I'm half way through my quilt - my first quilt at that!.. I was a little daunted at first, but with the helpful videos by this lovely woman Melanie Ham - she walked me through the stages.
It was a real pleasure to watch these informative videos. I felt like I met a friend! ... sadly since January, this year has already been hard in the way of losses for me, with several friends passing away, I was so saddened to hear that this lady had also just lost her battle with cancer the same week! It made it that much more poignant working on this first quilt - feeling the loss of the family and her large crafting community too. However, in honor of her and my other friends who recently passed - I am carrying on with the crafting of this one.
The process of quilting is an age old tradition. I have many friends in the USA who grew up with their aunts and mothers passing on their treasured heirlooms and sharing the craft. One thing begets another and once I started sharing what I was working on with friends, they started sharing their quilts and the processes. A friend who is more like " degree level" quilter compared to my kindergarten level! - shared that my colours I had chosen to go with the #eco #prints are a real throw back to 1930's in the USA - the mint and lilac.
If you have never quilted before here are her set of 6 beginner tutorials that are free;
Your first Quilt Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TyihOEvJ8E
Your First Quilt Part 2 https://youtu.be/YayeZcs3FsQ
Your First Quilt Part 3 https://youtu.be/R7EdVJailUQ
Your First Quilt Part 4 https://youtu.be/wPEY9VhSL6U
Your First Quilt Part 5 https://youtu.be/3Yb0xOgc098
Your First Quilt Part 6 https://youtu.be/efE87vCVo6U
For the first project, I wanted to do something with the Eco Prints I did late last year (click on the bold type to see the blog post about that process!)
I learned a new trick and and a safety one at that! I learned from an aunt to just "ride over " my pins that were perpendicular to my needle - like going over train tracks - however Melanie said DO NOT sew over the pins! WHY? because you could bust a needle, then the needle could fly into your eye... so my old habit has died!
I want to share with you a lovely gift I was given from a neighbour when we moved house last year - a hand made quilt! Incredibly it matched my new sofa and cushions - but she had no idea of my colours for the new room! It is something I will always treasure :)
Below is a sign that I am getting hooked! The purple and mint eco print one is nearly finished! And now I am half way through a baby quilt. I am finding it very therapeutic as it is such a change from my usual creative work; this is slow and steady, measured and accurate - everything has to align, compared to my "dash with a brush" impresionist style painting.
I love the feel of the quilts, and they are very warm, and cozy. They are also built to last a while, so there is longevity - going back to the heirloom idea. I like the idea of these being gifts full of meaning and love! The videos I used ( see above) really were so helpful to get great, smart results even for a first timer! Melanie takes you through step by step so you can get going really easily.
Next blog is going to be more on the topic of " Trust the Process"... and introducing you to how I mix paint colours!
I will be showing you what amazing colours you can get from just a few bases of colour, mixed in certain proportions, with additions of black and white.
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