My First and Last Quilts

Over on Simplify, Camille RossKelly's blog, there is a challenge to tell you all about your very first quilt, and your last and what you have learnt..

This seems like fun, and even though I have all together maybe quilted just under a year, I have learnt a lot !!

This is my first quilt:


I had made all the blocks in a workshop at sewing circle but not put them together. So I went and got some fabric, made an amazing find of a 100% cotton french designer sheet, and set about to put it all together. Don't you just love the dot pattern on the sheet (that I used for a border and backing ) ? sort of retro and psychedelic all at once and fitting so well with the blocks. It took me a long time to put it all together. And even longer to quilt it ! (First quilting... massive stitches.. still can't do the little uns...), but it was finally finish last December 2008.


I have actually shown this recently on my blog before (being a newbie blogger too..) so some of you will remember it!



My latest quilt is a quilt I am making for the Old Red Barn Quilt along. As I handstitched and handquilted my first one, this is the one I am machine stitching and machine quilting.

The top is finished;


But the backing needs some more piecing and I need to then do the quilt sandwich. I am trying to practice stippling... but I never get it just right... It's all not really flowing and far too close together.. I have to practice a bit more before trying it on the big quilt!!

I learnt so much from all my peeps on the sewalong. It's fantastic group with a mix of very helpful knowledgeable people on it, as well as newbies like me so we can struggle along together and encourage each other.

I learnt about matching up corners, ironing being important (!!) not to skimp on seam allowances (!) and much more of those basic things, which, as soon as you've learnt them you take for granted, but also which, if you don't know them can make life soooo difficult!

Thanks guys over at Old Red Barn! Dana and all that have given me such generous advice (I won't even start on names!) it's been grand.