First quilt

After posting a photo of my second quilt, I realized I had never posted photos of my first one. So, here it is. I started this near the end of 2004 for my daughter's bed. M chose all the fabrics for me, since it was for her room. Her only real priorities were that everything be "pink, purple, and yellow." I tied it since I was too nervous to try quilting it, plus I was in a hurry to see it finished. Well, not that big a hurry I guess; I finally finished it early this summer!

I embroidered her initials at the very top. Here's a close up shot.

Finished quilt!

It's small, and it's a "cheater quilt," but I am pleased to announce that I have finished a second quilt! I didn't piece this one. The top is one piece of fabric, except for the heart applique in the center. But, when you quilt it just the right way, it does look like a nice patchwork. This was my first attempt at machine quilting (I tied my first quilt). I would have loved to have hand quilted it, but this is a baby gift, and the baby keeps growing every day. I wanted her to be able to use the quilt while she's still small enough to fit under it!

National Quilting Day

Today, March 18, is National Quilting Day. I saw that advertised at the library this week but forgot all about it until I was surfing around Amazon to see if Jennifer Chiaverini's new Elm Creek book is out yet. It is, but only for pre-order. It comes out March 22. I read two of her books, The Sugar Camp Quilt and The Christmas Quilt while I was on the cruise last week. That only made me hungry for more.

In honor of National Quilting Day, Ms. Chiaverini is having a block design contest. The winner's quilt block will be used as the Elm Creek Quilts logo, plus she'll receive books, fabric, and a pin made from her winning design. More information is available at http://www.elmcreek.net. You must register for the Elm Creek Reader's Circle to enter the contest. I doubt I'll get energized enough to give it a try, plus I'm such a quilting novice. Still, it will be neat to see what other people come up with.

Hmmmm... Maybe I'll pull out my daughter's quilt and finally finish that binding tonight.