Stage 1; The Hopeful and Naive Stage

As a person who has never made a quilt, or anything near as complicated, I embark on this task with low expectations.  I'm trying to be all zen and "It's about the process, not the product," and enjoy the meditative pleasure of cutting and piecing and all that.  We'll see how long that lasts. 

Already I've got measurement problems.  Already I have taken things apart.  And already I am having trouble with my machine and my confidence.  I was pointing out to Phinny's sweetheart, Rachael, who comes over once a week so I can work, that I am pretty sure I have picked exactly the hardest quilt to start with.  It's knit.  The pieces are small and cut on random grain.  I am sewing it with some weirdo idea of the seams looking some weirdo way.  And then there's the whole issue of the backing and the hand-stitching.  While I'm at it, maybe I should just glue some sharp glass bits to my sewing machine pedal for when I'm sewing barefoot.

It's cut up sweatshirts that will be pieced together with the exposed seams facing upward.  Think of it as a collection of fields with little hedgerows.  I might have to hand quilt the backing on.  Aye. Well that's another thing I have NO idea how to do.  But I'll worry about that later.

But right now at hour five, it shore does look purty all laid out and innocent: