I've been wanting to teach myself how to quilt, but I didn't want to make a quilt for myself that I would have to look at all of my beginner mistakes forever. I also didn't want to give a crappy quilt away to a friend. I researched a few charities and decided that I would donate what I make to Project Linus. Since it's for a charity, I wasn't too picky about my fabric choices. The original plan was just to make one girly quilt and one boyish quilt. My first rookie mistake was that I bought too much fabric. Once I got everything cut out and started sewing I realized that I had enough fabric to make THREE of each. Oops.
The girl quilts are a little wonky. I didn't do a very good job of cutting the fabric straight. Also, I think I started making these before I bought my new machine and I didn't have a quarter inch quilting foot to help sew the seams straight. The quilt with the pink border is backed with a pink gingham and the yellow bordered one is backed with green dots. I used these two quilts to teach myself a stippling technique for machine quilting. Strangely, the one I quilted first (the pink one) came out better than the other one. I have a third quilt top that will look like the yellow and green quilt when it's finished.
The boy quilts were a little easier to put together since all of the blocks are the same size and I have my quarter inch foot that keeps me from sewing like a drunken seamstress. I decided that instead of quilting these with batting and a separate backing fabric that I'm going to do something (hopefully) a little easier. The plan is to sew the quilt top to a piece of polar fleece then turn it right side out and quilt it with straight lines along the blocks.
I also have a pile of blocks that has yet to become a quilt top.
Nearly identical scarves for some nearly identical girls. Nearly complete.
And finally, a blanket that I started last weekend. It's about a third of the way done.
