Final Project

I must admit, I have found an artistic side to myself that I did not know I had.

Most of my life I have been pushing forward with one project or another, intertwined with the fast pace at work, family life and just life in general.

Now I am much older, I have some time to myself which has enabled me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I take ‘my hat off’ to artistic people in general as there is so much to learn, especially, where quilting is concerned.

Currently, I am absorbed by learning all about the artistic skill of quilting. I have gone from a standing start to second gear really quickly and I must admit, I am really pleased with my efforts.

Tomorrow is my last class for sustainable stitching, where I have been taught to carry out the basic skills of sewing whilst using scraps of fabrics to produce my small quilts.

For my final project, I watched Jenny at The Missouri Quilt Company explain how to construct a block which depicts a boat. For me, this was a major step up from my last two quilts and I had to be accurate as it entailed making ‘half square triangles’.

I chose this design as my tutor had gone through the process of making these triangles during class time.

Mmm! These are not easy to do as I soon found that I had to be accurate at measuring and cutting which still aren’t my forte.

But I persevered, my tutor showed me what stitch to use to bind the edges. So the binding was secured at the back of the quilt by using a slip stitch. My friend gave me some boat themed fabric which she had turned into binding strips which finished the quilt off nicely.

Accuracy is still a problem for me as you can see that this quilt lists badly from East to West! But I have learnt a great deal from all this and I have enjoyed it immensely.

The main part of these classes has come as a surprise to me which is the camaraderie with all the students and the tutor. Sitting, sewing and chatting has been joyful and it has been a pleasure to be in their company.

So thank you to you all for helping me and just generally being there! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks again, Karen.