Hugs from Shruti...

While everyone is talking about their first quilts, I though I'd write about it too...

All those who have kept me on a pedestal are going to feel like removing that from under my feet... Just warn me first, or I'll just fall down hard!

So... It was back in January 2010 (Its 2 amazing years already)... I had recently recovered from Chikungunya and was busy setting up my new venture of 'up'cycling things.

I stumbled upon the blog of Elizabeth Hartman and fell in love! With quilting.

Without a sewing machine and without ANY proper training, I started my first quilt.

I planned the quilt well in advance. Sketched it. Looked at it and already loved it.

These were some co-ordinating Pillow shams I got from D mart. This was my idea of an FQ bundle! They were poor quality utterly rough linens but I loved them at that moment.

I organized all my cut fabric. I did not have a rotary cutter and drew each piece on the fabric and cut with scissors.

And I hand sewed the blocks! All of them.

By this time, I had brought home my grandmother's sewing machine. It was a treadle machine, but I got it fixed with a motor.

I sewed the blocks together. Okay, I started sewing the blocks together and realized, I had made a huge mistake counting them! I was about 16 blocks short of my actual number! 

I just replaced those 16 blocks with white fabric squares! 

When the top was done, I just ironed on some of our photos onto those 16 squares. And it became a memory quilt. I finished it in time for our 5th Anniversary! (the 7th is coming up and I have not made anything for us!)

Here's my finished quilt.

Today, I see a lot of mistakes in it. But at that time, just completing it was so wonderful! Dont forget that for 6 months (till April) it took me an hour every morning just to be able to walk properly. All my joints would pain and I would dread mornings and evenings. Even today, my ankles pain after I sit for a long time in cold weather! Making this quilt was quite an achievement at that time and it really did boost my confidence.

It is not a beautiful quilt, I make them much more better now, but it is the most loved one! And it will always occupy a position of pride in my heart as well as my home!

Lesson learnt from this quilt : NEVER EVER use linen and silk in the same quilt! And I mean NEVER.

 

Welcome from Josie!

Welcome to the Indian Modern Quilter's Guild. We are a small but growing tribe...planning for world domination!  to unite the quilters in India. :-) My name is Jocelyn but, all my friends call me Josie. So, please call me so. I'm not a regular quilter. I've made 2 quilts till date and a few quilted mug-rugs. I'm what you call a crafter. I dabble in knitting,crochet, spinning ,sewing, quilting and most recently embroidery. I'll share my first quilt here now..

It is a simple nine-patch quilt that I designed on the go. I didn't follow any pattern for this. I was a newbie at sewing and quilting when I made this quilt. I have a vague idea about seam allowances and binding. But, the best part of being a newbie is that you are courageous ignorant enough to try advanced techniques without worrying about the possible difficulties. So, I did stitch-in-the-ditch quilting for the nine-patch blocks and I tried free-motion quilting on the yellow fabric. I didn't have a quilting foot and I'd known my machine for about a month. But, that didn't stop me.. I jumped right in with two feet and quilted it.

It came out alright. Not a front runner in a Quilt show..but, a simple quilt that my son can use. He still uses it after 2 and a half years. I learnt a few things when I made this quilt. The main lesson was in planning. I didn't have the size of the final quilt in mind when I started it. So, it ended up as a square quilt of size 66 X 66 inches. I realized that I'll appreciate the quilt better if I knew what size I'm making. Maybe, that's the OCD control-freak in me talking. ;-)

That's my lil one sitting on the quilt the moment I spread it on the floor for a snap. He was about 2 yrs old at that time. :-) Oh! He is munching on a banana. All the troubles you go through in creating something vanishes when your loved one appreciates it. Doesn't it?! I'll talk about my second quilt another time. I do have a craft blog where I talk about the things I make. Do visit me there too. I'm glad to be a part of this Guild and hope to meet other quilters in India.

-Josie