Quilt-Alongs, Swaps, & Bees

One of the main reasons I started blogging was to join the online quilting community in a fuller sense. Right away, I jumped in quilt-along-ing with Block-a-palooza, Socken, and later, Supernova, which in itself was a profound quilting experience. Now, I am eager to start Kaleidoscope next week, with prints from my stash.

Mostly Denyse Schmidt Fairground, with a Katie Jump Rope plaid,
Amy Butler Lotus dots, Michael Miller Ta Dot, & Cloud Nine Nature Walk.
A prized piece of Flea Market Fancy Green Dot is on its way to round out the collection.

I ventured into the swap arena with safe, low-commitment SewSara's Scrap Swap and  A Little Fabric, A Little Chocolate {Swap!}. They were fun, and gave me the confidence to join Gen X Quilters' Spoonflower Swap, with its slighty higher {read: custom fabric} stakes, and flickr's Scrapbuster Swap, where we'll swap modern Scrappy Depression blocks like these . . .

photo credit: JulieFrick on Flickr

And I confess, when I started blogging, I had high hopes to eventually join a quilting bee. And that I have, just this week! The [3 X 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee seems a perfect 'first bee.' I can hardly wait to be assigned to a hive next week.

So. Progress is being made. Quilts are being created. Community is being built. Fun is being had. I've made some bloggy friends, who I enjoy sharing progress and ideas {and life} with. I find great inspiration in seeing the work of my fellow quilters, and I'm learning some things. All in all, it's a good thing.