I know I’m doing things a little backwards having already posted six blogs and not having blogged about the four quilts I’ve finished, but I’ve decided to create a 2015 Projects page for my blog, so I’m in catch-up mode now!

The first quilt that I completed was in March 2015 for a dear friend’s 60th birthday. I did a few things right, and of course, there were lessons to learn making this quilt. I was happy with my choice of fabric for my friend who loves horses. She has her own horse, lives on a small ranch, and enjoys walking the ranch searching for arrowheads. I also think the simple design of sewing together 5.5 inch squares 6 columns by 8 rows worked well. And I love how the distressed fabric on the back of the quilt reminds me of leather, perfect for my modern cowgirl friend! Overall, I feel good about the straightline machine quilting since it was the first time I had done this other than for a mug rug.

As far as what I wished I’d done differently, first is that I wish I had documented the work in progress in photos and had taken better pics of the finished quilt. I don’t even have a photo of quilt label on the back. I wish I’d had a quarter-inch foot with a guide which would have helped me sew a more consistent quarter inch seam. What I am least happy about regarding my first completed quilt is the binding that I sewed down by machine. There is an uneven maroon seam around the perimeter of the quilt sometimes a quarter inch inside the binding which makes me cringe when I even think about it!

I do have to say that my friend was very pleased with her quilt. I definitely met my goal of improving my quilting skills which does not happen without being willing to make some mistakes. I specifically applied one lesson learned on my next quilt and took the time to hand-sew down the binding on My First Quilting Meltdown–Quilt #2.