Have you ever showed off a quilt to someone and the first question they ask is "How long did that take?".
I admit, sometimes I feel a little snarky and almost respond with the number of years I've been sewing - because we all know that every quilt builds on the next.
But I often wondered myself. Not to justify the time or calculate worth, but just out of curiosity.
That's one of the reasons I started keeping track of my hours in the studio this year.
The other reason is I'd love to sit back in December and look at all the fun I've had :)
Peter Rabbit DONE
I recently finished the Peter Rabbit Project (you can read all about it here - including a breakout of time for each step) and can tell you it took me 60 hours to make 6 baby quilts.
Does that surprise you? Do you wonder if you are faster or slower?
That's a dangerous comparison path to go down no matter whether you are slower or faster...
Comparison is the thief of joy!
...but you might be interested in the breakout of all the hours in the blog post - piecing time compared to design time compared to quilting time.
This year I've been doing my best to slow down and enjoy the process instead of just focusing on the end result. The best way I've found to do this is to try new things.
In the Peter Rabbit Project I tried fussy cutting in a big project for the first time - I did fussy cut 90 squares! It was much quicker and easier than I thought it would be - which opened my mind to new projects and new fabrics :)
With a couple quilts I also tried doing things even pickier on my binding - most notably pinning and sewing one side at a time - and found that it really didn't take any longer.
More significantly, focusing on one side at a time encouraged me to fold the quilt optimally for sewing each side - instead of my usual the battle -> more peaceful sewing.
I don't have a video to share about the project, but I'm happy to share the fabric requirements and cutting directions for the Peter Rabbit Project here:
Fussy Cut and 4-Patch Baby Quilt Bare Bones Pattern.pdf
Note that this is not a complete pattern!!!!! But the basic directions are there if you are an experienced quilter just wanting to avoid math.
If you are a beginner quilter and would be interested in this idea expanded into a full pattern and tutorial, let me know and it will get bumped up the list :)
What's next?
My next project will be a texture quilt for my first granddaughter. I've got the fabric and I'm ready to have fun.
I should have a tutorial/process video for that in the next email.
Happy sewing!
P.S. I would love to hear from you! I am always looking for ways to help and questions to answer. Please let me know what you would love to see in the newsletter, whether you get too many or too few from me, what you enjoy seeing on social media, or your favorite chocolate!
