Sunday, November 24, 2019

Quilty fails...or are they??

Are our fails truly fails? 
It is my preference to see all experiences as learning experiences. Before I tackled that first pattern I picked up at Quilt Expo, I thought it best to dabble in some projects that were more experimental. Don't want to take on that first serious project and potentially ruin all that fabric. What I did have on hand was a decent enough stash of fabrics to start participating in a quilt challenge that has changed my life.

Fail #1
Kim Lapacek has been hosting Project Quilting for 10 seasons. I started participating during season 8 with my first mini-quilt. The season opened with the challenge theme "Eight is Great" where participants were to incorporate the number eight into projects as we interpreted with additional basic guidelines. I had what I thought looked interesting on paper and in my head, but the end result was not as grand as I had hoped. From the uneven measurements to the added flare that really wasn't all that flashy, here is what I called "Infin-8":


Fail #2
My second fail is actually my very first quilt. It was made from a fat quarter bundle that came with a free pattern I knew was easy enough to assemble. The catch? I had zero experience with binding. None. When working in the factory we finished quilts differently, so I decided to ask my mom and reference video tutorials. The binding on this quilt is quite embarrassing, but what I learned was so very valuable. Since this quilting encounter, I have dug deeper watching more tutorials and reading bloggers suggestions on machine binding because my fingers have a hard time with needlework. It was essential to find a better way. If you click on the photos to get a closer look, feel free to zoom in on the top photo (the back of the quilt) to see just how uneven that binding turned out:



Fail #3 
The third fail I am going to share is another Project Quilting challenge piece also from season 8 but week 5 with the theme "Well Dressed Man". I missed some stitching around one of the areas on this quilted pillow sham I made in honor of my husband's many years dedicated to our country serving in the Wisconsin National Air Guard. This mistake was not noticed for at least a month. I learned to look my work over better before calling it complete. Here is the photo of that fail we love to this day:


Final Thoughts
My fails are never fails. Every single one has been a stepping stone on my quilting journey. I jumped into this world with some rather big ideas knowing that there was much learning to be had before I could put those ideas into motion. This blog is one such idea that has come to fruition. The opportunity for pattern testing is another. Pattern design is another path I am starting to explore. All of these possibilities have opened because I took the leap on those learning experiences - not fails.

What do you consider a quilty fail? Have any you care to share in the comments?

Keep quilting!
Fawn   

Monday, November 18, 2019

How I got started

Luckily, a few years ago my mom invited me to attend the Quilt Expo (now called the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show) in Madison, WI. I was hooked! There I bought my first fabrics and pattern. See below the quilt that started it all. Fishing Frogs from Attic Quilts is the name.

While working on that particular pattern I discovered mistakes in the instructions that brought me along another path - pattern testing. Here are a few of my test quilts from working with Patterns By Jen whom I knew first as a fellow childcare provider. Check out her link for more quilty fun and a link to buy the patterns below and more.

Mod Squared by Patterns By Jen

Twisted Flight by Patterns By Jen

Criss Crossing by Patterns By Jen

I enjoy working with Jen's patterns as they are beginner friendly, yet you can easily make them advanced as I did with Friendly Flight. Criss Crossing has also been customized. Taking on testing for Jen allows my skills to grow and creativity to flow.

In the next post we will visit some of my quilty fails. Some are personal projects and others are parts of challenges. Are they really fails? All are part of learning.

How did you get your start in quilting? Let me know in the comments.

Keep quilting!
Fawn