Revelations of Quilt Girl

Tah Dah...

I finished the little purple quilt. It was not my first quilt, but it was the first quilt I've quilted on my sewing machine. In the process of creating this little slice of cuddly goodness, I had some revelations:

1. Picking the right combination of fabrics for a quilt is not as easy as it seems. Wow! My head was spinning.
2. The final quilt is a metamorphosis of the original vision. The fabric that was my inspiration piece didn't make it in to the final quilt. Weird.
3. Piecing a quilt together is the bomb. Love it.
4. Machine quilting is not for wimps. There is a reason people send their quilts out to be quilted on a long-arm machine. Quilting on my little Bernina made me want to throw my scissors, say naughty words, and poke needles in my eyes. I didn't do any of those things, just so you know.
5. Perfection is a cruel mistress. I thought I was out from under her hand. Turns out, I'm not. My quilting stitches are not consistent in length. Two of my quilting lines have a whoopie in them. There is one pucker on the back. Nobody else will notice. But I do. Drives me crazy. Makes me feel insecure. I don't want to be under the spell of perfectionism. I will continue to battle her. Tah-wan-da!!

There you have it. My profound revelations. I will definitely quilt again. Next time, though, I think I will send it out to be quilted. Or maybe I will have a go at hand quilting. Ooooh, I like that idea.

Happy day~

Cassie

PS--This would be my fourth post in November...just in case you were counting. :-)

Comments

[Catherine]

Can totally relate to all your revelations :-) From your photos though I think it's turned out beautifully. Very pretty fabrics. I think hand quilting is the way to go if you have time.

[Carrie]

I love purple and I love your quilt. :) People keep trying to change my mind when I tell them that I am intimidated by quilting so I am glad you said it made you want to poke needles in your eyes because I'm pretty sure I'd get there quickly too!

[The Muse of The Day]

I am so with you on this one, Casey. One thinks it is going to be easier with a machine - aren't machines created to make our lives easier? I often debate if I should throw out my vacuum and just sweep or Swiffer (no carpet helps this thought), computers have been such a boon to our communication, but they come with their complications, and a sewing machine was touted as THE answer to the common housewife without access or funds to a couture stylist - impossible invisible zippers now plague many a sewing newbie. I love your quilt - the colors zing, like you. I am sure a combination of machine & hand stitches would look oh so cool together. Melissa at http://www.100billionstars.blogspot.com/ just did a post on this very topic. Like you, she works very hard at making every effort on her stitches. Perfection seems to run in her veins. There is also Eva's quick quilted makeup bag at http://eisblumen.blogspot.com/ that project turned out really beautiful too. I am leaning towards doing all hand work as the not-so-perfect stitches add to the charm. What about Natalie Chanin's work? Is that not totally awesome? She has a new book coming out Spring 2012. Gotta get the girls to school. I am looking forward to seeing more quilt goodness from you. Carolina

[Linda]

This is a great quilt. And I think your quilting looks wonderful!! You can do it again! You'll feel more confident now that you have this under your belt. Remember you are working with fabric and that adds many variables. Sometimes stitch lengths change on you. It's okay.

[Karen C]

Wow! Love the fabric colors & choices! Exceptionally lovely quilt, great work!

[Thimbleanna]

Well Lookie There! You ARE a quilter -- WooHoo!!! Congratulations -- it's a beautiful quilt. I'm glad you didn't poke needles in your eyes -- you're going to need those eyes for your next quilt!!!

I LOVE your color selection. And your use of black is genius -- love those polkies too!

[Kira]

I feel the exact same way. I love the whole process of quilting up until the quilting part. I just yesterday machine quilted-free hand my first quilt. It completely stresses me out. I feel like I love the quilt up to that point then my lack of quilting skills "dumbs down the beautiful pieceing". But I am working through it, I will win! Someday my quilting will look as good as the professionals! (or at least thats what I keep telling myself) But there is a satisfaction about completeing a whole quilt, start to finish, without relying on someone else to "help.

[Marilyn]

I have never tried to do the quilting. I will stay with the piecing and send it to the professionals to do the quilting part. I love what they can do and it makes me a much happier quilter. Love your Longaberger basket. I have several. More than I care to count.

[It's About Time Mamaw]

I love it! I have not figured out how to quilt on the machine. I make lap and baby quilts and piece them on the machine then just quilt them by hand.

[Cassie Edmondson]

Hi! I just found your blog! My name is Cassie, too. I love piecing, hate quilting. I have hand quilted my first few quilts. I love the result but it takes forever. I machine quilted my last one and felt totally unprepared. Thankfully the person that received it isn't crafty enough to notice that it looked bad!

[Jona]

I think it's stunning! Gorgeous combination of fabrics. You need to embrace your mistakes (it means you were trying!!). :)

[Nina]

I absolutely love the colors and style of this quilt!! Great job! HOWEVER, I really want to know if you've made any progress on the "big plans" post. If not, can't you PLEEEEEASE let us know what it's going to be???

[Clair]

Love the fabrics you've used! The touch of black makes it pop.

[brigette]

well miss cassie.
as always, love love love your colors. a girl after my own heart, adding black in there.
so do we have ya hooked yet? you hooked? do you need further persuasion, or have you cuddled up under it yet.