The Great Quilt Adventure, Part One

Ok, I’m going to talk about crafting.  I was going to talk about crafting lizard houses, but I’m stating to feel like a broken record.  So here’s a Works In Progress post instead.  We can chat about lizard houses next week.

Matt got me a sewing machine for my birthday.  We keep intending to buy tattoos for each other, and then getting crafting supplies instead.  No matter, my sewing machine is every bit as satisfying as a new tattoo, and significantly less painful.

My first foray into sewing was an apron.

If I say so myself, it went pretty well.

So I decided my second foray should be a quilt.  Not just any quilt, but a REALLY FREAKING BIG quilt.  Covered in birds.  As if that wasn’t enough, I brilliantly decided I should embroider 32 of the squares with original bird artwork drawn by none other than my nature-artist husband.

Before this I’ve done… 4 embroidery projects.   Look at my amazing embroidery skills.  This is my very first project.  It's all wonky and off-center and I have no idea what to do with it.  But at least it's cute?  That counts for something, right?

Yes. My second sewing project and my fifth embroidery project are a huge quilt.  Talented? No.  Ambitious? Apparently.  Go big or go home, right?

Here is a stack of fabric, plus bonus cat.  I think that was when I had about half the fabric I'm using.  I used 1/4 yard lengths, with four squares cut out of each.  I went to every fabric store that I know of in a 20 mile radius, and bought a length of each of their best bird prints.

At this point I’ve been working on it since August, and I’ve finished 7 of 16 squares.  (In a rare stroke of intelligence, I decided to cut the number of embroidery pieces in half.  After all, I want to finish the damn thing some day.)  These are my favorites:

Each of the designs is based on a bird experience that's important to us and our relationship.  For instance, the swallows are from a trip we took to New Mexico last May.  There was a pair of nesting swallows living under the eaves of the porch at our hotel.  And we sort of fell in love with them.

I intended to finish the quilt for our anniversary.  Nearly two months ago.  Then I intended to finish it for Solstice.  HAH.  Then I intended to finish it before we moved into our new house—not going to happen.  So now I intend to finish it before the birth of our firstborn child.  Considering we’re not planning on getting knocked up any time soon, it seems like a reasonable deadline, yes?

Updates as they happen.

PS. I don’t actually know what goes into making a quilt.  Once the squares are sewn together then… What?  I hear there’s backing or something.  And edging?  And top-stitching?

Meh, Pintrest will teach me.  Right?

TO BE CONTINUED…