I joined in the Quilt Festival that http://www.amyscreativeside.com/2010/05/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2010.html Amy is once again hosting.
I have been quilting @ 30 years. I signed up for beginner quilt classes but grew weary of the instructor after the 2nd class and self taught with books and magazines after that. I collected fabric for a few years before learning how to quilt. I have made numerous baby sized quilts for friends and relatives, gifting most out. I never counted them. I have a box full of tops I haven't quilted yet, but first I have to decide HOW I want to finish them.
The quilt I am sharing is a navy print with a bleached muslin bearpaw. It is the first large quilt I ever made. I used templates and drew around each one, to inexperienced enough to not realize you CAN rotary cut the pieces out! I also used a navy thread to hand quilt in the white areas and a white thread for the navy areas. I still don't know why I did that....but never did/will again!
I pieced the top, layered and basted it, even quilted a few rows...then put it in a bag and forgot it for @ 17 years. While working as a travel nurse in Arizona, I went home to New Mexico for the Christmas holidays. My son and I went to the local thrift shop, and while cruising the vintage fabric bundles...there it was...THAT navy blue fabric, the same as THE quilt! I bought the little bundle as a reminder, rummaged around at home, found the bag it was in and squirreled it away to finish in Arizona. I thought I remembered doing at least a third of it....lol....nope, just a few lines! Our anniversary was the 31st of Jan, so in between work, I quilted. Made excuses why I couldn't come home, and quilted. I finished it, washed and dried it and FINALLY got home on the 31st of Jan @ 5 pm. with my husbands 17 year quilt. He loves it. It was my first, I love it too.
