Hand quilting

So Monday was my birthday and I wasn't feeling so well. I had grand plans of snacks and board games with friends but when it came down to it, I was just too tired. Adam and I made some strawberry cupcakes in our new Kitchenaid mixer and some salsa and plopped on the couch to marathon some X Files. (Thanks Netflix instant watch!)

One of my gifts from Adam is a quilting class that I'm going to try and sign up for for July. I'm so excited about learning how to quilt that I decided to finally try out some paper piecing in the mean time. It was on my list of projects to try out after all the wedding stuff was done. I know that probably the easiest way to start out would be with what seems to be the most common shape for paper piecing - hexagons. But I decided I don't much care for hexagons quite as much as I like triangles, so I watched a tutorial on hexes and diamonds...and made triangles.

So here was the start on Monday:

And here is where I'm at as of yesterday's mini marathon of sewing and Torchwood (what? That show is ridiculous!):

Annnnd here are just some closeups:

My mom called this "typical Sarah" - wanting to just dive into a craft project without learning a whole lot about it first. I know it's probably impatient of me, but I feel like practicing is sometimes a waste of time that I could be putting into a finished piece. That's bad, I know, I know. Crafting is probably the only thing that I do where I feel comfortable diving in and sometimes totally crashing and burning.

Anyway, I'm having a blast. I think this is going to end up being a cover for a throw pillow or something. I'm already getting pumped up about other color combinations and shapes!