Novice Quilter

For lack of a picture of my own, here is one I found of the machine I got for my birthday. It's a Pfaff Expression 2.0. I love it. Ive done some piecing, some quilt as you go and some playing with the gazzilion sticthces (ok maybe more like 104, but still alot). I've yet to do any real quilting.

I have a small (60X60") thanksgiving quilt almost ready to quilt. I just need to baste it. My problem is I have fear. I've never done a whole lot of quilting and I dont really know where to start.


Like I said in my last post I have all kinds of inspiration for quilting and I would really like to try some it out. Do I just draw it out in fabric pencil and then have at it? or should I start with something easier and just practice my in the ditch quilting and work my way up to my own designs? I don't really want to do too much free motion yet as I know I wont be able to have the control I want and it wont turn out. I think I just need to go at it and see if it works. 


I'll never know unless I try right? If anyone has any advice, please comment away and let me know. This novice quilter would greatly appreciate it!

inspiration

I've been greatly inspired lately by the world around me. Mostly the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco.

I'm currently a nanny and thats where my family lives. we walk alot as well as go to the park everyday. the little girls outfits are just fabulous. you can totally tell which ones have asserted their independence through style and are now dressing themselves. those are the most inspiring. no fear in mixing and matching colors or patterns. which has given me some ideas for girls clothing. which poses a problem considering I A) have no design background so dont know how to get my thought to paper and B) do  not know how to sew clothing. minor details right?

I've also been inspired by wrought iron gates that are just everywhere. the designs in them are just begging to be quilting designs. I also don't quite know how to get those out on paper but the results of me sketching those are slightly better then the clothing sketches. 

UFO's

First Published 2/2/10

Updated 1/23/11

I've decided that 2010 will be the year for finishing projects. The only new projects I will start are smaller ones for birthday presents etc.


and I reserve the right to end the year with one UFO. I know what it will be already. Its a king size quilt that I started in a class in 2004 or 2005. The top is finished, the back is finished it just needs to be quilted. despite my my new, larger pretty machine I am not comfortable quilting it myself.


So my list of UFO's includes:

Coffee quilt for my mom. Needs a border and I need to find backing fabric. I've been on the hunt for newspaper fabric.Completed 1/8/11

Christmas quilt: Top is finished, backing is cut? I need to piece it together. I think I have enough batting for this as well

Thanksgiving quilt: Top finished, back pieced and I have batting. probably the next project to tackle


unnamed purple and green: started it at a quilt retreat I went to in January of last year. I think i may have 10 blocks finished our of a gazillion.(well maybe not that many but since its been well over a year since I worked on it, I cant remember anything other than its colors)


Housewarming runner: table runner and napkins for some friends that bought their first house last summer. I started it then. completed 2/1/2010


Love Notes wall hanging: its about 11X14 and looks something like this:

I have the foundation for the applique and embroidery finished but have been daunted by the hand work because I don't know how to do anything but a running stitch by hand