very much. Way back then. In 1989.
The first quilt is not finished. It was to be hand quilted. I marked it and started and I really liked that process as well. When I got to the very busy fabrics with yellow markings I could not see the darn design to quilt. It was very, very frustrating. Perhaps if I had had enough nerve to go with solids as opposed to prints when I picked out fabric under the heavy eyeball of the shop owner/teacher, I might have been successful. That quilt is somewhere in this house. I was looking for it yesterday but I could not find it among my things. It will never be finished. The fabric is all faded even though it has been under cover all these years. I will, however, always keep it. My humble beginnings.
The second quilt was a Christmas wall hanging. Years after I made it my mother tied it and put the binding on. I hang it at the holidays once in a while. It is a nice quilt. I suppose I could go back and hand quilt it one of these days.
I realized I knew where this particular quilt might be. Here it is:
The fabric is in pretty good shape on this and I think I will look to hand quilt it. Perhaps a summer project. I really did enjoy piecing this quilt by hand back in the stone age! hehe I liked my choice of fabrics from the limited selection available to me.
So...our practice piece is going to finish as a pillow. I can actually see the design. Plain fabric! It will go in my bedroom.
I did want to refresh myself on the hand quilting as I would love to incorporate it into table runners or small projects I may make in the future. So this will be a good practice piece. I have to tell you that I wasn't smart enough to pick colored quilting thread. I wish I would have. Hindsight, of course!
We now have this book as a little bible with projects in it and I've already picked out a couple that I would like to do.
I'm glad we took this class yesterday. Although a certain someone keeps asking me when his quilt is going to be ready. I have to tell you that I dislike the quilt so much. I've gone down to the studio and moved rows around. I really hate it. I know that is a strong term. I think there are lots of reasons for the dislike and actually they are too numerous to name. I will finish it though. Even if it hurts my eyes to do it! hehe
I turned over my little art quilt to the Guild. It will be in the auction at our quilt show. I gave it a little sparkle on Monday. So after months of being unfinished on my design wall I turned it over and hopefully someone will love it enough to buy it. I'll make another one for myself sometime this year.
Nancy turned in her quilt for the auction as well. She made a mini Tokyo Subway Map. It came out so cool. She was also pretty smart - she made 2! So she still has one for herself.
We had a great speaker at our guild on Tuesday. Alison Dea Bolt. She was really funny. She used to have a regular column in Quilter's Newsletter. I always headed for that first as she is so entertaining. Lucky for us she lives in New Hampshire! We laughed a lot during her presentation.
So...while I should be doing something else (like hand quilting practice), I'm here typing a blog post. It is 81 degrees outside. Unbelievable weather. It is going away but I guess I'm trying to soak it up while it is here. I have not had the heat on in my house for days. Windows open.
I did do a little cleanup in my gardens today. Stuff that did not get done in the fall due to a certain early snowstorm! I even trimmed up shrubs. I hope I did okay. I'm sure I'll be graded! I don't trim the shrubs - ever!!! My peony is coming up. The daffs are barely peeking out of the ground. That's a little bit backwards but I have to go with the flow and hope we don't have a big freeze.
So that's it. I'm going back to enjoy the weather. If you are fortunate enough to be having this delightful weather I hope you are enjoying it as well.
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