Dusting off the Machine

Today I'm joining in with Adirondack Mama at Happiness Comes for her weekly Sewing Bee. Drop by to read some other great sewing posts!

Well you'd never know it from reading my posts over the last number of months, but I am a quilter. I've been quilting since before my son was born, and I still tend to list it as my first hobby when asked what I do for fun.  It was only after joining up with Quilter's Gallery that I realized it hadn't actually quilted anything since last year, when I suffered a bit of burnout after taking on too many projects with deadlines. The projects all got done, but soon after I decided it was time to take a break from quilting. 


But there's nothing like a new quilter to get an old quilter fired up again, and when my dear cousin Kim, over at Nesty asked for some advice on the basic tools she would need to start quilting, I knew it was time to dust off my trusty sewing machine and get back at it.  


I knew I didn't want to take on anything too big - I have a closet full of UFO's and had vowed not to buy any new fabric until I had used more of what I already had - so the hunt was on for a small project that I could finish quickly, using supplies I had on hand. With my renewed interest in my old hobby, I got poking around the Quilter's Gallery blog that I mentioned earlier, and wouldn't you know, I found the perfect thing. Turns out I was just in time to sign up for their Mug Rug Swap. I had never participated in a swap before, and to add to the thrill, this was a Mystery Swap where everyone was to keep their partner a secret.  The site posted a great tutorial on how to make the Mug Rugs, but as long as you followed the basic guidelines, anything could go. A Mug Rug is a tiny quilt, measuring roughly 6" X 10", just big enough for a mug and a couple of cookies to sit on. The swap guidelines stated that we were to make 2 Mug Rugs and mail them to our secret partner by a certain date. Easy enough, and just the thing to get me excited about quilting again.  The Mug Rugs whipped up quickly, and I was really pleased with how they turned out. Now I just have to hope my partner likes them too!!

-my two completed Mug Rugs, made using some pretty April Cornell charm squares from my stash,

-a handmade (not by me!) birch bark ornament with quill work that I thought I would include as a little symbol of the North,

-and a little card I made for my new quilting friend!

And of course, the instant gratification of having the Mug Rugs completed, handstitching and all, in an afternoon, got me enthused enough to start a second project. This one should have been done long ago, as the baby it was meant for was born in December, but she seemed happy enough with her books and other odds and ends we sent, so I don't think she minds!  The colors of this Moda kit are so bright and cheerful that it was the perfect thing to work on during a cold winter afternoon. I haven't done much on it since, but at least the sewing machine is just in the pantry, and not in the basement! A sure sign that I will be quilting again soon!!