Quilt for Practice

It was brunch time on a Sunday. I had just eaten lunch and was ready to start my hunt for my quilt materials. I’m building a brand new house in Katy that is going to have zero window coverings when I move in, so to save every little bit for the down payment, I decided to make my own curtains. Besides raising bunnies and Riflery in 4H, I also did sewing so I figured I could probably tap into the old brain and see what I could remember.

To brush up my rusty skills, I decided to start on a project like a quilt – I got the idea from the TXDot signs on the highway that were advertising the Quilt Show downtown earlier this fall. (I’m telling you, advertising works no matter how you do it.)

I chose Wal-Mart as the place of purchase for my new sewing machine.  It’s been a while since I’ve sewn, so I didn’t want to go buck wild and get a super expensive one that I might end up breaking. I know there are a couple of Wal-Marts in Katy, the one on Fry Road is the closest to me (Nottingham Country), and it was on the way home from my lunch stop. I thought it would be a great time to shop, considering I’d beat the church traffic, but it was a mad house! They were blasting music from promotional tents up front, and I almost got ran over twice trying to make it to the entrance.  It was almost as if everyone that lived within a mile radius of the store decided to go at that exact time.

Once I made it in, I made a bee-line to the crafts department and there she was, on sale even: my new Simple Singer! I grabbed batting, a whole bunch of silky black fabric, some needles, pins, thread, and headed home to start.

Well, it was a little different than remembering how to ride a bike. It took me the rest of my Sunday just to figure out how to thread the machine.

Needless to say I was a little more rusty than I thought, but since then I’ve made a couple of throw pillows and one panel for my quilt. Not sure if the quilt will actually stay intact once it’s done, I think I’ve got the basics down for the curtains. I can do a straight line….or maybe I should take a couple of sewing classes.

What kind of craft projects do you enjoy doing in Katy? What are the best spots for purchasing supplies?