A Little Amateur Applique

Oh man, I've got some serious blogging to do! I have been MIA for a little while, but I'm back with a few pictures and stories to share.

My lack of job has left me bored and lonely at times in good old Ann Arbor and so I've picked up a new hobby or two to pass the time. One of these being quilting.

You may recall from an earlier post that my Aunt recently had a baby. I thought this a perfect time to pick up a few how-to books and teach myself to applique quilt. I was almost certainly pretty fairly sure that I could possibly maybe do it on my own from the instructions in a book.... and so that's exactly what I did. I must say, considering my "jump into it" attitude, it didn't turn out too terribly awful.

I first made a few applique squares, like this one ...

And this one ...

Then I framed the squares, sewed them into rows and columns, added a border, pinned some batting, slapped on my backing, quilted the three layers together, and bias taped that sucker finished! Phew! Hours (more like weeks) later I had myself a baby blanket. Not too shabby, huh?

Of course, the final product had to be quality tested to make sure it was comfy enough for new baby Crew. James was the closest thing I could find to a baby around my house - so he got to be my baby blanket Guinea Pig. 

James deemed it baby worthy with two thumbs up. After the James stamp of approval it was shipped off to be with its new owner. Happy Birthday baby Crew!