Monday, July 6, 2009

My First Quilt

Well, I just read Camille's post about looking back at our first quilts and thought it was such a great idea! Here is mine:


I took my first quilting class in 2002. I was newly married and had my first job as a recreation therapist in an assisted living facility. I really wanted to get the "little old ladies" there in a quilting group or something, but I had no skills. My mama taught me to sew at eight years old, but I had never done anything like a quilt. So I signed up for the sampler quilt class and a few months later, here it was.


Pretty sure it's not supposed to look like this! That top left rectangle should probably be a square. I have definetly learned to slow down and do each part of the process correctly - measuring, cutting, sewing 1/4", etc. Notice I did not say 'perfectly', just correctly. There's a big difference. Back then I was just doing it to get through each block, be done with it, and get to the next one. I have really learned to slow down and enjoy the long process that it can be.

So like yeah... Most seams aren't matching up on this block because I was hasty in my ways. Don't I sound like a 90-year-old? ;) But seriously, I was pretty much slapping squares together faster than I should have, especially for a newbie.



I believe this was the last block in the class sequence and I must say that it doesn't look too horrible. Those were some tiny squares going on there. I never got around to backing, binding, and quilting it. Actually those key things weren't discussed in my class, so I just kinda folded it up and put it on a shelf. It is now on the ever increasing list of things to do... finish the first quilt.


One of the most obvious things I have learned was fabric selection. The value and color make all the difference. I knew I liked the color blue, and I was supposed to select a certain amount of fabrics, but never took into consideration the scale of the print, the value of the hues, and how they coordinated. I pretty much went to Joann one night and bought the first 7 blue fabrics I saw. Now fabric choices consume my life, but that's another story!


And my latest quilt:

I'm still all about blue, but taking my time and being more thoughtful and purposeful about things as well. And I also made a couple kids to put on the quilts which make them look even better!

11 comments:

  1. It may not be perfect, but your blue sampler quilt is definitely beautiful and charming. And your recent quilt is just too cute (especially with that beautiful baby!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic first and the newest (quilt and baby) are very cute.

    ReplyDelete
  3. First quilt may be great (and it is! especially for a first!) but I really really like your latest. Might have something to do with the darling little rolls sitting on it, you never can tell... ;-)

    Thanks for joining in the fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the poka-dots! You are doing a great job.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love your latest quilt! It's beautiful. And thanks for the reminder to slow down and do things correctly. That's an easy thing to forget, but it's a big one!

    ReplyDelete
  6. your latest quilt is so pretty, i love the colors and your little model is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You give me hope in the slow down and enjoy the process area!! Thanks for sharing:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really like your first quilt. Your latest on is really nice, too. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Both of your quilts are wonderful. And the kid you made is even better!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the fabric in your recent quilt!! Blue and brown is one of my favorite combos but I've never used them in a quilt before. Might have to give it a go.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your quilts are great! Color and value are one of the hardest things to get right. You really got it with your second quilt. Awesome!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you! Sew lovely of you to comment.