A Quilting (Wanna)Bee

I have always loved quilts. I think it all started when I was a wee-little thing caught up in the world of American Girls (Kirsten, to be specific). I remember in one of the books, Kirsten participated in a quilting bee. I can't even tell you the storyline, but I do remember that I loved picturing myself sitting in that field with Kirsten and her friends sewing squares for our quilt. I must have been so drawn to this in fact, that it's one of the strongest mental pictures I have from the books. I don't know what it is exactly, but I just think they're beautiful. And my fascination and love for them has continued into my adult life. Remember this one? Still one of my favorite thrift store finds.

So recently, I found the blog, MessyJesse and fell in love with her style and quilts. She kept writing how she was a beginner (although by now I wouldn't call her that) and it really gave me the encouragement and confidence to start my own quilt. One of her first projects was this granny square quilt and I thought I would give it a try as well.

{MesseJesse}

My budget is small, so I headed to Goodwill a couple weeks ago to look for some fabric. I scored some great deals with pillow cases, scrap fabric pieces, bed sheets and even a couple little girl's dresses. I also cut up a couple of my own old shirts that were worn down and I never wore anymore. Here are my instagram pictures of my shopping cart and my rotary cuttings.

I decided to use this tutorial which I found through Jessie's site. I'm using 2.5 inch scrap squares, and plan to make 20 blocks in total. I think my strips will be about 2.5 inches wide in between each block, and then maybe 6 inches on the edges, just as her instructions say in the tutorial. Composing the blocks can be tricky, but it's been fun to rotate colors and play around with the different options. I'm hoping to use the sewing machine at my mom's on Friday to start putting the blocks together. I can't wait!

This has turned out to be the perfect project to work on in the evenings and on weekends as football season is in full swing. Paul loves to watch the games and is in two fantasy leagues so we're able to hangout in the same room, but both enjoy our individual hobbies! Plus, I've been appreciating this creative outlet away from the computer. I love designing, but lately I've been getting so stir crazy sitting and staring at the screen. I've found that after some time away, I feel much more refreshed when I do come back to my work on the computer.