I Love How This Turned Out

This week my life has returned to a normal schedule, or as normal as it can be during the holidays, so I was able to focus more of my time on sewing which I loved. It feels good to work with my hands and even better when that project gets completed and I can see the results of my time and dedication.  I had that satisfaction this week with the completion of my second mini quilt. 

The only step I had left was the binding. I like working on the binding because I know it's good practice. I imagine most quilts I make going forward are going to need to have binding done on them.  

The flip after the binding has initially been sewed on is my favorite part. I don't know why I find it so fascinating, but I do. 

I decided to sew the back by hand again. It was slow going, but worth the time because it lines up perfectly with the existing seam. 

The end quilt is exactly what I hoped it would be. I'm loving the single diagonal quilting stitches. It lets all the fluffiness of the batting come through and makes me want to snuggle up with it even though it's so small. The first quilt I did was nice, but it didn't create that urge to snuggle because it was pretty flat. 

Which brings me to where I left off last week. I had asked if anyone had a preference for quilting in straight lines or in swirls and circles. I love the idea of the swirls. They are visually stunning on a quilt but actually attempting to do them is rather intimidating. I know it would require the use of a free motion foot and lots of practice. Is it worth the time to figure out how to free motion quilt? Would you recommend taking a class to learn or is it possible to teach myself? 

Next week I will start working on a quick new project. Naturally, now that I am learning how to sew, I am drawn to the idea of making gifts for family and friends. This year I don't have time to do much, but I am wanting to attempt to make a weighted blanket for my eight year old daughter who suffers from anxiety. I've wanted to get her one of these special blankets for so long but they are pricey and always seem to be out of stock online. I will be doing a very simple version. It will be just two pieces of material sewn together with pouches for the beads. I'm anxious to get it finished and wrapped and put under the tree. I'll be sure to chronicle my efforts. My Ideal Seam Guide will come in very handy with this project. So exciting!