Give Piecing A Chance

Two months ago, I signed up for quilting classes. I've been wanting to learn for so long, and I have enjoyed quilting by hand the few times I've been given the opportunity. But, those occasions were long ago back in my hometown. And, after becoming a member of TNT (the local craft guild) last month, I became more motivated than ever to learn!

Little did I know that the class would begin at the same time that work would become extremely busy. But, thankfully, the workload was light the day the class began, and I was able to attend as planned. (Since then, I've had to be up after midnight a few nights to complete my quilting homework.)

We are making a basic table runner, and the instructions have been put together by the owner of the quilt store in Edwardsville, The Quilted Garden. This process will teach me the fundamentals of making nine patch quilt blocks for any size of quilt, and this is the booklet we use as a guide.




This is my newest, neatest craft gadget: the rotary cutter. Last week, we learned how to use it. The instructor explained "the better we make our cuts, the better our finished quilt will come together." So, I took that statement very seriously. She had given the example of someone being very "persnickety" about their cutting... and by the end of class, I was teasingly given that very same label. It took me almost twice as long make my cuts as the rest of the class because I was trying to do the best job possible. It wasn't until nearly the end that I realized I was concerned about cutting issues that I really didn't need to worry about - especially for my first quilting project. But, I didn't know any better. I thought I was just following the teacher's instructions about meticulousness.


Above are some of my other new gadgets... along with my fabric. The green gridded board is a self-healing mat that is used in conjunction with the wide ruler to make straight cuts. You may also see the small box holding my new flat flower pins. I can imagine their purpose, but I do not know for sure. (It's on the list of "required materials.") Then, there's my crazy fabric to match the colors of my dining room: aqua and bright pink calico, along with an aqua and sage green flower print to match the "lily pond" color on my walls... and lavender gingham and wide stripes to match the purple and lavender accents in the room. They all look like quite a mess together, but I have to remember this is quilting!!!

I have been assured that I can leave the office at the regular time today since I will be taking vacation days on Friday and Tuesday to attend my cousin's graduation in Minnesota. So, I'll be heading to the quilt shop to receive a quick lesson in piecing before I head out of town to my parents' house. Hopefully, this lesson will go more smoothly for me, and hopefully, I won't have much homework to finish before next week's class. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have something that resembles a quilt this evening!!! I'll keep you posted on my progress! (I know I'm a dork, but this is very exciting to me.)