Here is my first proper go at a quilt. It's was a lap quilt for my mother, who sits up late at night doing the crossword. It was part of her Christmas present and was finished just 2 days late for Christmas (which I was very impressed by). I took the easy option of "just" sewing together a charm pack.
I had been toying with the idea of making a quilt for a while and I thought this would be a perfect starting point. I will admit that last year when I was first thinking about it, I became quite very dishearten by some peoples attitudes to "just" sewing a charm pack together. I have never approached a project like this so by using a charm pack I knew that all the fabric is the same size and my dodgy cutting did not have an influence. There was also a negative vibe that it was cheating as there was no choosing fabric and putting themes together. I respect designers and I think they have a good eye with respect to what works.
I found it a huge learning curve, my sewing machine pulls dreadfully to one side, so my stitching in a ditch is squinty. I attached my binding very late at night and one of the joins is on the outside. When I pointed these imperfections out to my mother she said she didn't see them until I showed them to her. It was just for Christmas but I notice it hasn't been packed away, so I think she is very taken with it.
A few other things I learnt from this project
1.Moda plain Jelly rolls are fantastic. Yes they are a cheat, but gosh are they handy. I used one for the sashing and the binding.
2. Pre cuts are not the most cost effective way of making a quilt (which is an understatement but there is virtually no waste) but they are great for easy of use and give a great variety of co-ordinating fabric in the finished piece.
3. That it doesn't really matter whether you just sew a charm pack together or you log cabin or you paper piece, the person who gets it will love it just the same. So I would say to all who are toying with the idea of having a go, just do.
