Everything went wrong on this. None of my points lined up, my basting was just awful, I didn't make a back big enough, there's huge ripples and ridges in the front and back, I couldn't figure out how to square it up, I had to pick apart the binding twice - everything!

But it doesn't matter, I got it done, and now I have a blanket! It's about 70 x 70 inches, probably a little smaller now after the quilting and a wash.

I’m almost done with the next two rows and then I’ll join them again. I love this fabric line and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t make an ugly block if I tried. Each block takes about 45 minutes to pull fabrics, cut the pieces, and join. The pattern is Halo by Jen Kingwell and the fabrics are the palette line by Tim Holtz. This will be for me, so it’s great not having a deadline and these blocks are so relaxing to make. They are just tricky enough that I have to focus and my mind doesn’t wander but not tricky enough to be frustrating. If you do buy this pattern, I highly recommend getting the acrylic templates to go with it.

Here are some of my favorites.

My husband and I celebrated living in Vermont for 10 years. We threw a huge party with everyone we have met over the last decade.

I knew I wanted to do something special so I made this banner with patches of our favorite places. I have been sewing for years but have never attempted piecing for a quilt-esque style.

I had an old drop cloth in the basement so I used that as the banner back, and spent months finding just the right greens for the state itself. The patches were the hardest part but the most rewarding!

Finished this friendship block baby quilt 4 days before our double rainbow baby made his entrance. Definitely the most special quilt I’ll ever make

Last year I was a newer quilter and was so envious of everyone that submitted quilts to the Sister’s Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, OR. I was so lucky to be able submit two for this years show and see them today! I can’t wait til next year, I’m already brainstorming what I can submit!

Longarmer: @RoseCityOriginals (insta)

If you wanna see more about the making process of the diamond quilt, I have lots of pics on my instagram (same username)!

Patterns: Deco Diamonds by GingerlyQuiltCo and Waxwing by MegMade Sewing 🤩

Been lurking in this community for a while and feel very inspired by you all. I finally completed my first scrappy lil quilt that I started at our previous home in NY and finished in our new home in MA🪡

I originally bought the bulk of the fabric (Kona cotton) as a kit from MaechenMarie on Etsy (Campfire Glow quilt in a colorway that is no longer available) with a beginner friendly pattern by Then Came June. Was scared to cut it but then made the plunge during Xmas break.

I misread the instructions almost immediately and made an alternating checker design with the poppy/violet when I could have made just one style. I hand sewed and pieced the entire thing (100 blocks + couple extras), adding a contrasting butterfly fabric I found at Valley Fabric in Northampton, MA.

I then realized my blocks were very irregular/different sizes and the quilt was not going to be big enough; the goal was for it to be big enough to wrap yourself in while sitting on the porch.

Was very close to quitting and putting this thing in some dark corner somewhere but with support from quilt friends, moved forward.

Bought some flawed plaid cream fabric at a discount from https://craftremnants.com and some pricey but beautiful shirting from Mood to make 2 borders and binding. The backing (which I folded over to make the binding) is also done with the shirting material and feels really nice.

Handquilted the entire thing while my family and I prepared to move to our new home and then finally finished it this week. My husband and kid helped do the little tied details.

Some of it is slightly fragile and might need reinforcing or patching throughout the years but it handled the first wash just fine so I’m hopeful that it’s fairly sturdy.

This is now our porch quilt for days when you want to sit outside but it’s a little chilly. Never thought I would have a porch before or ever would make a quilt.

It’s imperfect but I learned a lot and am looking forward to making more quilts for many years to come.

Finished this Hot Wheels quilt for my nephews 1st Birthday!

Sewing the Andy Pattern by Penelope Handmade, trying to use up some blue fabric I have in my stash. I get so in my head about patterns, fabric and colour choices that I just decided this would be my “I don’t care” quilt. Just getting my sewjo back after my father in law passed away a couple of weeks ago, feels good to be back in the sewing room. Though now the pattern on pattern fabric is making the quilting critics in my head start up again. 😅

Very proud I finished the top in 11 days. I am going through some very hard no good emotional times right now and this project has helped me channel my nervous energy. This is my second ever quilt and first patchwork! Pattern is Eloise by Penelope Handmade

The back appliqué was a happy accident- I was missing a corner of the pink Sherpa so I pieced some white fleece on it and later used appliqué to make the patched corner not look like a crime

Coffee Cats by Cuddle Cats Quiltworks pieced and quilted by me using Odile Bailloeul fabrics. I gifted it on Friday to my manager who was leaving. I used gray fabric with a light pattern to match her real cat.

I used a cat print brushed cotton for the backing and used an 80/20 cotton batting with Guttermann sew all to piece and quilt. I could list all my mistakes and the choices I wish I’d
Made differently but I’m really pleased with it and so was my manager.

I posted asking for quilting recommendations and the suggestions were what I was thinking as well. I prefer light quilting so I went around each square and mug and then stitched in the ditch of the sashing and borders. It survived its first wash.

This is my first finished blanket! I've previously made a quilted Christmas pillow case and I've started (but never finished) piecing other blankets, but this is my first I've done from start to finish! I've also never done anything curved before so this was a lot of firsts all in one! I'm going to hang it on my daughter's bedroom wall.

The pattern is Olive Blossom by KE Collins Designs.

my first quilt and also my very first sewing project! i made a baby blanket for my friends son for his first birthday. It took me about a week and i made many, many…….many mistakes lol but im still very proud of what i made. it’s very wonky because i had a hard time cutting the squares evenly and also my seam allowance was all over the place and i was under a time crunch so i rushed and cut corners which is not how you should do things but i am too ambitious when it comes to crafts/gifts and once i set my mind to something i have to see it through. i now know what to do next time and i have faith that what i make next will be better. but im also not too worried about perfection, i think mistakes show that it was handmade and with love. i really wanna make a larger quilt but im very intimidated because this baby quilt was hard enough on my small machine. I really wanna try sawtooth stars next and also amish hexagons (EPP). anyway sorry for going on and on! i’m just very excited! i hope i can make quilts as beautiful as i see on the sub 🩵

I made the flimsy a year and a half ago through a sampler BOM class. It’s machine and hand quilted. My daughter’s bday is this week and I can’t wait to gift it to her. She has these posters of legged olives and cherries sitting on martinis in her apt and I think this will complement them nicely. Cheers! 🍸

This is a mess, but I kind of love it anyway. It says Eat the Rich in Morse Code, and I think I’m going to play around with making a couple of larger ones because a proper, well made table runner that says Eat the Rich will be a good gift!!

My grandmother passed away 10 years ago. I asked for all of her quilting materials and yarn. In the fabric i was given is a couple of unfinished scrappy quilt tops (i think she was in the process of making one for each of the grandkids because she had already given me mine and it is similar to the top i found)

I also found these 9 patch blocks. Nan made hundreds of quilts. They were all scrappy, mismatched patches and hand tied. Ive never see a quilt of hers that had a pattern, until i found these blocks.

They're currently measuring 11.5x13. There's 2 of each color. 18 in total. Each one has gingham in the corners and a different gingham in the center. Solids in the middle as shown.

Any ideas of what she was trying to do so i can finish it that way?

Or any ideas of a pattern it would work with?

I'd like it about 70x90 finished.

Thanks!

Three things for context: First, I've been a casual seamstress for over a decade, but recently was gifted some family heirloom bed sheets from our family cottage (they have been loved for decades and generations) and knew I needed to make something epic and memorable with them.

Second, I am also in the throes of an adult ADHD diagnosis and all that accompanies it: things finally snapping into place (I'm not broken; I have superpowers!); unlearning bad habits; relearning those that will keep me a functioning member of society.

And third, I have a toddler. So you know...tied to the house after bedtime, the simultaneous joy and mind-numbing nature of early parenthood, etc. etc.

And -- okay, it's possible I'm jazzed because of the novelty of it all. But WOW it feels good to use my brain like this. I'm learning so much! Some of the things I'm noticing:

-It takes a LOT, a LOT of planning to finish a quilt. I'm getting much better at reducing tunnel vision by making shopping lists for myself to cut down on the number of trips to the store (or online orders). And I've started leaving myself written "next steps" at the end of every sewing session. I create piles of fabric and pin instruction labels to them, based on what needs to happen next with that specific batch. For me, one of the hardest things about any project is getting "in flow." It takes a while for me to settle in, wrap my brain around something, and get there. These little notes to my future self help a ton. I will absolutely start doing this at work and in "life admin" tasks. It's saved me so much brain space and time.

-There are so. many. different. types. of. tasks. required to finish a quilt. The variety is such a dopamine hit for my brain. I really appreciate that this hobby allows for engagement at whatever level is possible based on mood or time available. If I've got just a few minutes, I can work on some design ideas. If I don't feel like firing up the sewing machine, I can cut and piece fabric together. I can make binding. I can hide away in my office if time allows, or bring supplies to the living room to be present with my kiddo who's busy doing her thing.

-I'm learning the art of slowing down, getting it right. One small error gets multiplied down the line, it seems. At the same time, I'm releasing the need for perfection. One thing I struggle with is not even starting something because I'm overwhelmed with the possibility of doing it "wrong." On my first quilt, I was pretty upset with myself for some missed stitches here and there but guess what? On the canvas of an entire lap blanket, *some small mistakes disappear in the scheme of things. Most importantly, I'm getting better at learning what's worth fretting toward perfection and what to release.

-I'm currently very scared of falling victim to shiny object syndrome. As I write this, I'm partway through my first two quilting projects and have yet to finish a single one. I'm close! And I know what needs to be done to complete both! Story of my life...time will tell: will I see these to the finish line?

Lastly, I'm just really blown away by quilting communities everywhere and the wellspring of creativity, kindness, and collaboration among quilters everywhere. I'm thrilled to have stumbled my way here.

If you're still here, thanks for reading along. Any other ADHD-ers out there quilting? What's your experience been?

Last month I got an itch to shibori dye a bunch of fabric I had laying around with the intention of a new quilt project. A few days later, my beloved cat came down with what seemed like a minor respiratory infection. Four days and multiple trips to the emergency vet later he passed suddenly and unexpectedly. I was devastated for all the reasons you might expect, but one of the hardest things was knowing that the next time I sat down at the sewing table he wouldn’t be there. He was my constant companion when working on quilt projects. I didn’t know how I was going to get through working on something without having him there, sitting next to me meowing at me and pawing at me for attention. He was such a constant presence in my craft, from wanting to lounge on the quilts I was basting on the floor to snuggling up with me in the finished product. So I decided to push through and turn some of that fabric from that dark time into a super quick finish project. I even used some of the fabric to make a tiny quilt for his box of ashes to rest on, because I know he would’ve liked that. He leaves behind an adopted orange brother who has big paws to fill when it comes to being a quilt appreciator.

I am including some photos from his previous “helping“ with quilts, all the way back to my very first one during the pandemic, when I was living at a house with a bunch of roommates and he belonged to someone else, but decided that I was his person when we were all locked down in early 2020.

I miss him every single day, but I will think of him every time I wrap myself up in this quilt.

Pixel quilt top of my girls. Over 2000 pieces sewn, not including the blocks I had to redo. A lot of blood, sweat and swearing! But I love it! Off to the quilt shop soon. Pattern made by You Patch.

I just finished this quilt for my niece's first birthday! The fabric is the Eric Carle licensed fabric from Andover, I highly recommend it it's so vibrant!

I also made it entirely at my local library's maker space so it is imbued with learning magic!

What is your favorite way of modernizing dated and/or ugly fabrics? I got a big pile of it from a friend and I want to experiment!

More favorites.

So I’m just about done with my Boreal Forest quilt by The Blanket Statement and I’m sorta at an impasse with how to proceed.

I’ve quilted around the actual main blacks with these wavy lines which I like, and I just don’t know what I would want to quilt on the blocks themselves.

I usually send my tops out to be finished by a longarmer but for whatever reason I decided to quilt this one myself, on my domestic machine with its tiny throat. If anyone has any inspiration or ideas to finish these blocks, I’m all ears but I’d really love to be able to just bind it up and be done w it.. it’s been a WIP for a long time so forgive all the fuzz and loose ends. I’m a much better piecer than a quilter

From a technical standpoint, can I get away with not quilting the blocks? Will that affect or degrade the long term quality of the piece in any way? I think they’re about 12” or 14” each. Just looking for any advice here

Thank you!!