Welcome Quilt Festival friends! I was trying to figure out what quilt I could share for the Blogger's Quilt Festival knowing I hadn't finished anything recently. I went through my old posts and found this one that I finished over 2 years ago. I started it for a friend whose birthday is on July 4, well before I knew I would be a military wife, or had heard the name Amy Butler.
I am pretty pleased with this project considering it was the first quilt I've ever designed, pieced, quilted, and bound all by myself (with a few tutorials from my mom!). That being said, if I were to make a quilt for my friend for her birthday this year - it would look nothing like this. Even if her birthday is on the 4th of July.
Since this was the first thing I have quilted with a walking foot I wasn't ever really sure I was doing it right, because it just seemed like there was something off. That it should have been easier than it was. My stitches were uneven and the fabric wasn't feeding well. I was borrowing my mom's foot and remembered not having this much trouble working with it when she was with me.
my mom: Do you have the little black arm attached to the presser foot screw?
me: what??! what little black. . . . (looking closer). . . oh, you mean that one. (attaching the foot properly - and grumbling)
Well that's interesting - it works just fine, NOW.
my mom: I didn't know you didn't know how to attach it.
me: you mean the way I also didn't know that a fat quarter measured 18"x22" until last fall?
my mom: (chuckles)
me: The problem here is that you know so much you just assume I've learned it all through osmosis! I'm totally going to blog about this. A post entitled: Things my mom thought she taught me, that I wish I had known.
my mom: Oh no you're not!
me: we'll see.
I guess we know the outcome of that one. (Thanks, mom!)
I love how the binding turned out. I think the stripes really complete it and make it a little fancier. I used to think I hated sewing on binding, but I knocked this out during a viewing of this. And it's not as hard as I used to think. I reccomend running your thread through beeswax or thread heaven to keep it from tangling. I learned that from Bend the Rules Sewing (and yes, I think my mom knew about that trick too).
Thanks for visiting!!
Thanks for visiting!!
32 crafty mcCrafters commented:
Love the quilt Amy and your post too! ooxx
Great post Amy!!
I love this!!!! Great job. I never would have guessed you had never used a quilting foot, never designed and made the quilt yourself! AMAZING!!
Your post is too cute!! :o)
I love your quilt!
This is so pretty! I'm a sucker for red, white and blue:) Nice conversation with mom, too!
I love this quilt and I love love love the conversation with your mum - hilarious
Going retro! I love it. Sweet quilt. Which gets me thinking....I see a lot of stars and stripes, and union jacks...I think the world needs an injection of quilting Canadiana, eh? Hmm...will get on that (it will take about 3.7 years at my current pace).
Love the conversations with your mom. Busted! You are so lucky to have a common passion!
Hugs to you! You rock :) xoxo
cute story and nice patriotic quilt. I learned about beeswax when I used to do cross-stitch. It's a great tool!
Love your quilt and your story is fun and funny! Lucky friend. Thanks for sharing and have a great day
It's great to see your quilt. It looks wonderful. Love to read the story behind it.
hello my friend! I love that we are near each other on the festival page and I really love your sweet flag! Will send an email with an update, but all is good!
Very nicely done! I always love a bias-striped binding. :) And I can totally picture that conversation with your mom. hah.
Nice work! I love patriotic style quilts and yours is so nicely finished.
Cute story for a cute quilt! I'm sure she loved it!
Frankly, everyone starts somewhere and if this was your start, you did pretty dang well. :)
I really want to meet your mom, I bet you two are a hoot together!!!!!! I know I remember the days before Amy Butler and Moda...I have more money and more time :o) But now I have friends and quilts!!!!!!!!
E' molto carina!
Ciao
Love the quilt and your Mom too!
i love the story about your mom. my mom does the same thing--usually in regards to cooking.
Just Lovely! And that binding is to die for!
Thanks for the tip about the beeswax, I've never heard that before. Like your quilt and I'm glad you shared it =)
I love me a good RWB quilt. Isn't it funny what folks assume we know and we really don't know. Glad you got it all figured out. And yes, the binding really makes the quilt!
great quilt and post I hope to have conversations like that with my daughter someday!
Ann
Too funny! I'm sure your friend loves it.
I've never met a patriotic quilt I didn't like. What a special gift for a friend. Also, your little "convo" with your mom bring back seriousl deja vu except with my mom and cooking. Ha ha!
Great job! The next quilt design I've got in the works is red, white and blue. I just have to find the right fabrics.
Rachel @ TheSingingSparrow.com
Ha ha! I probably would have done the exact same thing. :)
What a funny story. I've had conversations like that with my own daughter. =) Thanks for sharing.
Your quilt is really great! The binding is really cool! Loved your story too. :-)
Great story Amy! Love the quilt too!
Oh yay, I found you again! That blinking blogger link had stopped following you after all - booo!
Anywho, love the quilt and the story behind it, my dad went through a stage where he seemed to think I should have learned all about photography through osmosis from him. I learned on the net (as 200 miles is a long way to absorb things via osmosis), and now I tell him things ;o)
This is a wonderful quilt and a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing.
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