A quilter? Not me.

The first time I saw this quilt was shortly after Kathy hired me at Pink Chalk. The Flower Show quilt designed by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle of FunQuilts.com, appeared in Quilts and More Magazine Spring 2010. It has since been re-released in the BH&G Perfect For Precuts volume 1, 2011. I am not a quilter. I’m a crafter. I love fabric and I’m passionate about color. In the past, my projects consisted of handbags, pillow covers, zipper pouches, small window coverings and a slip cover or two. Quilts and More magazine made me think to myself, “If I were to make a quilt, that would be the quilt.” The pattern looked simple and straight forward. Someday… Remember…  I am not a quilter.

One day I realized my scrap bin was quite full of fabric. The Flower Show pattern calls for 11 fat quarters and 1/2 yard for the red bars. What size rectangles do I need? 7 ½ by 4 ½ inches. Why not start cutting pieces for that Flower Show Quilt? No commitment. Just cut some fabric. Take a look at the scrap bin/stash in your sewing room, chances are it’s much like mine. All the fabrics coordinate. We’re drawn to fabric that speaks to our spirit in some way. Intuitively we select fabric that is color coordinated. Once I started cutting I realized, that my scrap bin HAD a quilt in it. I just didn’t know it until I started cutting. My first quilt was taking shape. Kona Cotton Snow was selected for the background. Before I knew it the quilt top was finished. Wow! Maybe I can do this.

So… the quilt top is done. Now what? I don’t quilt. There it sat for maybe a year. I had no idea where to go next.  There are so many talented quilters with fabulous machines that could quilt my Flower Show for me but, this is my quilt. After all that work, somehow it seemed wrong to have another person finish MY quilt. The pink chalk team was so kind and encouraging. Melissa and Cindy inspired me to think about Free Motion Quilting, which I had never heard of. Melissa’s free form quilts are amazing. She made it sound easy enough. Could I quilt it myself? Don’t know about that.

I’m a just-do-it, DIY, kinda girl. Jump in and see what happens. Off to the sewing shop I went in search of a darning foot for my little Pfaff Select 3.0. There was talk of basting with pins to secure the layers of the quilt together. Do you remove them as you run into them with the darning foot or stitch around them? The idea of pinning and quilting around them sounds like so much work. Is there an easier way? In a blog search Cherri House Quilts enlightened me on fusible batting. I can iron. Now that, to me, sounds more doable. Fusi-Boo is the batting I found at the local craft store. It’s a cotton bamboo blend of fibers. Easy enough for this crafty girl. For practice I threw together a couple big block quilts made with fat quarters. The fusible batting worked well for me. (I tried another brand on one practice quilt, but it didn’t adhere as well)  Quilting is fun! There was a bit of trial and more than a bit of error. This, I brush off as lack of experience. Even my wonky beginner big block quilts have a style and personality that only came out after quilting them. After a bit of practice I had the confidence to finish my Flower Show. I AM a quilter.

I am still amazed at how the finished quilt came out. It’s so pretty and I made it! Now I see that quilting can be as addictive as buying fabric. There are so many ways to justify new fabric and building my stash. Quilting combines all my passions – fabric, color, design and decorating. Oh the places we can go! Let the quilting begin.

We have a fabulous selection of patterns from Fun Quilts by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. Which one to make next? I’m loving their My Guy pattern.