Failures

 It would be wrong for you to think that everything I put together works out perfectly. Sometimes I make trial blocks to see what trouble may be averted. Here are some that just didn't work.

This was too fussy for me to fiddle with.

These colors are terribly wrong.

The Radiance was very expensive, but unless this is for the next Star Wars movie, it will have to go in the garbage bin.

Mom's Hexagon Flowers

 My mom found a love of hexagons before I did. She makes these lovely flowers, then appliques them onto a large background. I wish I had found English Paper Piecing earlier. It's so fun.

For a view of the quilt after washing:

The Addams Family

 Marnie was given the opportunity to join the cast of Addams Family at Stanwood High School. It's so fun to make friends when putting on a show, but there are long days and nights and it is exhausting. Hopefully she will be able to catch up on her sleep this weekend.

New Hexagon Millefiori

 I've finished my first rosette in the New Hexagon quilt. This is my first time trying English Paper Piecing and it is pretty straightforward. I would make a photocopy of each block required, fold it in half, staple up the sides, and slip in all the paper pieces required for that block.

Then I cut out each piece in fabric with a general seam allowance. I prefer to hand baste the fabric around the paper, but glue basting is also an option.

It is tricky to stitch everything together in the right direction, so you must keep the picture right next to you at all times.

My First Quilt

 My very first quilting book was In the Beginning by Sharon Yenter. I was so excited to get started on my first quilt, but living in Baring, Washington limited my fabric options. So one day I we were driving through Seattle and I asked Paul to watch the kids while I ran into In the Beginning to buy some fabric.  We were lucky to get a parking spot. I snuck out and ran upstairs like a crazy person. I knew the kids wouldn't keep very long.

Not thinking about buying a line of fabric, I just grabbed a bunch of bolts, and following the quilt recipe, asked for the proper amount of yardage. It was a sampler type of quilt, which is good for a beginner, but never looks quite right. This one turned out pretty bad. It sat for years in my UFO stash. 

When I bought my Gammill longarm I decided it would be my first quilt on the machine. So not only is the quilt bad, but the quilting is pretty bad too. I finally decided to take a picture and toss it. Always keep for first quilt (or a picture) so you know how you've improved!