a whole year?

Since my last post a year ago, lots has happened.

We got rid of our carpet, and that makes it easier to wheel my sewing machine around. But I've decided I don't like wheeling it around. I want it to have its own spot. So we are turning the dining room into my sewing room. It's going to take some time to decide how to make the best of the furniture I have in the tiny space I'm using. But I'm happy about it.

Over the summer, I started a baby quilt for a lady I've known for quite some time. I bought the fabric for this very quilt so many years ago, I was happy to spring into action when she told me she was finally pregnant! But then I found out that most of these prints are pretty hard to find, now. And I needed more of a certain one. Thank goodness I have a friend with my same appreciation for these prints, because she happened to have exactly what I needed for the backing.

I put this quilt top together in a weekend, I was so excited to be making it. The quilting didn't take very long, so I was able to get it finished up and mailed off before the baby was born. 

I've been working on my vintage-ish floral quilt, too. The more I work on it, the more I love it. I wasn't feeling the design for a long time, and some of the colors were rubbing me the wrong way. But I'm starting to really fall in love with it as I quilt my pattern into the blocks. And I know who's getting this quilt now, which makes it even more fun to work on.

Erica's quilt top is finally done!! I just ordered the backing, which is being shipped to me next week. I feel relieved and extremely proud to have finally gotten to this point. I have gone through a lot of insecurities while working on this one, but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It is, without a doubt, the best quilt I have ever done, and I'm jumping out of my skin to start the quilting on it!

I promise to provide a much better picture of it once I baste it. I added a dark purple border all the way around it after this picture was taken.

And here's a little teaser for the project I just started. It's my first sampler quilt. My brain needs this challenge, and maybe I should learn to follow the rules for once. I am learning new techniques and doing a lot of math. I am even measuring my seam allowances for the first time ever! And I'll be damned if this isn't a ton less frustrating than the wing-it way I've been doing it for so long!