Quilting is No Joke!

I have loved quilts for as long as I can remember. I get it from my Grandma! She always loved the look of a gorgeous, well-made, quilt as well.

Since learning to sew a few years ago, I had always wanted to try quilting. I have been reading different tutorials on-line, watched a few videos on You Tube, and checked out a few books from the library on how to quilt, but I am just not a self learner. I do better when I have a human being, in front of me, to ask all the questions I want to!

So, I began my search of trying to find quilt shops in my area that offered classes at a decent price. Not only did I find one, I found several. The one I chose just happened to be offering a quilting class the soonest.

The class started at the beginning of July and runs every Thursday night through the month of July. I was all prepared and excited to go. Not only was I getting a chance to finally learn the basics of quilting, I was getting a night out,by myself!

The first class consisted of just basic information. Items we needed to have to complete our first quilting project. We were given a homework assignment to have completed before the next class and then sent on our merry way.

I was very excited for this part of the class because it meant I was able to pick and purchase the fabric I wanted to use for my project.

This is what I chose:

I just love the gray and aqua combo together. I have high hopes that this is going to make a lovely quilt!

I gathered all the items I was going to need to start cutting out my squares for this lovely quilt and immediately got to work!

This picture should also show my cutting mat, but I forgot to photograph it!

The process itself of cutting out, oh roughly 300+ squares, wasn't as painful as it sounds! Once I got into a groove, the process went rather quickly!



I was so excited for the next class, since I thought I had done such a great job at getting myself prepared!

Well...much to my dismay...I got a little ahead of myself and ended up not being as prepared as I had thought!

When I arrived to class...10 minutes early might I add...I started laying out all my supplies-sewing machine, fabric, pins, ruler, pen, paper, and plug...uh oh! Where's the plug?

Yep...I left the plug for my sewing machine at home! Talk about being embarrassed!

But that is just the beginning of my embarrassing night! I ended up having to use one of the shops sewing machines, and for those of you who do not sew, using someone else's sewing machine when you are used to your own for so long is like trying to learn a different language! I literally had no idea how to use the darn thing! I felt like I had never sewn before! I started to feel my face getting hot and little beads of sweat forming on my brow! Luckliy the ladies in the class, including the teacher, made me feel so comfortable and not like a beginner at all! I quickly got the hang of this foreign object other sewing machine and was ready to start piecing my squares together.

Oh, but the story doesn't end there. I started pulling out my squares, matching them up to start sewing them together only to find that roughly 50 or so squares were way off on size. I am not talking just a smidgen of an inch...I am talking like 1/2 inch! The lines on the ruler must have started to make me go cross-eyed for staring at it so long because I seriously have no idea how I got my squares to be that off on size! *sigh* At this point I gave up and said that I was just going to go home, cut out more fabric, and work on sewing my squares with my own sewing machine and have them ready for the next class! The teacher reassured me that everyone makes mistakes and that what I did was actually not the worst of them. I appreciated her encouragement, but I still just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide!

Through all this I learned a few things! First, always double check my sewing bag before leaving the house making sure I have everything I need for the class! I may even write out a check list for next time. And second, quilting requires patience and lots of time. It is not a process to rush through. I, unfortunately, learned that the hard way. I need to look at this as a way to relax...not just rush to get it finished. I need to enjoy the entire process for what it is worth. Isn't that the idea of quilting anyway?

This week, while my daughter is at VBS all morning, I plan on working on cutting more accurately, piecing my squares together, and getting excited about the next step! Stay tuned...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ~ Romans 12:12