Machine Quilting

Here is my work in progress. It's the quilt I modeled on the Happy Hour pattern. I'm not all that happy with it, to be honest. I wanted to try this quilt but due to the fact that I don't have the actual instructions the blocks aren't quite right and the fabric really isn't what I would choose if I was picking fabric from the store specifically for this quilt. I didn't buy any new fabric but used only fabric from my stash. I did have to purchase more batting. I love to use Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting and tend to buy it off the bolt in 10 yard quantities when it is half off. Joanne Fabric no longer seems to carry cotton batting in the bag. I did see they had bamboo batting which I would like to try sometime. Since I was on a budget (you know, buying a new house and all) I went with the only Warm and Natural they had: Fire Retardant. I've never even seen this product before but it was just the size I needed and not too expensive. When I got it home and sandwiched it in the quilt I realized that it is a very thin loft. So, one more thing I don't really like about this quilt.

I did get to buy some things that I do like. Due to the fact that our new house is a lot smaller than our current house, I have been going through everything we own and deciding whether we need it or not. This is our last year of homeschooling as well, so I definitely had quite a few things that are in the "no longer needed" pile. I had an expensive history book that was recommended and I bought at Barnes and Noble but never used due to many factors. So yesterday I returned it to the store for some store credit. I bought myself two things: Bend the Rules Sewing and Quilts and More Magazine.

I'm excited to take a look at these and make a few small things. Nolan was completely confused by the title of the book. He just couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that there were rules in sewing and then how you would bend them. We had quite the conversation about this. I explained that one of the reasons I wanted this book was that I wanted to make some fun projects to continue honing my sewing skills. That if you follow the patterns to learn to make something, it then helps you be creative in making your own projects. It is like life: we must follow the rules to learn how to live but then we are able to decide our path and how to follow it, because we are not all the same, are we?