New Old Quilting Project

Today, I came across what could arguably still be called my first quilt. I started and finished many other projects since, but this was my first attempt...

and it went horribly.

I was only a 15 year old kid, 7 years ago now, when I walked into a quilt shop that no longer exists and told the lady I was there to buy fabric for a quilt. I wanted to make a log cabin quilt for my bed, and would she please help me figure out how much of each type of fabric I would need? She was first of all shocked that a teenager was interested in quilting, dismayed that I had chosen a log cabin for my very first quilt, and likely appalled by my initial fabric choices. With a little guidance, I eventually amended a few of my choices and ended up with a selection of colours I still enjoy today. Perhaps I wouldn't leap into decorating my whole room in dark blues and purples with a celestial theme, but it will still make a nice quilt I'm sure.

7 years ago, I didn't know the first thing about quilting... well, perhaps just the first thing. We had a cutting mat, and a rotary cutter, but the blade was dull so I ended up doing a lot of back and forth cuts to get through the fabric, and in the process sheared the edges of my pieces to ribbons. I also couldn't hold the ruler very steady. The result was a whole bag full of cut wonky, wobbly, crooked, tattered strips, and the three blocks I assembled neither matched, nor were square. I gave up on it, I figured the fabric (which, at 83$ was quite dear for a 15 year old to buy with babysitting money!) was wasted, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it out.

Today, I know somewhat more about quilting (hey, we're all still learning right?) and have decided to cut down the size of each block, so that I have room to trim off the uneven parts of my strips. I'm also using a method called paper piecing, or foundation piecing, where you sew all the strips to a piece of paper you later tear away. It makes the cleanest, sharpest, squarest quilt blocks I have ever seen!!

The quilt is now going to be a throw instead of the original twin bed quilt, but at least it's being used!! As our sewing room is also my parent's bedroom, dad kicked us out to go to bed early tonight (it's hunting season afterall...), but I promise pictures tomorrow!