My First Quilt (and Giveaway Day 1)!

Camille and Carrie had a terrific idea that they both recently posted...blog about your first quilt and your most recent quilt! I thought that it would be a lot of fun to play along! Above is actually my fourth quilt...but the first three were made for my three oldest children from exactly the same pattern, the Double Irish Chain from Eleanor Burns' Quilt in a Day series. I tied the first three, and they were greatly loved, carried around, taken on trips, and even used to build forts. They're all pretty much in shreds right now...stored away so they wouldn't completely fall apart. After making the first three (they were all twin-sized), I thought I deserved one and made this lap sized quilt. My grandmother did the hand-quilting on it for me which was appropriate since she is the one who started me on this wonderful quilting journey! I wish I could remember how many quilts I made from this pattern...over a dozen...it was the only pattern I ventured to try for the first year or two! While I'll always give credit to Eleanor Burns for giving me the confidence to continue quilting, thankfully I've learned since then that there is a world of wonderful patterns out there!

I've finished several quilt tops recently that I've shared here, but I will count my 2008 Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Block of the Month quilt as my most recent, since it is the last one to be quilted! I really, really love this quilt and can't wait to use it this Christmas!

Today I was able to visit The Christmas Goose for our Pink Ladies sewing day...and look at these Fig & Plum goodies I was able to get! I have a project in mind, combining them with some other Fig & Plum fabrics from my stash. I'm hoping these (along with finishing up some works in progress) will keep me busy until Simple Abundance comes out!

And now for the blogiversary stuff! I thought it would be fun to have a blog button to celebrate, and my friend Lauren came up with exactly what I had in mind! You can grab the button and the code from my sidebar...and if you do it will give you 3 extra entries in my blogiversary giveaway! Today is day one, and I have two items for the giving...(they are two things I've made a lot of in the past year)! First I have a little zipper bag made from Wonderland by Moda, and second I have a Heather Mulder Peterson Cross Roads Table Runner made using Nature's Chorus by Moda!

I'll be adding more prizes as the week goes on, and when I draw the winners at the end of the week the first number drawn can choose a prize, then the second person can choose from what's left, and so on!!! You can comment on each blogiversary post for one point, add a point if you are or become a follower, and add three points if you put my blog button on your sidebar. Just let me know in one of your comments if you are a follower and/or have the button on your blog. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful blogiversary wishes...it's going to be a fun week!