Learning How to Quilt

Some things you may or may not know about me.

1. I have a genuine love and appreciation for all things Handmade.  The skill and love that goes into each piece is far more than whatever price tag is attached.  My favorite shop here in my hometown, Handicrafts Unlimited, is a non-profit that has been here as long as I have.   Staffed entirely by volunteers, they sell items – you guessed it – hand-crafted by local artisans.  It’s so fun to browse the needlework, ceramics, jewelry, toys, and so much more. 
2. I have been blessed with several friends far craftier than I am.  Like Christel who crochets, makes pottery, T-shirts stickers, and in all her free time, officiates and photographs weddings.  Y’all – I don’t think there’s ANYTHING she can’t do.  Just check out her Etsy Shop.
3. While I’m not as talented as those I surround myself with, I like to try new things.  As I see handmade goods at fairs or farmer’s markets, or Handicrafts Unlimited, I often find myself wondering – could I make that? And then I try… sometimes successfully.

This past Christmas, The Big Guy’s Mom gifted him an amazing quilt that she had made.  She took some of his dad’s old t-shirts from his career as a Fire Chief and lovingly cut them into blocks and sewed them all together into a perfect quilt for the Big Guy to take with him when he travels to Houston for his paramedic shifts.  It was an emotional moment for all, having just lost his dad to Covid 10 months prior.  As I saw the beautiful quilt, and reminisced on all the other quilts I’ve lovingly adored and coveted, I thought again “could I do that?”  

A few months later, I found myself with some extra free time, so I dusted off my sewing machine, grabbed some left-over fabric from all of the masks we made at the start of the pandemic, and watched a million You-Tube videos – because isn’t that how we learn things now?

Here’s the thing about You-Tube…. EVERYONE MAKES IT LOOK SO EASY.

After a few dozen I thought it was a no brainer and I put needle to fabric and my first attempts went straight into the trash.  No lie.  But slowly, I’ve gotten much better at cutting and sewing straight and have a few items I’m actually pretty darn proud of.  

I made a Quilt that I was proud enough of to gift to my mom this past Christmas.  

I made a number of sewing related Christmas Presents for friends.

And now I’m embarking on a quilt for our California King Size bed… but first, I need to really learn the QUILTING side of things.  I’ve got the cutting and ironing and piecing down… although still perfecting my craft.  And here in a few weeks I’m taking my first class on how to use the Long Arm.  I can’t wait.  Then who knows who will be next to get their very own quilt from my heart to yours…. stay tuned.  There’s definitely more to come.