My First Quilting Project: BABY QUILT

A long time ago, my mother gave me a quilter's kit, which had a rotary cutter, pins, a measure board, etc. I got it for my birthday one year and I was very excited to get it but have never had the chance or opportunity to open it and use it till now.

I decided, (Shhhh to those who know them! I haven't given it to them yet...) I wanted to make my brother and sister a baby quilt for their first baby they are expecting next month! I wanted to give them something special and I remember having a couple handmade blankets (which is terribly sad but no idea where they ever wound up....) made for me when I was born/little... one was a croceted blanket with white and pinks and yellows with tassels on the end and the other was a delicate blanket with blues, yellows, pinks and green in it. Anyway, I decided it would be my first quilting project. I have been wanting to make a quilt for many a year and after seeing the quilted iron cover and deciding it couldn't be that hard to do... I finally took a deep breathe and faced the fear of a complicated quilting project!

Here are some pics and steps of the quilt I made!

I got everything all together (yes, I used the kitchen floor - no worries I cleaned it that afternoon!)

Then I cut out all the fabric pieces to thier appropriate sizes

I sewed the four pieces to frame out the center piece

Then sewed all the side squares together and layed them out

*smiles* It's starting to look like a quilt!

Then pinned, pressed and sewed the sides together! Look below, almost done!

Yay! The top part is done!

Now time to lay out and prepare the top to be attached to the backing

Here it is! All finished!

It was a lot of fun to make and very easy! I got a beginner's quilt project as I have never made one before and thought it would be easy to start with something that had simple steps. I would definitely make another without buying the kit next time. It was not too time consuming either. One night, about 2 hours I spent reading through directions and cutting up the fabric pieces (prob normally wouldn't take that long but I was taking my merry ole time) and then I spent about 2-3 hours another afternoon sewing and pressing and putting it all together. So, if you're interested and fear it will take forever - it's definietly something it seems like you could do a little here and there and it not be a big deal at all and the overall time to be spent is merely a couple hours.

I am really excited to do another quilting project.... if you remember one of my lasts posts about the ugly ironing board cover... yup! I have already begun to gather scraps for it! I can't wait to start it and share it with you! Until then.... Ciao!

Local Business' with Familiar Faces

Teresita's Sew Creative, owned and operated by (our very own) Jennifer Zapp, was announced in the St Mary's Star today!

She made front page, first article! She has been opened for some time now but has kept herself low key until she could get things going first. If your local, stop in and see the shop - it's very darling in there - if you're not local - she has a website:

http://www.teresitasewcreative.vpweb.com/

Also, there is another new local shop in town now owned by Teresa Morgali - "Mommy Knows Best." This is a baby store here on the outskirt of town. I haven't been in there yet but I hear they have all kinds of stuff including maternity clothing and the likes as well as new and used kid clothing and furniture.

It's so neat to know that the little town of St Marys is building and becoming more self sufficient.. in that now instead of having to drive to Topeka JUST for a needle... now you can just stop by the Sew shop for one. It's just really neat to see shops opening (especially by people you know) and making our town a little more self sufficient and making it not a necessity to drive all the way to Topeka for everything!

OUTSIDE THE PAGES: II

“The Mother” by: Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty

I have always heard this book was “the best book ever” and “this is one you should definitely read.” I had a copy at one point that I found off ebay but never read it because at the time I figured, I was single and not dating so why read it now? So, a friend of mine got married and I decided to give her the book because I knew it had great things said about it and wanted to share it with her. Now, I am married and God willing, one day will be a mother.

After browsing through the bookstore here I came across the book, “The Mother “ (among many others I was carrying in my arms…). After looking through and seriously contemplating each book I had in the pile I had collected, I decided on this one. I got it about a month or so ago and began to read it. I have not gotten far yet but already it is an amazing and inspiring book.

“The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She needs not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body… The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God’s creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation… What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?” (from the jacket of the book)