Rainy Friday Quilt Land

It's amazing how a quiet day off work and a dusty sewing machine can translate into a really productive and fun day.  While I haven't gotten much sewing done in the last month I have done some shopping!

For Christmas I received the book Once upon a time in X-Blocks Land.  It has some darling patterns that I have been dying to try out.  All the patterns are simple blocks cut at angles using an angled ruler.  I picked up some pastel fabrics while on sale earlier this month to make a crib sized quilt that I will donate or save for a gift.

The first pattern I picked from the book is called Once Upon a Dream (they all have fairy tale related names).  It is composed of simple 9 patch blocks that I then cut using the template ruler to create square blocks on point.

The result once they are all put together with borders is this!

Now what to do with the quilting????

Finally Over February

Wow!  What a busy month February has been.  My poor sewing machine has been gathering dust for most of the month, as we have hardly been home.  Now that the month is over I have finally gotten around to finishing up my Valentine's Day project just in time to put it in a box to pull out next year.

I haven't yet pressed out the wrinkles or finished the binding, but I think it will look great on our coffee table.  It's 24" square, so it fills the center of our over-sized table.

The hearts and leaves are raw-edged appliqued and I free motioned small hearts in the pink borders and four overlapping hearts in the center.  It's one of my first attempts at free motion quilting and it didn't turn out too bad.  I love the look of free motion quilting and am dying to learn to hand quilt, but haven't yet found anyone in my area to teach me or the time to teach myself.

In the meantime this month I've been keeping myself busy on my lunch breaks by virtual shop hopping.  I found this site http://www.fabshophop.com/ and have spent the month checking out all the quilt shops available on the web.  Even my husband got into trying to find the rabbit hidden within each website.  You can even win prizes!

Now, back to the sewing machine!

Mystery Quilt

So I finally got my mystery quilt layed out on my design wall and I love it!  I guess you can't really go too wrong with blue and yellow.  The outer missing blocks I think I am going to fill in with the yellow background fabric.  I am still testing border fabrics, but I think I am going to do a small inner border in dark blue with a larger outer border in the yellow background fabric. 

You'll have to forgive me for the glare on the picture.  It's finally sunny here after two weeks of rain and tremendous storms.  I just can't bear to shut the window curtains.  Of course now that it is sunny I have come down with a cold, so I am enjoying looking out the window at the sun.

With all the rain I also got a chance to work on a tablecloth pattern I picked up at a shop hop last fall.  It's made from a charm pack by Moda and at the store I loved it.  Even on my design wall I was liking it, but the picture makes it look so pink all I can think about now is Strawberry Shortcake.  I'm hoping some outter borders can calm it down a bit.  In any event, I think it will make a very cute spring table or picnic cloth.  I still haven't decided what to use for batting or backing yet.  I have talked with people who back tablecloths

with flannel or shower curtain lining so that it isn't so thick on a table, but I'm not sure how I feel about either of those options.  Anyone have any experience with tablecloth batting and backing?

Since I'm home sick for the day I am off to work on a doll quilt using the new pattern book I recieved for Christmas.

A beginning step...

As an avid reader of APQ blogs for a number of years, I have enjoyed the projects I have seen come out of the amazing group of quilters who have shared their journeys.  Many times I have considered starting a blog, but never seemed to work up the courage or time.  Besides, wouldn't we all rather be quilting?

So, with the new migration the community has taken, I decided it was time for me to take the first step and set up a blog of my own.  I look forward to meeting you all and seeing the beautiful creations you all come up with.

Another first I've taken on this week is my first organized quilt class.  I've been quilting for a number of years, but as I was taught by a family friend I have never taken an actual class before.  This week I started my first class!  It's a mystery quilt and I'm really excited about it.  The pattern called for eight dark fabrics and one light background fabric.  I didn't exactly follow the "rules" and decided instead to go with eight blue fabrics ranging from dark to light with a buttercream yellow as the background.  I'm hoping that this will create enough of a contrast through color, even though they are all mostly light, but I'm a bit worried.  I've never picked fabrics before without knowing the pattern, so I'm anxiously awaiting the outcome.  I'll post pictures once it gets past the three inch square block stage that I am currently at.

Until then...
Windsom