Birdie Stitches: January 2011

In an earlier post, I had mentioned in passing that I was considering joining a quilting/embroidering block of the month project. Friday, I decided it was a great idea and got started. I'm working on this for The Girl and using up some very old stash of purple, orchid, and pink fabrics. (Some of them have been marinating in my tote for over a decade.) I also pulled out some Kona I had purchased for a skirt pattern and never got around to making. Stashbuster!







I haven't done a lot of embroidery to date, so I'm pleased with how it's turning out. I'm going to make all 12 blocks exactly like this one in terms of the patchwork border. I also plan to enlarge the quilt; as written, it will be big enough for snuggling under, but not quite big enough for The Girl's bed. (She's still in a toddler bed but is insistent that she needs a big girl bed and yesterday.) It will not require drastic resizing to make it work for a full size bed, so I'm sure I'll figure it out by the time the last block is done in December.

This is something new for me. When it comes to crafting and creating, I tend to be more of a Hare then a Tortoise. Anything longer term then 4-5 weeks loses my interest and I feel like it's stagnated. If something takes a long time, I worry that it's a sign that I'm no good at it, and I may as well give up. I'm not going to win or be the best. (This could lead into an interesting discussion about having my childhood [and honestly, most children's upbringing] focused on achievement rather then persistence and hard work, but that may not be a topic for this blog. It's definitely something I'm flipping with my own children and how I raise them.)

So here it is! Block 01 of 12. You'll be seeing one from me each month, kittens, as well as the finished quilt in the winter.