Adventures in Quilting

I didn't grow up in a crafty family.  But, somehow, I got a crafty gene, and as soon as I learned to crochet while living on a Kibbutz in Israel in 1993, crafting became a big part of my life.  I took my first knitting class when I got back to California from Israel when I was about 22 years old, and knitting became an obsession.  Since my knitting phase, my passions within crafting have moved around quite a bit.  I got into spinning yarn and weaving for a while.  I was passionate about mosaics while I was pregnant.  Now, I seem to be (temporarily?) settled on sewing and jewelry making. 

Around 15 years ago, a mother daughter quilting group was announced at my parents' synagogue.  My parents and I were living in different San Francisco neighborhoods.  The flyer said that "quilting is a metaphor."  We never figured out what quilting was a metaphor for, but we joined the group. 

We got a supply list and my mom and I went to a quilt store to buy needles, thread, chalk and fabric.  I can't remember how many weeks the group met for.  We learned how to hand piece and hand quilt a table runner.  The colors we chose were burgundy, black and gold.  Our family used that table runner for a few Thanksgivings.  I'm not sure where it is anymore.

The front

Crafting with my mom didn't persist, but my own passion for crafting did.  I recently returned to quilting (after a 15 year hiatus) and made a Twin Size quilt.  I joined a block of the month group in January of 2012 (thanks, craftsy!), and I stuck with it.  Honestly, there were some months that I didn't think I would.  Quilting seemed so much more exact than knitting, sewing garments or sewing bags.  In quilting, an 1/8 of an inch in one block can multiply to disastrous results!

The scrappy binding which I LOVE

My finished quilt is totally flawed.  Experienced quilters would notice, but would be too kind to point out, all the places where my seems don't match up and where my quilting stitches are uneven.  But, I love it and I'm proud.