I Spy...A Quilter Who Has Upped Her Game

So, I don't think I've made any boasts to be some great seamstress.  I'm pretty much just a crafty gal who likes to make things and who usually says, "patterns/instructions, be damned!"  If I mess up, then it either gets incorporated or undone and redone and I keep plugging along.  Now, I've been dabbling at this quilting thing for a while now.  And I say dabbling, because I mostly just make the tops or start squares and then abandon them. 

The ACTUAL quilting has been highly intimidating to me.  I have been scared that I would have my tension all wrong and get my machine bound up (which can happen on an ordinary Tuesday, let alone when I'm trying to wrangle a quilt).  Or how in the great wide world do you man-handle all that fabric in and out of your machine while you quilt row after row???  My mom showed me the basics of sewing--THIS was not her hobby.  So I have no "over the shoulder" experience to garner ideas from.  But thank Al Gore for the internets!

As I'm sitting in my sewing room, watching a tutorial on how to attach my walking foot (because my first 3 tries were unsuccessful and/or resulted in binding up my machine), I thought to myself, what did all the crafty ladies do before the internet?  How did Caroline Ingalls fix her home ec. problems living in BFE Kansas with no wifi?  I wouldn't have survived.  Or I just wouldn't have crafted.  Maybe I would have read more...

So, I want to quilt.  I really really really want to quilt.  I have all these projects and fabrics and I just need to take the plunge and get over my anxiety of the actual quilting process.  I'm a smart girl.  I can figure this out with the help of the internet and all the crafty ladies (and men) who have come before me.  So, I choose a straightforward project to start.  For Christmas, I'm making my 2 year old nephew, Oliver, an I Spy quilt. You know, I Spy with my little eye...and I am here to tell you that this quilt will provide days of spying! There is everything on here: crayons, gnomes, elephants, anthropomorphic pb&j sandwhiches, stars, cherries, tractors, boats, stars, and on and on and on!

I purchased 5" charms from a couple ladies via Instagram and am in love with the selections they sent me.  These fabrics could not be more adorable! 

Rather than make things more complicated, I just started making squares of squares.  Chain piecing was where it was at for this process--the whole way through. 

So, I'd chain until I ran out of squares and then stop to do the dreaded ironing.  I think I've mentioned before (if not here then on other social media) that seam pressing is my least favorite part of this hobby.  But I did not shirk in my duty.  I pressed all my seams at each step of the process. 

This is my "I HATE ironing" face.

I'm not one to be heavy handed with pins either, but I am particular about lining up seams.  So, I was impressed with how well my final blocks matched up.  They're not 100% perfect at every corner, but pretty good for a block with 16 squares. 

After all the charms were matched and pieced, I ended up with 12 blocks of 16.  Then the dilemma was, do I put them all together and quilt this bad boy or should I try something else???  I read about a quilt as you go method via Aubrey at Southern Fabric about a year ago.  So back to the interwebs I went to track it down.  It led me to this lovely blog that I must spend more time on, A Cuppa and a Catch Up.  I read it but it wasn't quite what I was working with so I mentally took a few notes and kept browsing around until I found something else.  Over at Sew Take a Hike, I found the other parts that make quilting this I Spy project as I went along totally doable. 

After fussing with my walking foot for quite a few minutes this evening, and wrestling my giant roll of batting, I was finally able to start quilting my very first quilt square!!!

Brandy new in the box!!!

  My 16 blocks are about 18" square, so I cut batting squares at 20" to leave a little wiggle room.  I centered my blocks on the batting and did use pins (for safety) in the four corners and one in dead center.  This quilt is for my nephew, but it is so fun and colorful that I chose an amazing violet thread to quilt with.  It really stands out and I'm pleased so far with my choice.

  As I get more comfortable with the process, I may chose to get froggy with my technique, but for now I'm doing diagonal straight (for the most part) lines across the square.  I went low and slow until I was sure I was doing it right and then upped my speed with my confidence level.  By the end, I shouted "SUCCESS" and did a little dance that is usually reserved for my favorite foods.  One down, eleven more to go.  But now that I know it's not a scary process, I have a feeling it won't take me long to finish them.  Then it will just be a matter of joining them and backing with a simple 'stitch in the ditch.' 

Over the last week, I've seen a ton of amazing quilts via Instagram at Quilt Market.  The talent that these men and women have is extraordinary and I admire their creativity and skill.  Maybe one day I can be fancy and create complicated quilts with intricate patterns and amazing stitch work, but for now, I'll be happy to make this warm and fuzzy quilt for my nephew and practice these quilting fundamentals.

Piles of chained squares

Round two: second pile of chained rectangles

Round 3: pile of chained squares (again)

Gots to stay hydrated!!

I'll be back when I have it all done to post an update. But for now, I'll be I Spy-ing away in my hobby room all weekend! 

 

TTFN!

Mels