Free Inquiry Post 2: Progress + First Challenge
As is shown in the image above, my materials have arrived and I have started to make progress in creating my quilt. I would like to note that not all my materials are shown in this picture, as I also ordered polyfill stuffing for when my puffs are sewn together, as well as 3 other patterns of fabric.
What?
In terms of my progress, I have finished cutting 72 of 288 puffs, and while this is decent progress, I am starting to worry that I am not progressing fast enough to finish my quilt by the deadline I have chosen. Furthermore, I also wanted to take on the challenge of sewing this quilt completely by hand, which might have been a little too ambitious considering I am a beginner in sewing. However, I thought this would be the best way to learn how to sew sufficiently, as I will have to learn many different kinds of stitches, and am cutting and measuring all the puffs myself. I definitely did not expect how time consuming this task would become, which is why I have gotten a little nervous about when I will finish my quilt. So, while my goal is still to finish the quilt by the end of the semester as it is meant to be a Christmas gift, my posts will simply be a journey of my progress, and I will try my best to cross the finish line before the semester is over.
So What?
I suppose there are several “consequences” to the choices I have made in taking on this project, however, I do not think all of them are bad. As I have explained above, some negative consequences of taking on something this ambitious (for me) is that I may not have it done by the time I want. Trying to balance out finding time to work on the quilt along with school, work, friends/loved ones, and self care is quite difficult, and not something I thought enough about in the beginning. Furthermore, deciding to do this project by hand is slowing the process even more, and some of my puffs are a little strange looking due to the fact that I am measuring and cutting them all by hand.
On the more positive end of the spectrum, I do feel I am being challenged by this Free Inquiry project in a way that makes me feel very proud when something goes right. For example, there must be 72 squares cut from each pattern of fabric, so when I reached that goal just a few days ago, I felt very accomplished. This reminded me that though I am not moving through the project as quickly as I had originally hoped, I am still making progress, and am determined to do my best in finishing this quilt. I also do genuinely feel like I am learning more about sewing/the process of sewing as I go, as I have reached a steady rhythm while pinning and cutting the fabric, whereas before I was fumbling with the needles and moving much slower. This is why, though the process is slow, I feel this project is still a success so far, as I am actively learning more about sewing, even if there are more bumps along the way than I had originally anticipated.
Now What?
From what I have learned so far, I have started working on my quilt while doing other activities so that I can multitask, which has definitely expedited the process. I am finding that I really need to manage my time to ensure I am making progress on my quilt, but when I put in the effort to do so I am getting things done. Furthermore, I have started doing research on what kinds of stitches I should be using, as well as trying to create some simple instructions I can follow. Before I started cutting my puffs, I simply typed into Microsoft Edge “how to make a puff quilt for a double bed.” As we all know, one of the first things that pops up when you search up anything nowadays is an AI summary of your question. Though I had not originally planned to use AI for making my quilt, I did read over the brief and simple instructions I was given, using them as a loose guideline for how I will make my quilt, and I will screenshot those instructions below. As for the size of the puffs, I calculated those measurements myself in accordance to the size of a blanket comfortably fitting a double bed, and I ended up using different measurements than the AI summary suggested. I thought the implementation of AI was something to mention even though I did not purposefully generate the instructions, as this is a tech course.
Microsoft. (2026, October 10). [Summary of sewing a puff quilt for a double bed] [AI-generated summary]. Microsoft Edge Copilot. https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=2337&q=how+to+make+a+puff+quilt+for+a+double+bed&cvid=469e519472044907a14cf69e411269eb&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQABhAMgYICBAAGEAyBwgJEOsHGEDSAQkxMDA4NGowajeoAgCwAgA&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=U531