QUILTING IN 2015, PART ONE

This is part one of what I hope will be a nice, long story.  It is about those tiny baby steps and missteps that are known as "getting started."  There is an almost overwhelming learning curve stretched out ahead of me, but the only way to take it is step by step.  And so, I am stepping.    

At this point, I feel like anyone who knows anything about sewing would laugh at what I've put together and at the way I've put it together.  I really have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm doing it and I trust that the doing will eventually lead to an understanding and knowledge of a better way or maybe even the proper way.

I learned to code and build my blog in much the same way.  I just went for it and through trial and error things improved and came together over time.  My success in blog site building gives me confidence that trial and error (and perseverance) will turn me into a decent quilter sometime in the next few years.  

My goal is for this first project to end up as a twin-sized quilt for Sam's bed.  The dimensions of a twin comforter are 65" by 87".  Currently, I'm at approximately 65" by 30" and I'm starting to wonder if I will have enough fabric to complete the quilt top.  I am crossing my fingers and adding bits of scrap fabric here and there to stretch things out.

Cutting, measuring and making things straight are not my strong suits.  I started this quilting adventure with the decision to cut and stitch without measuring or worrying particularly about straight lines.  I am really just going for it and will add or subtract at the end to make it fit the desired dimensions - assuming I have enough fabric to get there.    

So far, the "crazy quilt" route feels like a good decision.  I'm just cutting and piecing without a plan and things are coming together in a way that I like.  This method is allowing me all the fun without the frustration that I would feel if I were to spend a lot of time with the tedium of precise cuts and measurements.  

Since I am building as I go, I get to jump in and out of each "stage" of creating my quilt top.  I cut and pin.  I stitch.  I press.  I lay it out next to what's already stitched together and see where it might fit.  I rearrange things and recut and add a strip here or there, going back to stitch this, cut that and press a seam here or there.  Again, I don't really know how one is supposed to quilt.  I imagine that maybe you are supposed to spend a few hours cutting followed by a block of stitching-things-together time, followed by a good pressing session.  (Or maybe that's not how it goes.  I have no idea.)  In any case, I'm totally enjoying my own mess of a method and slowly the pieces are adding up to a quilt top.  

I'm so excited to be up and running with this new creative outlet.  I'm anxious to see what "Quilting in 2016: Part One" looks like and looking forward to all the steps between now and then.