Hand-Pieced Quilts | Ranting, Laughing, Crying

This pregnancy has been stressful due to the obvious circumstances regarding my last pregnancy and of course the joys that every pregnancy brings, it was inevitable that this adventure would be long and arduous. Everything from panic attacks to heartburn has encumbered me and my sanity has been on the brink of wearing a white straight jacket and taking a break in a padded room. 


I knew I would need something to keep my mind occupied during the next 48  9 months. My daughter LOVES making crafts. I mean LOVES. Here is what our crafting menagerie looks like; well way messier than this LOL

So, I started with crafting with my 4 year old. It was a hobby I took up after we lost our son Leo. For some reason glueing, cutting, and glittering everything in sight was therapeutic. From sequined covered paper butterflies, to wedding ring collages, we covered every inch of our home in crafts. 

Well, mommy is a good sport, but FYI, I am SO SICK OF GLITTER! UGH! I knew as soon as I got pregnant that I would need a new hobby and fast. Funny right, considering my livelihood is photography {ummm you still need another hobby??} Don't ask. I love photography, but I need something more therapeutic to calm my nerves. 

So, I started looking back at my past trying to find hobbies I loved. I came across my old sewing box from junior high and high school. TADA! Chalk full of embroidery samplers. WOOHOO I think I might have found my answer. So I began to start my 80th embroidery sampler {and no, I have no use for them whatsoever} After a few weeks of that, I found that sewing by hand really does have a calming effect on me, but I was bored with embroidery for the most part. So, I decided to venture into uncharted waters and teach myself hand-pieced appliqué quilting.

I own a sewing machine, and could easily bust out a quilt in a few days, but the point of these projects is to keep my mind on the task and not on obsessing over things I can't control. In my true style, I went out and spent a small fortune on everything I need to make a masterpiece.

I am a week into my first project and LOVING IT! Everything is sewn by hand and ironically it is the most therapeutic activity I have found to date! I have already scoured the library for quilt pattern books and have a laundry list of projects I'd like to begin. Luckily, these handmade masterpieces take forever, so all I need to do is choose, buy the materials, and STICK WITH IT. 

Yes, of course I know I am 27  and already taking up quilting? {cricket cricket} But I am an old soul, and after everything I've been through, I'm not afraid to give in to comforts from time gone by. 

So here's to quilting, here's to no more cleaning up spilt glitter on my wood floors, and hello to handicrafts. :-)