Round Robins

This was originally posted on my old MommaQuilts blog.

I was warned that I wouldn't enjoy this, but I wouldn't listen. I was enchanted by the idea of working with different people and seeing their quilting style. I loved the idea of having a quilt that resulted from a collaborative effort. I really wanted a quilt that had signatures and blocks from several ladies of whom I'd have fond memories for years to come.

Little did I know that there are unwritten rules to this type of quilt. Number one should be to ensure that you are on the same quilting level as everyone else. Number two should be to ensure that you have the same quilting style as the others.

Needless to say, I broke both of these rules. I quickly learned that I'm not as skilled as I thought myself to be. I also realize that I have no aspirations to meet the approval of any quilt show judge. While I want to match seams and points, I don't sweat it too much if I don't. I have no eye for color. I'm a scrap quilter and when I buy fabric, I just get it because I think it's pretty - with little to no regard for what's already in my stash.

Since starting this project, I have ripped a countless amount of seams, cried about my horrible workmanship, procrastinated like no body's business and sworn to quit quilting more than once. What makes it worse for me is that I know my center will likely be transformed into some perfect work of art. I am sure that I will love every detail. And this will serve to make me feel even more guilty about how my contributions to the quilts of others were flat-out eyesores. In fact, I'm relatively certain that I will not show up at the meeting where we reveal our work and everyone gets their centers back. I'm way to ashamed to show my face and meet these nice ladies.

I don't mean to discourage others from giving it a go. I'm sure that many of you have fond memories of the round robins that you have participated in. And maybe some time in the far, distant future I'll give it another try and surprise myself. But for now, I am swearing this activity off FOREVER!!

I finished something!

This was originally posted on my old MommaQuilts blog.

OK, it's not a quilt. I've been pleased with the fact that I've kick started my sewing again. The down side it that I have too many things going at once. I put in my 15-30 minutes a day, so there is progress. But no completion.

So I had to find a crafty project to complete to give me a boost. I made these fabric boxes for holding my works in progress.
I think I like them. I adjusted the tutorial at applehead. They are a little floppy, but they serve their purpose well. I'll get back to quilts when I get back to town. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Christmas Quilt

This was originally posted on my old MommaQuilts blog.

I've probably put too much on my plate again, but I couldn't resist taking Tonya's class. I love her style, and I thought that if I did this, I might actually see a completed quilt in the near future.

So here is my first stab at a free style block. It's probably hard to tell, but this is supposed to be a manger. I'm trying to stick with what's in my stash so my blues are quite patchy. I've cut the fabric for the star. I also want to make a block with a shephard and angel. We'll see how that goes. I'll keep you posted.

My quilt history

This was originally posted on my old MommaQuilts blog.

I’ve been reflecting on my personal quilting history. Having never been educated on a quilt journal, it never occurred to me to keep a record of what quilts I’ve made. My initial thinking was that it hasn’t been a lot, but when I started to list them, I found that I’ve made more than I realized.

I started quilting around 1996. I was pregnant with my first child and a bit sentimental. I looked up one day and realized that my grandmother and her sister were hand quilters. No one in my mother’s generation had picked up the habit. And I had this “boo hoo” moment of thinking that the tradition would be lost. I don’t have the patience for hand piecing and quilting, but I did sign up for a class at the local quilt store.


This quilt is the result. When I look at it now, I have to admit that I’m pretty impressed. I can’t believe that I took the time to cut and piece all of those little squares. I don’t have that kind of patience at all now. I had discovered African inspired fabrics and decided that ALL of my quilts would include at least one piece. (That commitment didn’t last.) The quilting on it is not very impressive. In class we quilted on a small sample, but I discovered at home that I was unable to translate that to a good sized quilt.


After this class I played around with different patterns from older books trying to do things by sight without a pattern or template. I made this quilt for my grandmother. The blocks aren’t precise or anything, but I love the colors.


I also took a double wedding ring class. It is my all time favorite quilt. But since it’s lot of work, I’ve only made two. The one from class went to my goddaughter as a baby quilt and the second went to my sister in law. I intended for it to be a queen size, but I never got past lap size. Unfortunately, it was lost in the New Orleans floods.

I then proceeded to make quilts for my Godchildren. I don’t have pictures of those though. I’m not sure if they still own them anymore, but I wasn’t making heirlooms, so what matters is that they were used with love. I made photo quilts for my mother and mother in law when my second child was born.

I think I’m up to eight quilts now, right? The sad part is that I still hadn’t made quilts for my own children at this point. I started one for my oldest (who is now 11), but I kept trying to do things that were way above my skill level, so I never finished. When I got pregnant with my second I decided on a whole cloth quilt. I did get it quilted, but I’m yet to bind it and she’s seven now. I have ideas for the quilt for my third daughter, but nothing is written down.

My life got so hectic that I looked up and realized that it had been over five years since I had touched my machine! So last year I joined our guild and found a bee that meets weekly. This group hand quilts at our meeting so I tried my hand at that. It took me almost a year, but I finished a quilt for my mother. I’ve joined a round robin (remind me not to make this mistake again!) I’ve started several things, but I’m starting to get bummed out that I’m not finishing anything.

As I’m pregnant with my fourth daughter, I’ve decided to get some things done! I’ve started on one that should be easy to finish. I’ll keep you posted.

Welcome!

This was originally posted on my old MommaQuilts blog.

I've started this blog as an effort to keep myself sewing. I finally carved out a space for myself to sew in. So now I can sew early in the morning or late at night without disturbing anyone.

I found the Stashbuster group at Yahoo and I've really been motivated to sew at least 15 minutes a day. It may not seem like much, but it starts my day on a good note, and I can see progress on projects that were collecting dust. My stash isn't as big as others, but it was getting overwhelming to me. But I'm getting ideas and making headway. With the motivation to work from my stash and ideas from sites like Quiltville, I just might get somewhere this year!