Adventures in Applique

When it comes to quilting, I am a piecer.  I am not a paper piecer.  I am not a hand quilter.  I am not an applique girl until this…

I know, you are looking at this photo saying, “but Jo, there is not any applique”.  You are right.  There isn’t any, YET.  I am taking a class today to learn how! 

Another thing I am not, is a gal who takes classes….so this is a real step out of my comfort zone.  My New Years challenge for myself was to try something more difficult, or to learn something I didn’t know how to do….well, when the local quilt shop offered an applique class, I signed up.

This is going to be the Five Cent Fairy Garden Candle Mat in Kim Deihl’s book Simple Blessings (thanks, Judy for giving me the book.  I am finally making something in it!)  She suggests using plaids but I am going with my Civil War reproduction scraps.   

While I was signing up for the class, I saw that they are also offering a hand quilting class on Thursday night…guess what I did?  I signed up for it too.  Two classes in one week, I will be totally out of my comfort zone…doing something I don’t know how to do…in a classroom situation, what was I thinking?  I like my comfort zone!  …But I strive to be a life long learner so here I go into the world of applique and hand quilting.

Are you a life long learner?  Is there something you would like to learn to do?  Join me and make 2010 your year to try something new…we just might be surprised and like it…I hope so because this is REALLY out of my comfort zone.  I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, and did I tell you, I started a paper piecing project?  At least that I am doing in the comfort of my home.  I better stop all of this or pretty soon I won’t even recognize myself.