{If you're just joining me, I've been counting up the quilts I've made over the last 10 years, today I'm on No. 11.}

Summer 2006:

First of all, yes: small quilts count!

Second, it was an epiphany when I realized I could make small decorative projects with the quilt making skills I was amassing. For giving gifts, this realization was especially helpful.

I ordered the star fabrics from Fabric.com - clearance fabric. I clearly remember having such a limited income at this stage in my life. It was sale fabric or no fabric. I still have large quantities of these fabrics in my stash since this project required so little of it.

I used a small stencil to mark the feather wreath, quilted it and then removed the blue water-soluble marker. I used some micro-stippling within the star blocks and larger-scale loop quilting around the perimeter of the stars.

I can't believe I'm sharing this picture of me! I'd stayed up all night trying to finish this last-minute gift for my grandma's birthday. Not that I got much sleep anyway with a 14 month-old and a 2 month old. :) It kind of sounds like a nightmare to me now - just because I'm so far removed from it - but I have such sweet memories of that stage of life.