Time to Get A-Quilting

Because my Aunt Gerri is a wonderfully gifted talent when it comes to color and construction, she inspired me to allow myself to think that I could quilt. She is a terrific teacher. Three summers ago, while she and Unk were visiting from Florida, she taught me how to sew on a sewing machine and helped me create my very first baby quilt. I was so enthralled with my new talent that I attempted to create more baby quilts. Unfortunately, my Aunt was not present for the next three. The lack of experience reared it imperfect head and I barely got through the second and third quilts. The last one I recently completed was a much better example of Auntie's tutelage. Herewith, the photos:

Quilt No. 1

created with guidance from my aunt

Quilt No. 2

I don't know what I was thinking with all those crazy fabrics,

but the recipient really liked it.  She is an art teacher, so she 

may see what I do not. I see a hot mess!

Quilt No. 3

I tried to keep all the colors together so that they could 

flow into each other.  I don't think I was very successful, and there 

are a lot of blocks that don't square up.  Oh well, the recipient loved 

it anyway, which is all that really matters.

Quilt No. 4

This is my favorite because I chose the fabrics, planned the 

design myself (which took me DAYS to decide!) 

and sewed it all up.  I loved working with this fabric, 

it was so cute.  And there aren't many mistakes in this one ;~)

So, I show and tell you all that to tell you this...I am going to start a new quilt this month.  I am going to visit a friend, whom I've never met, in April.  She lives in AZ and we've never been to AZ or anywhere in the Southwest.  I "met" her online through ebay about 10 years ago and we have emailed and called and sent photos and cards, but have never met in person.  She is a coffee queen like me so I purchased some Moda fabric a few weeks ago that has a coffee theme. I am so NOT a theme person for anything but once I made that cute bunny quilt I thought it would be nice to make a coffee theme quilt for my friend; sort of a friendship bond quilt since I purchased a vintage coffee pot from her all those years ago (which still gets daily use).  

The most difficult part of quilting, to my inexperienced mind, is the hand sewing of the binding. It just KILLS my fingers.  Plus, I stink at hand sewing.  If I were a little girl in the olden-days there would be NO WAY I would have made one of those samplers.  No way... they would have high-button shoe kicked me right out of Miss Abercrombie's School for Girls in a heartbeat.