Why This Blog?

I feel the need to explain what prompted this blog. I guess it actually started when I "retired" from my full-time job. I have always enjoyed quilting, but felt I had no time for it when I was working. A couple of friends suggested I attend a nearby guild meeting. Of course, having once attended the guild I had to join - it seemed way too much fun not to, so I became a guild member.
Now, one of the perks of being a member is that they offer workshops at a very reasonable rate from some pretty wonderful quilters. So, of course, I felt compelled to avail myself of the opportunity and began to take some workshops.
About 2 years ago I had chemotherapy which left me with some neuropathy in my hands that makes it difficult to hand quilt. The only quilting I could do on my machine was stitch in the ditch. Very limiting...
This past year I decided to try to do some Free Motion Quilting (FMQ). I'd read some books and it sounded really fun, but I was afraid to just try it. So, when the guild offered a workshop from Cindy Needham - it was her Open Thread Bar, in fact, I took it and lowered my feed dogs! While I didn't exactly feel in control, Cindy did help my with the basics. She's a wonderful teacher. Anyway, I subscribed to her newsletter for future tips. And on the 22nd - the day I started the blog - she sent a newsletter that told about a blogger, SewCalGal, who was issuing a FMQ challenge for 2012 with different teachers and projects each month. Since I need practice to get better I thought this might be the perfect challenge for me, so I signed up. And I started this blog to record my progress.

So wish me luck. I have a feeling I'm going to need it. (Along with lots of free time for practice and blogging, of course.)

Starting Out

Today I decided to spend the next year learning free-motion machine quilting. With Christmas so near at hand, I will probably begin at the start of the new year. I plan to track my progress here in this blog, and will post pictures along with my journal. Stay tuned for more...