We have not talked about projects. Where to start?! What to do?! I did two things this week that are no different than how I first started my quilting craft. I started two projects. Yes two! One is a design I saw that I love. The second is a class project that will help me build new skills. Let me go into more details.
Project #1 is call “Ko Ko” and it was featured in the May/June 2012 Fons & Porter’s “Love of Quilting” Magazine. I like the project for its simplistic color scheme. The design was done by Evelyn Young. I have never worked on any of her projects before. But everything seems to be going smooth. The directions are good. The project calls for cutting out a total of 1028 small triangles. That is what I spent time doing throughout the week in the evenings. It seems like a lot, but I enjoy every aspect of quilting, so I took my time and was done by the end of the week. I spent time on Friday evening and Saturday sewing the triangles into 514 square and today I ironed out all of the squares.
The sewing and ironing was mindless and therefore very relaxing. I am making a few deviations from the pattern thus far. Instead of doing regular triangles I chose to use the Marti Michell “Perfect Patchwork Templates”. I love these because they make lining up the pieces tidy. The specific one I used was B13. I am sure making this change will slightly change the dimensions of the overall quilt, so I am going to hold off cutting my setting triangles until I have all of the blocks completely sewn together. There will be 32 in total. I will keep you posted.
Project #2 is a block of the month class I signed up for at a local quilt shop. The quilt is called “The Coxcomb Medallion Quilt” by Susan H. Garman 2010. Distributed by Quakertown Quilts. This quilt features a lot of hand applique work with multiple piece-worked borders. My handwork skills leave something to be desired, however I consider this a challenge. I took the class because being with fellow quilters is the best way to learn new tricks of the trade. In addition, I have never met a nasty quilter. Every quilter I have met is friendly! You can’t say that about many groups as a whole. Fellowship with other quilters is a must. This quilt will be a year-long project. The first month has many challenging things to accomplish. I am not sure I will be able to get it all done. But the instructor, Susan Anderson, I have had before and she is patient so I won’t let myself stress out about getting every last thing completed. I would rather have it done right than fast… For this quilt I spent two hours in the demonstration class and I began some of the prep work. I had to order a few tools, they should arrive from Connecting Threads this week. This class is nice, because I didn’t have to pick any fabric. Every month I will get a new fabric pack with what I need. It’s a nice change of pace and it spreads out the initial fabric investment; that for a quilt this size would be around $200.
If you gathered all of your supplies and you are wondering how to start, these are two ideas. I believe a class is the best way to start; however, if you don’t have that available, try a pattern from a magazine. I have given you the reference point to one magazine. Fons & Porter’s “Love of Quilting” is nice. It features patterns for all skill levels. You can subscribe online if you can’t find it in a local store.
I hope you have a fantastic week! Be thankful for all that you have, even if it seems like less than some others. This week I found out about a family that is now officially homeless, not to any fault of their own. Apparently they were renting and the place they were renting was sold. The new owner made them leave as he did not want to be a landlord. A mom, dad, grandmother and son on the street. Like many, they don’t have the means to come up with the extra money needed for first and last months rent to move into a place. They are not the type of family that will ask for help. I have only found this out from someone that is trying to help them. This “someone” has bought clothes and schools supplies for the son, in addition to helping them pay for their weekly rented room. I have reached out to a close friend and she is going to help me get educated on resources available so that we can try to educate and help the family out. It’s always astounding to me that some people who need help the most can’t get it because they either won’t ask, or don’t know where to start. These are the people you don’t know about. But the people that scream for help the loudest could probably do something to help themselves get out of a situation. Thank goodness I live in a small community that will help and respect the pride of others.
Once again, have a great week! Hug the ones you love. Smile at those you don’t.
Happy Quilting!
Gifts by Sheri 