Monday, February 14, 2011

Birthday treat!

My birthday was on Saturday, the 12th. I'm 37 now! Yikes! Time just flies by with little ones around, I swear.

In addition to a fabulous birthday lunch with my boys at our favorite local restaurant, I got to take an all-day class on Sunday to learn about hand quilting at The Quilting Loft. Woo hoo!

Our instructor, Laurie Shifrin, took time to teach us her methods for both lap quilting and hoop quilting. And the all-day format meant that we got lots of great practice at both. I really appreciated her attention to ergonomics and comfort when quilting, too. Laurie was a great teacher.

We didn't work on a "project"-- rather, we created a practice piece. She asked us to choose contrasting thread so we could really see what we're doing. Of course, I chose green. And boy, you can definitely see what I'm doing, in all of it's uneven and funky-looking glory.

hand quilting practice
I have taken a couple of hand quilting classes in the past, but I never felt like I "got" it before. This time, I'm feelin' it! I've still got a lot to learn, but am really excited to get going and do some hand quilting. Now I really need to finish my Jane quilt!

8 comments:

  1. This is the kind of class I need. Did you have to purchase a lot of supplies first?

    Happy Birthday!!!!

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  2. Happy Birthday, Robin! 37 is still young and the good news is that the 40s are WONDERFUL! It sounds like you had a fun day.

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  3. Happy birthday! Sounds like a great class - you're so ambitious to hand quilt your Dear Jane. I'm sure it will turn out beautifully.

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  4. Happy belated Birthday! What a great way to spend your day - treating yourself!!

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  5. I wish I was better at hand quilting but it does take practice.

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  6. Forgot to wish you a belated Happy Birthday.

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  7. Practice makes perfect and you are going to do just fine. Happy belated Birthday!!!

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