Starting Out

I know it’s probably a stupid title for a blog, but I thought maybe the title would catch some other “crafters” eyes. I intend to try and document my various projects, tips, hints, and ideas for projects here. I’ve done a lot of different things over the years, and most recently I’ve gotten into making quilts. In the past I’ve done a lot of needlepoint, specifically counted cross-stitch, and I still plan on doing the cross-stitch. There’s something mind numbing about moving the needle back and forth through the fabric and seeing the design on paper come to life in front of you. It’s definitely something good to do after a long day at work and I don’t really want to think anymore. Eventually I will post some pictures of my work on here for all to see.

I’ve also tried crochet and knitting in the past. I’ve never gotten the hang of knitting, but I have made a few afghans using crochet. They’re very simple, but it’s something nice to start in the fall and then once it starts getting cool enough to need a blanket, the afghan is large enough to start keeping me warm.

As I said, my most recent escape is in the world of quilting. I started trying to do quilting two years ago. At the time I was living in an apartment with my husband and didn’t really have the room to cut fabric and use the sewing machine. Plus, the first pattern I tried to do had a bunch of triangles in it and for a beginning quilter with no one to guide me; it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I made a few blocks that I hope to eventually put together and make into a wall hanging or something, but I eventually stopped when we bought a house (for anyone who has moved, you know how much time and effort it takes to pack everything and then unpack everything). When we bought the house, I also decided to go back to school to get a Masters degree, which of course took up a huge amount of time. During my winter break last year though, I was able to buckle down and make a lap quilt for my 90-year-old grandmother. She absolutely loved it.

So now that I have one full quilt under my belt, I have about 6 in various stages of being sewn and planning. I am currently making a baby quilt for my sister-in-law and I’m also making a play quilt for the baby. Two of my husband’s coworkers are also expecting (one is expecting twins) so I have three other baby quilts planned and I just need to buy the fabric to get started. I also have a queen sized quilt planned for our bed and a large wall hanging planned to put over our fireplace (we have no idea what else to put up there, but it needs some color). Eventually, pictures of all of these will be on here at their various stages.
Well, I hope you all enjoy my blog and I will be posting information about my projects and other happenings around the house. My husband and I are planning on getting a puppy in the spring, so that should be an exciting time. We’ll just have to see how the cat and the puppy get along. :-)