I’m the weener.

Tags

echino swap, indian summer round robin, smqg, spiderweb blocks

Not of the batting! No, I left quilt guild this morning feeling like THE WEENER. (My husband’s family says this, like “I’m the winner,” only, “weener.” ahem.)

Back in October, I joined the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild. I wasn’t quite sold on the idea of a guild–doesn’t the quilt blog community provide enough–well, community? I’m so, so glad I joined! Turns out, it’s much more exciting and inspiring to pet real quilts and coo over fabrics with real live people. True story!

If you haven’t yet joined your local branch of the MQG, please seriously consider it. Even if you’re a wallflower. (Surprise! I think most quilters really are wallflowers.)

Because after some meetings, you leave feeling like THE WEENER.

Ahem.

Here are the two spiderweb blocks I made for this month’s block lottery. One of our guild members selects a block and a color scheme every month. Bring a buck, and a block, and each block/buck you get earns you an entry in the raffle. We’re putting our proceeds towards our guild’s entry fee to the national MQG. I think we’ve raised about $40 so far, which is not insignificant. This month…

 

I won the blocks! There are 16 so far. I’m thinking that means I need to make 14 or 15 more and make a big ol’ spiderweb quilt.

I also went home with this pile of gorgeous:

 

That’s Indian Summer by Sarah Watson for Art Gallery Fabrics, with some coordinating Kona solids chosen and donated by Peg from Sew Fresh Fabrics. Sarah Watson donated the fabric bundles to our guild for us to use in charity quilts. We split the pile and are going to make four baby quilts, round-robin style. I get to start by making the center medallion! I’m so excited to work with these materials, they are gorgeous.

And then, Echino Christmas.

 

The same member of our guild who’s organizing the block lottery also pulled together an Echino fabrics swap. Eight people each bought one print. We cut fat quarters or eighths and swapped. Now I have this gorgeous pile, all for me. I’ve never had any Echino before, it’s always seemed too expensive for me. Now, to cut and not be paralyzed by the “special.”

Are you in a guild? Do you love it? What kinds of fun swaps/bees/round robins/other fabric fun does your guild do?

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finished: bottles pillow

Tags

bottle pillow, finished, FMQ, smqg

I finished up my SMQG “bottles” pillow cover yesterday.

For the March meeting of the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild, Amy of During Quiet Time (our fearless leader!) brought her Sizzix cutter and taught a lesson in Sizzix cutting/curved piecing. Curved piecing! SO not the big deal! Another quilty thing people get worked up over that really is not difficult. When you sew curves you must 1) cut accurately (yay Sizzix) and 2) sew slowly. The end.

During the same meeting, I timidly volunteered to quilt a charity top that’s lingering in one of our members’ piles, adding, “But only if I don’t have to FMQ, I can use my walking foot, right?” Amy gently reminded me that quilting a charity top would make for great FMQ practice.

Pillow covers ALSO make great FMQ practice, as you can see in the above shot. Not so awful, you think? Look closer.

If there’s a visual equivalent of plugging your ears, now’s the time. Shew. I’ve wanted to try Elizabeth Hartman’s dogwood quilting technique for a very long time. I patiently marked my 2” grid on this top, and went at it. It could have gone worse (the top photo up there doesn’t look so awful) but it could have gone a heck of a lot better.

I’m going to park this little blue pillow on our gray sofa, though, and keep it there for awhile. I will also keep practicing! There may be a lot of scrappy throws-pillow covers-doll quilts etc in my future, because I’m not going to let this FMQ thing beat me. I’m also not going to beat myself up over ugly quilting until I really have tried and practiced and worked at it, for a long time.

(I also think I’m justified in posting pictures of really ugly quilting, because otherwise, people who don’t FMQ–me, six months ago, for example–might get the idea that the process is simple, intuitive, and leads to perfect results the first time and every time. HA.)

But for now? I think I’ll be quilting “special” quilts (Lucy’s Lizzy House quilt, for example) with my walking foot. 🙂

Linking up with Finish it Up Fridays at Crazy Mom Quilts (aka Amanda Jean Nyberg, whose awesome book Sunday Morning Quilts I consulted just this week!)