::Baby quilt::

The title of this post is appropriate in more ways than one: not only did I decide to start with this simple, "baby quilt," but I feel like the pattern is for "baby" quilters. Like me.

Except, its not for a baby.

I took Heidi to Farbicland the other day to get some ideas for her quilt, wondering what kind of "nice" fabrics a store in Brandon could possibly carry. :oS I was pleasantly surprised. There were a lot of Michael Miller fabrics - cool ones, too! I can understand how women spend tons of money on fabrics and just keep them lying around. I was tempted to get a yard of each of about 30 fabrics! I didn't see any Amy Butler, per se, but many collections were close in style and palette, that's for sure. I was especially drawn to the yellow, grey and black group, as well as a blue, green and brown group, that would make a fantastic quilt. But I need to first find "the" pattern for my Heidi, which will determine the size of print I choose.

Until then, I wanted to whet my quilting appetite by starting simple. I came across a collection of fabrics that gave me an idea to make a quilt for someone who may or may not read this blog...so I can't (yet) describe it or give details about my motivation for making it. But I will tell you that I am making the "baby quilt" but calling it a "lap quilt." (She'll never know! Until she reads this...) So I scooped up the main fabric, chose two others to match, and had the lady at Fabricland give me a metre of each (plenty of  material to screw up with for this first-timer).

Here's a photo of the matching fabrics I chose (not including the main one, which includes pink). This is part of the pattern for the back face of the quilt. It is a large print, actually. That middle square is 18" squared.

So I swung over to Wal-Mart to pick up the tools I needed - rotary cutter, mat, pins, scissors, etc. - and once Heidi went to bed, started cutting. It was much easier than I anticipated, actually. Those rotary blades are SHARP. Eight layers of fabric? No problem! It took me about 45 minutes to cut all 64 - 4.5" squares and lay them out on the floor. I watched the instructional DVD on my sewing machine and now know how to thread bobbins and work the machine - it really does come back like riding a bike.

And I can proudly say I have finished the entire front face of the quilt! I must include that my measurements were not always spot on (and my hastiness probably didn't help the situation, either), so it is a little, well, "homemade" looking. But what can I expect for my first go?

Once the quilt is finished and delivered (hopefully in the next couple of weeks), I can post the progression. Until then, it will be kept secret (shhh!) so as not to spoil the surprise.