I was struggling to decide what to talk about for my first blog entry. Of course I put some pictures of my dogs on first, because every one knows that a woman of my age without children needs something to sublimate any stray motherly feelings onto. (Mom, that was for you. My treatise on feminism and the choice to remain childless may be the next entry to follow.)
This quilt was inspired in just such a way. It is hard to tell from this picture, which Duke was nice enough to help with, but both patterns look like bubbles or small stones. The blue looked like water and the other looked like river stones. I created a ripple effect like ripples on a stream or waves on the shore. This effect was much harder than it looked, because it is hard to sew a curved line as opposed to a straight line. I really love how this one came out, but at this time, it is being used as a dog bed, unfortunately. We are trying to wean little Duke out of our bed, so we offered him a nice place to sleep to try to temp him to sleep there. He has been falling asleep on this pretty quilt on the floor, but in the middle of the night, once he thinks we are sleeping, he jumps up on the bed for a more comfortable sleep.
Anyway, back to the point. I had to start somewhere, and since the name of my blog already lets you know that I have an interest in quilting, I thought I would share my passion a bit.
I love quilting. I love the planning, the process, and the end product. It taps both the creative and logical sides of the brain. You cannot create a good quilt with only one or the other. Both form and function are key. 
This Irish chain quilt is my very first quilt. I started it completely by hand. What a process! I was in college and simply cut and stitched in my spare time. When I went home for the summer, I was exposed to the use of the sowing machine, and I have been spoiled ever since. It is so wonderful how fast and straight you can sow with the machine. It is literally a thing of beauty.
The Irish chain is a simple pattern, but quite pleasing to the eye, especially if you choose the right fabric. That is my favorite part of the whole process, I think. The fabric is where I get the inspiration. I could wander for hours in Jo Ann's. When I look at a piece of fabric and fabric combinations, it is like I can see the quilt that could be made with it. It is exciting to find the patterns that speak loudest to you, saying "Take us, form us, make us into the pattern that will wrap around you on a cold night and warm you". Once you find the pieces, it is almost impossible to say no.
This quilt was inspired in just such a way. It is hard to tell from this picture, which Duke was nice enough to help with, but both patterns look like bubbles or small stones. The blue looked like water and the other looked like river stones. I created a ripple effect like ripples on a stream or waves on the shore. This effect was much harder than it looked, because it is hard to sew a curved line as opposed to a straight line. I really love how this one came out, but at this time, it is being used as a dog bed, unfortunately. We are trying to wean little Duke out of our bed, so we offered him a nice place to sleep to try to temp him to sleep there. He has been falling asleep on this pretty quilt on the floor, but in the middle of the night, once he thinks we are sleeping, he jumps up on the bed for a more comfortable sleep.
Here is another one of my quilts. Cherries on the fabric. I loved the pink and red, especially together. These fabrics were "meant" to go together...That is, they were marketed to match. I usually like making my own combinations, but in this case, I couldn't resist.
Once a quilt is complete, it is so much fun to share your creation, either as a gift, or just as a warm blanket to offer a guest while watching a movie. Most people think they couldn't make a quilt, or that it is really hard. In fact, it can be as easy or as difficult as you feel inspired to make it. I have really simplified the process. I choose easy to use fabrics and try to keep the number of steps to completion down. But the great thing is that you can split the steps to creating a quilt into multiple sessions spread over time. I sometimes work for months on a quilt, but at other times I will go from choosing fabrics to completion in only a few weeks, depending on how much time I have.
Well, maybe I will create a quilting "how to" blog at some point. I definitely have more to say about quilting, so there will be more to come. I really enjoyed sharing some of my favorite quilts with anyone reading this.
