Quilting
Today I stayed away from The Tudors (wise move, I think) and instead got caught up on my quilting. It was a cozy, happy way to spend a morning.
David and I have been doing a block-of-the-month club through an adorable shop on Main Street (www.patches3.com). We've never quilted before, but we thought--why not? How hard can it be to make one block a month?
Pretty hard, as it turns out. It wasn't really designed for newbies, although they all encouraged us to give it a try. Why not learn by the trial-by-fire method?
Each month, we show up at the store on the first Saturday of the month during a small (1.4-hr) window of time to pick up the supplies for that month's block. The first month, we paid $5 for the kit (pattern, directions, and all the fabric needed). Each subsequent month, as long as we show up with our finished block from the previous month, the new month's kit is free. So yep, theoretically we could make an entire quilt top for $5.
If we don't complete the month's block, we can always pay $5 for the current month's block, which is what I had to do when I was traveling. Still a bargain, I think. Today I got caught up with the blocks I had missed.
Each year, the store has a different theme for their quilt. This year, it's On the Road. Each month, we visit a different state. In addition to the pieced block, we have the option of purchasing a kit for an applique block; each block is an embroidered state's outline with applique embellishment. I'm just beginning on those blocks. I'm doing ok on the outlines, but I need help learning how to applique. I'm getting there.
June's block was probably one of the hardest we had to do, and so naturally it was first. Looking at it now, I can see that it's an absolute wreck. I'll probably buy extra fabric and redo it. It's pretty bad! But at the time, I was very pleased with myself. My first quilt block, Missouri Puzzle:
July is Illinois Hearth & Home:
August is Indiana Puzzle:
September is the Ohio Star:
October is Kentucky Crossroads:
November is Virginia Reel:
December is Tennessee Grandma's Star:
And, to start off 2011, January's block is Georgia Hearth & Hand:
I'm ready for February! (Actually, I'm ready for spring, after all the snow we've had. Really wanted to go to Maidens today, but we've got more snow predicted.)
David and I have been doing a block-of-the-month club through an adorable shop on Main Street (www.patches3.com). We've never quilted before, but we thought--why not? How hard can it be to make one block a month?
Pretty hard, as it turns out. It wasn't really designed for newbies, although they all encouraged us to give it a try. Why not learn by the trial-by-fire method?
Each month, we show up at the store on the first Saturday of the month during a small (1.4-hr) window of time to pick up the supplies for that month's block. The first month, we paid $5 for the kit (pattern, directions, and all the fabric needed). Each subsequent month, as long as we show up with our finished block from the previous month, the new month's kit is free. So yep, theoretically we could make an entire quilt top for $5.
If we don't complete the month's block, we can always pay $5 for the current month's block, which is what I had to do when I was traveling. Still a bargain, I think. Today I got caught up with the blocks I had missed.
Each year, the store has a different theme for their quilt. This year, it's On the Road. Each month, we visit a different state. In addition to the pieced block, we have the option of purchasing a kit for an applique block; each block is an embroidered state's outline with applique embellishment. I'm just beginning on those blocks. I'm doing ok on the outlines, but I need help learning how to applique. I'm getting there.
June's block was probably one of the hardest we had to do, and so naturally it was first. Looking at it now, I can see that it's an absolute wreck. I'll probably buy extra fabric and redo it. It's pretty bad! But at the time, I was very pleased with myself. My first quilt block, Missouri Puzzle:
July is Illinois Hearth & Home:
August is Indiana Puzzle:
September is the Ohio Star:
October is Kentucky Crossroads:
November is Virginia Reel:
December is Tennessee Grandma's Star:
And, to start off 2011, January's block is Georgia Hearth & Hand:
I'm ready for February! (Actually, I'm ready for spring, after all the snow we've had. Really wanted to go to Maidens today, but we've got more snow predicted.)