Della's *finished* quilt

After all that drama on my end, yes, I know, Della's quilt is finished!!  After finishing I can definitely say I have the quilting bug.  I loved making this quilt and already have plans for two more (plus finishing the original).

I stuck with a simple pattern--Elizabeth Hartman's Charm Squares Baby Quilt, and it truly was easy.  The pattern is very basic, so I would recommend checking out her blog, Oh, Fransson, for details on how to create a quilt sandwich and the binding. Or, better yet, get a copy of her new book, A Practical Guide to Patchwork.

I am kind of over sewing books because I don't really use the ones I have, but I can tell you that this one is one you will actually use--especially if you are new to quilting {and if you're not, the patterns are still worth it!}. Even with all of the free tutorials out there in blog land, I found some of the information to be really beneficial and I carried it all over the house as I was finishing the quilt.

The thing I was the most concerned about was hand sewing the binding. I typically think of hand sewing as horribly tedious, but I actually really enjoyed finishing the binding.  It's funny to look at it and see where I began and where I ended (and what a difference there is between stitches at the beginning and end).

I used a simple straight line stitch for the actual quilting. The stitches are approximately 1/4" from either side of the seams. I liked doing this because it was one less new thing to be trying to do with the quilt. Unfortunately my cheap-o plastic walking foot broke on the second to last line so I will be needing a new one at some point soon.

Oh, and that absolutely gorgeous fabric? Yes, that is from Heather Bailey's Freshcut collection that is sadly becoming increasingly difficult to find.  The sashing is a Kona white and the binding is made from one of Heather Bailey's Bijoux prints.

To you sewist readers who have not made a quilt for whatever reason, I say, "Go for it!" Get some help from a friend, a book, or a class and enjoy it.  One piece of advice Elizabeth gives in her book is to not give yourself a deadline for your first quilt (you know, like that baby shower coming up in two weeks...), and I totally agree.  I usually have pretty tight deadlines with my projects, but this is one that I really needed to be able to work at my own pace with.  Pick a simple pattern and have fun with it!