Beginner’s Quilting Class!

I’m not sure when it started, but I got it into my head that I really want to learn how to quilt (I blame it on several blogger friends). My mom taught me how to sew, and since I got my own machine for Christmas, I’m learning more with every new project (so far: aprons, bags, mug rugs, a stuffed Chewbacca, etc.).

But I really, really want to make a quilt (a machine quilt for now, perhaps some hand-quilting in the future). I love the cozy weight and the handmade-ness and the classic feel of a quilt. Thankfully, my personal aesthetic is clean, architectural, and uncomplicated — which means that I’m drawn to quilts that are (generally) easier to make. No complicated patterns, no difficult circular or hex cuts, no tiny paper-piecing. Plus, I have a nephew on the way and I want to make something cuddly for him! So when my friend Steph suggested a new beginning quilters class at her work, my mom and I signed up.

Joe and Ruth, the husband-and-wife team behind Two Accordians, make some beautiful quilts. I particularly love Ruth’s method of actual quilting (using a long-arm quilter), which is graphic, clean, and very mod. Their quilts appeal to my sense of style.  The class they put on was awesome — in seven hours we went from nothing to an entirely finished (albeit small) quilt — choosing fabrics, cutting, piecing, quilting, binding — everything! I learned a lot, and got over that initial fear of doing a something brand new. They also provided an incredible lunch — salmon and prosciutto sandwiches, lentils, veggies, fruit, cheese.

I chose a simple color scheme of teal, orange, cream, and beige, quilted with a diamond pattern. My mom went with some warm colors to match her Frank Lloyd Wright-ish dining room, with a fun spiral stitch for the quilting. It was much easier than I expected, even the binding — which I machine stitched on and it turned out perfectly. Quilting is no longer daunting! I can do this!

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