The Great Quilt Endeavor

Miss B's room has been a little drab since we moved in and I finally got around to adding some pizazz.  Her bedspread was a zebra striped duvet and I decided it was too monochromatic for my taste (I do love color)...so I searched online and found some awesome quilts at Pottery Barn and other stellar (and pricey) places...but I couldn't justify the price tag. So, I spotted a sweet turquoise quilt at Target for about $30...and then set out on an adventure to make my own, small lap quilt for the foot of her bed.  

Let me just insert here that I am not a quilter in any way shape or form so I was quite apprehensive... however, I forged bravely ahead into unknown territory and ordered some great Amy Butler fabric squares from Ebay, which was awesome because they were already cut out and everything.  I did add a lot of fabric I already had to make it the size I wanted, plus I saved money and used up extra remnants at the same time! Love that.

Anyway, I sewed up the squares, bought some $2 fabric from Walmart for the back as well as some batting and was then ready to stitch it all together....and that's the part I was scared silly about.  My quilting friend told me some tips and tricks and helped me out when I had to unpick and redo parts, but I actually did it all on the machine and it worked!!  I sewed straight lines down the middle and then some zig-zags to add a little texture.  I will tell you now that pins are your friends.  Do not leave them out or you will be cursed in all your quilt projects, for they are pure magic.  Love your pins... they are such a marvelous invention and they get so little credit for the great and wondrous things they do.

My sister-in-law helped me with the binding.  She knows how to do a completely invisible binding stitch, so she did half for me and showed me the ropes and then I finished off the other half all by my lonesome.  I am very pleased with the final result and more importantly, so is Miss B.  She loves the colors and patterns and loves that I made it.

And we also added some empty frames to fill up her big wall and made a few throw pillows.

Now to get those shelves hung on the other side of her room...