My New Hobby!! – or Obsession!! :)

March is National Crafty Month!  Now you have even more reason to whip out some fun crafts this month!

I’m SO excited to share with you a NEW craft I just picked up!!  Don’t worry…this won’t take the place of cake decorating just yet, but it is slowly becoming an obsession!  Oh, Pinterest…why do you have so much beautiful inspiration!!

Want to know what it is????

Quilting!!  Yes! – I’m a quilter now!!  LOL!!

If you know me, that probably sounds hilarious.  My style if very modern with minimal patterns…which just so happens to be almost the exact opposite of every quilt I’ve ever seen.

BUT, I found out you can make very modern quilts…so, now I’m addicted!!

How did this happen you ask??  My bestie turned 40 last month and I wanted to do something really sentamental for her.  She is amazing!!  I couldn’t do another cake…this had to be “bigger” than a cake! – something more memorable.

Back in December I was checking out some new classes and stumbled upon their quilting classes.  I don’t know why in the world I was there, but all of a sudden, I saw this quilt by Amy Gibson!!  OH MY!  LOOK at this quilt!!??!!?  The design is amazing and could be adapted so many ways!  Plus, Amy has a class that shows how to make it from start to finish.  It’s called “Cozy Throw Quilts” – it’s perfect for beginners!

I knew I had to make it!!  I have NEVER sewn a quilt like this before.  I’ve done a few pillows and some curtains, but nothing like this.  So, I took the class and was floored! – Amy made it so easy.  You’d think those chevrons were angled like that…but they’re not! – it’s all straight stitches!!  I even bought the pattern and fabric kit through Craftsy because I loved all the colors and knew they’d be perfect in my friend’s house.  I think I got it on sale for like $30!!!  Crazy deal for all the top fabric!

So, away I went!

Yes, there were a few bumps along the way.  I had to rip out some mistakes and start a few things over…but all in all, I’m so happy with how it turned out.  I even used my tiny $90 Brother sewing machine I got on Amazon for my birthday to quilt it!!!  Can you believe it??!

Check it out…a quilt by me!!

For the quilting I decided on a 1″ straight line.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to turn the quilt a lot in my machine, so I had to do something relatively simple.  I used my quilter’s ruler to actually quilt with (you see me use in all my Craftsy classes)  – not caking this time!! LOL!  After I attached the quilt top, batting and back fabric (I used Elmer’s Glue believe it or not!) I drew pencil lines 1″ apart on the quilt top and started sewing with a new walking foot I picked up.

I loved how it turned out! – but it took FOREVER trying to move it through my tiny machine.  I definetley got better as I went.  The first few lines were WAVY!!  I think for next time if I make anything remotely bigger, I’ll have to have it professionally quilted! – Phew!

I found a gal who makes quilt labels on Etsy.  I hand sewed it on to finish it off and make it sweet and personlized.

And, here I am with my sweet friend Alyssa!  She was FLOORED!  She said she’d been wanting a hand made quilt for years!!  WOW! – I love how the Lord fulfills the desires of our hearts!!  I love you sweet friend!!  Praying the Lord wraps you up in His love more and more every day!  I hope every time you see this quilt you know how loved you are!!! xo!!

If you are a caker like me, you should TOTALLY try quilting!!  It requires the same precise work that goes into beautiful cakes.  BUT, what’s wonderful about quilting is you can sew a few squares, then put it away for a few weeks.  Then, get it back out and do a little more, then hide it away again.  I don’t know about you…but for this mama, this is a WAY easier hobby then trying to squish 20 hours of cake decorating in three days!! LOL!!

Here’s my son getting in on the cozy action!  He’s a quilt lover too I guess!

I’m so happy!!  Now I need to make one for myself!!  But, thanks to Pinterest I have SO many other patterns I want to try too!! – stay tuned!

Happy March Crafty Month everyone!!  If you’d like to take a peak at this class or any other Craftsy classes (there’s TONS of crafty classes), you can check them all out here at a wonderful discount: Click HERE!!!

Hugs sweet friends! – and happy quilting and caking!

Love,

Jessica

*Check out Amy’s class with a 25% discount HERE*

*Check out ALL my cake classes HERE for 50% off*