There is always a first

The quilting community is strong on Instagram, and while I feel late to the cool kids party, I dip my toes in whenever I can. Amy Ellis (@amyscreativeside) hosts a yearly quilt fest with daily subjects for posts. I managed to get stuck on day 2 .... Your First Quilt.

I could not decide if I should post the first quilt I began or the first quilt I finished, because those were at 2 different times. I am not even sure when I started this quilt, maybe in 2000 (?), but I know I didn't finish it until 2016! Why did it take me so long? I made it too complicated to keep the colors coordinated ;) and I was a little bit distracted with other more exciting projects. The WIP (works in progress) pile is quite extensive.

I ended up giving this to a very special lady hoping she'd feel all of the love I poured into it, even in the years of moving to 3 different homes. It is not my most fancy nor my favorite, but it represents a level of perseverance I have for my projects. It also represents that sometimes things are just hard for whatever reason, but the finish line feels like such an accomplishment. That feeling is worth the effort.

The best warm fuzzies I receive, and most creators I know, are from seeing your gift being used and loved. Don't hide something away in the closet for fear of it wearing out. Use it, love it, think of fond memories with the creator <3

This was the perfect prompt for my first blog post, and such a great memory of a start, and finish. Check out #igquiltfest for some more awesome first quilts.