Baby Drunkards Path

You can take the girl out of the sewing room, but you can't take the sewing out of the girl!  One thing I was sure to bring with me on vacation to the beach was a bit of hand sewing.  I love early mornings when I can sip my coffee and take in the quiet of my surroundings.  Where better than the beach?  The quiet peaceful lapping of the waves puts me in just the right state of mind.  Combine all that with a little hand stitching and this girl is in heaven!

One of my goals before leaving town was to quilt my little baby Drunkard Path quilt, add the binding and take it along to the beach.  It was stressful trying to finish it, but I knew that once I was at the beach all the stress would be alleviated and I could chill and relax. 

BABY DP
29" X 40"

 Once I had a basic idea of how I was going to quilt this wee one, I focused and went about the task at hand. 

I picked a spot and began with 1/2" curved lines going one way and then the other.  The remaining 1/2" lines were added randomly throughout the quilt, except there were some strategically placed spaces left wide open.  



I've been trying to expand my quilting horizons by using quilting rulers.  They aren't easy to use, but as I've been reminded ... practice, practice, practice!  



When we had our Guild destash last month I was able to sell off enough fabric to buy a set of circle quilting rulers.  With many options for circles, I went with a set by Amanda Murphy called 'Every Circle'.  There are five (5) rulers with circles ranging in size from 1/2" to 7" and the rulers have a nonslip back that helps to keep them in place.    



There are times when I want perfect circles and often wondered how a person does that!  Let's hope these rulers do the trick!  I still struggle with keeping the foot right next to the ruler, but I'm still learning.  



The circles on this quilt are 1 1/2" and fit inside the spaces I left open for them.  I still have a hard time figuring out how to use some of the lines on the rulers, they are confusing to me, but it's coming along as best as it can with the time I've devoted to ruler work.  



In the end the quilting turned out better than I expected it would!  There might be a few imperfect circles here and there, but I can't complain!



I'm anxious to give it another try!  I went with a scrappy gray binding in an effort to use some scraps, plus it fits with the scrappy gray in the quilt.  I like when I can make use of bits and pieces left over from other projects.  

You might be seeing more of this color combination in the future.  I'm slowly working through my scraps but they are never ending!  I've decided to retire them to the closet!  

SLICE OF LIFE
14 1/4" X 54"

My first project using the circle rulers was with this table runner.  Let's just say it was interesting and leave it at that!! 



I wasn't able to add circles to all the half circles, mostly because I was getting frustrated!  In the middle of quilting I threw in the towel, thought of a simple easy design for the remaining half circles and moved on!  



I may have hit the threshold of frustration for my first circle try, but it did encourage me to try, try again!  And I did!  And I'll do it again!  But first...I'll have to make another quilt!  Now I have a valid excuse to start a new project!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
LETS BEE SOCIAL ● MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY