My first quilt top

I love crafting, but a very close second to my love of crafting is researching and planning what to craft. I could spend hours and hours (well, I DO spend hours and hours) thinking about, imagining, planning, and daydreaming about the items I want to/plan to make. I've been wanting to make a quilt for a while, but I kept procrastinating because I didn't have the right supplies. On Friday, I decided to take the plunge and cut fabric for my first quilt. Then I went ahead and sewed the pieces together. Before I knew it, I had a completed quilt top!


This is from the book "Denyse Schmidt Quilts" and the pattern is Flock of Triangles. The fabric is from Purl Patchwork, purchased when I was in Manhattan in January. I made a crib size, not intended for any recipient, but really for practice.


I really enjoyed sewing the quilt top. I learned so many things, and I haven't even completed the quilt! First, I do not have the precision gene. All of my triangles were slightly different sizes. I'm not sure how that'll affect the final outcome, but I tried to compensate for that as much as I could while piecing the rows together. Second, quilting takes up lots of thread! I think next time I'll have a few bobbins of thread ready so I don't have to rethread the machine. Finally, taking the time to press between each seam is SO important. I didn't do that for my first row to save time, and I quickly realized that I wasn't saving any time! Silly rabbit!

I still need to figure out what I want the quilt back and binding to be, but I'm hoping I'll have my first quilt completed by next weekend. Yippee!

I wanted to share another Japanese craft book I bought... and since it's a crib-size quilt, it's only appropriate I share a baby book.


Baby Kogata or Baby Small Things
(The subtitle roughly says "Even a beginning sewing mother can make!")
ISBN 4-8347-2425-5

There are a ton of Japanese baby craft books out there. I chose this one because there are lots of projects and some cute designs in the book.


Cute bibs.


I always love seeing items that are so Japanese - shoe covers and matching bags!


Good items for inspiration.


To save paper, the pattern pieces are printed on top of each other - makes my eyes cross!


Soft toys - I think they'd be great newborn gifts.


Ok, I have to admit, I bought the book because of this baby! So CUTE!


I just want to squeeze those cheeks!