Getting started with my new blog...

I am a crafty person. It hardly matters what the craft is, I'll give it a go. I've done, Victorian Christmas ornaments, cross stitch, teddy bears, quilting, card making, scrapbooking, crocheting, cook book covers, paper tolling, etc.

Seems usual when there's a gift to give, that I try something new. Most people wouldn't even think about doing something they've never done before for a gift in fear of failure. Not me! I dive head first with blind abandon into something, then worry about it later. I've spent many late nights trying to finish a project that when I started it, I had NO idea how to do it, but need to have it done the next day. Nothing like a deadline to keep the blood racing! Normally things turn out ok though and I've learned a new craft, if not something new about myself. I've always thought of myself as highly impatient, but doing all these different crafts shows me that I'm not nearly as bad as I think.

In this new blog, I will be posting pictures of my newest creations and how they came about.

My thing dujoir is quilting. I've been at it since July 2007 and I started with a lap quilt for my best friend. I didn't have a pattern, had NO idea where to even start or how it would turn out, but I went into with my usual full force. I gave myself about 6 weeks to finish it, which I learned later was crazy. I had a couple of blaring mistakes, but my new quilt teacher (whom I searched for only after I had sewn together the front and back panels and had no idea where to go from there) told me to claim that its an Amish quilt. Amish because they always purposefully include mistakes because no one is perfect but God. I liked that so that's what I claimed! Good enough excuse for me and I happen to agree with it! This quilt started out as a pillow, turned into a full sized quilt, then into a wall hanging, and finally ended up as a lap quilt. I called it "Chocolate Box" because Michelle loves chocolate and I used a lot of brown fabric. The back is unique because there is a design on it as well. Most quilts are one sided, but I saw someone on Simply Quilts (or here Alex Anderson Quilts) talking about doing a two sided quilt and being someone that doesn't shrink back from new techniques, I loved the idea. My new quilt teacher was impressed!

When I asked Michelle what her favorite color is, she said "you mean this week?" so I took that as I have free run to experiment with different colors all together. This is what I came up with:

Front

Back

In the center square on the front I incorporated something that meant something to both of us. On the cream color fabric I used a rubber stamp with archival purple ink that says "Celebrate Friendship" and I used a stamp that Michelle created herself of flowers in the corners. I happen to think it was very clever of me! In the corner of the back photo, you can see my little signature panel. I had a stamp created that says "Handmade with love by Shelly" in a circle and it has a little dove in the center of it. I had it made for my card making endeavors and have incorporated a way to use it in quilting as well. Of course you have to use permanent ink!