My Very First W.I.P.

(That's Work In Progress for those of you who aren't familiar with production-type lingo).

Did I mention to y'all that I started making a quilt? Or maybe I'm already getting ahead of myself. Did I mention to y'all that my very loving and generous (and incredibly gifted) mother-in-law gave me a beautiful Bernina sewing machine for my birthday a few years ago? She did. It was probably the most exciting thing I've ever received in the mail. It's beautiful and has been very forgiving and patient with me. I've done lots of little projects over the years, but I've been so busy birthing and nursing babies that I've never really had the time or energy level to do something on a grander scale.

But 2010 is going to be my year, baby! Break out the thread and bobbins!

So, as I was saying, I'm in the process of making a quilt. My very first one, and I'm very emotionally involved and attached to it. It's not going to be the most amazing quilt you've ever seen, but I'm pouring lots of love and honest effort into it. Did you ever see that movie Like Water for Chocolate? It's a pretty weird little movie so I'm not exactly recommending it. But what I remember and loved the most is that the main character does a whole lot of cooking fabulous Mexican food, and all of her desires and wishes are translated into her medium- her cooking. So, when she's sad, her tears inevitably drop into the food she's preparing, leaving those who ingest the food weepy and full of sorrow. When she is feeling full of love and passion, those who ingest her food are hit with an overwhelming desire for love and uncontrollable happiness. I'm kind of hoping for the same thing here- that whoever uses the quilt feels all warm and fuzzy inside because of the love I poured into making it. Either that, or I'm hoping they won't notice what's sure to be dozens of novice-like errors.

If you're wondering if I'm tackling this project with a plan, YOU BET I AM! For the most part, I'm taking an ample amount of naivety and combining it with my very hopeful recipe for success:

Take the support and encouragement I've received from this woman, my mother-in-law (the quilting QUEEN!)

ADD the inspiration from some of her most beautiful pieces of work:

 

Plus my choice of fabrics

 

All sewn into a billion rows

Will hopefully yield SOMETHING like this in the end (thank you, Amy Butler, for making such pretty fabric):

 

Pretty cute, right? I'm staying positive. I'll keep you posted. Unless something goes terribly wrong, then I'll probably deny ever having started this project in the first place....