FINALLY A PROJECT FOR ME!

I'm finally working on a project just for ME! I picked up this kit at the 2010 International Quilt Festival here in Houston. I fell in love with the colors and the pattern and figured the wall hanging size would make a good beginner project. To make it just about perfect, all the pieces were die cut and the kit included the batting and backing. All I needed was the thread!!

This is a picture of the finished top which went together very quickly. I love the earth tones with soft greens and creams. The backing is more soft green. Even though the pieces were fairly small, I found that, with the die cutting, everything went together very easily.

Here's a close up of the different blocks. There were two different patterns. It was fun setting the blocks on point. I've never done that before. I was so lucky that the instructions were very detailed and had lots of pictures. I'm a visual learner so pictures are invaluable for me. Since it's so small and I don't have much experience with machine quilting, I will be hand quilting this one.

I must admit that my hand quilting skills leave much to be desired, but I'm using a neutral thread that blends in with the fabrics so you can't see all the mistakes without looking really close. The videos by Alex Anderson on "The Quilt Show" website have helped me select needles and thimbles and hoops. I even ordered her book on hand quilting and learned more on correct technique. It even has a section on building your own quilt frame from saw horses and 2" x 2" lumber. Cool! I'm seriously thinking about doing that.

I'll make another post when the quilt is all finished and bound. I'll be hanging it behind my bed since it coordinates very well with my round robin friendship quilt.