QUILTING IN 2015, PART TWO

The alternate title for this post is "Progress That Doesn't Look Like Progress."  I'm making headway into this new hobby of mine, but it might not look like it from a bystander's point of view.  

Quilt top number one has been folded up and stored away.  I had about two thirds of my desired size pieced together before I decided I should step away from it for a while.  As should be anticipated when one doesn't really know what they are doing and (gasp!) doesn't measure before cutting and piecing, things were getting a bit wonky.  

I was starting to get overwhelmed with the idea of trying to figure out how to match up all of my various pieces and make the edges straight.  I have faith that I will be able to pick it up and make something of it in the future, but that wasn't going to happen with my current skills or knowledge.  Related: I pre-ordered this book and hope that it will help with this specific quilt and also with my general wish to make "unconventional" quilts.  

So, I'm on to take two.  

This time, I am using a "jelly roll" instead of traditional yardage.  In case you're not in the know: a jelly roll is made up of forty 2½" x 44" strips of fabric.  This was a smart move for this girl that wants to quilt, but doesn't like to measure and is, therefore, afraid to cut.  Since purchasing this jelly roll, I have learned that there are more pre-cut fabric options and I can assure you that I will put them to use in the future.   

Quilt try number two is well underway.  It is made up of solids from the Kona Cotton 2013 Summer Palette.  It's a bit rainbow-y and a little heavy on the cool colors for my taste, but it is also happy and fun.  I considered buying an additional jelly roll of whites and creams to offset some of the bright colors, but decided I didn't really want to invest more money into this venture until I felt more confident that I could come up with a finished product.  

I'm generally a very money conscious person, but somehow I got started on this quilting adventure without giving the money side of it any forethought.  As it turns out, fabric is not free and my income is limited.  I'm not really sure what that means for my future with quilting, except it maybe means that I won't be "all in."  And that's probably okay because I have plenty of other hobbies and projects to keep me entertained and using the creative part of my brain.  

I only have six strips left to finish the quilt top.  Once that's done, I'm considering cutting it into thirds and flipping the middle section length-wise.  That would break up the long strips of color and make for some fun color-blocking instead.  I haven't decided if I'm brave enough to tackle cutting into it or not. 

And then, it will be onto making my quilt sandwich and starting the actual quilting process.  I'm excited to get there and to watch these pieces of fabric become a real life quilt.