Last summer I took a class with my guild from a very talented woman, Christine Van Buskirk.  She had done a program for Hospitality, (a part of the Richmond Quilt Guild) and the class looked like something that I could accomplish within a reasonable amount of time.  Christine teaches classes in Richmond and in Northern Virginia for guilds and quilt shops.  She also works with Creative Grids rulers.  Her talents are many and she is truly a delight!

Another reason to take the class was to meet work with some quilters.  Being relatively new to the area, I was and am still looking for some quilt buddies.  If I immerse myself in the environment I’m bound to find some like-minded people.

The class was easy enough as Christine was clear in her directions, and by the time the class period had ended I had enough information and enthusiasm to go home and finish the project.  Did I really need another ruler or a class for this simple project – probably not, but I did learn some tips and tricks about how to use this ruler that I would not have gotten with on my own.  And I would not have had the opportunity to meet this talented teacher and the students.

With blocks in hand I went home.

I assembled more and pressed accordingly.

They started adding up and a quilt was taking shape.  Auditioning for borders, and I went with my initial instinct with the Kaffe birds.

Yes, that is rather sweet!  Off to the quilter it went.

The swirls are perfect for this quilt!  Special thanks to Terry Burris Quilting!

And I love the little orange dot that I used for the binding!

I can see a lot of potential for this pattern.  I’m thinking about umbrellas and beach balls.  In the meantime, I’ve got this one finished.

Sew on!