Every quilt has a story.
For my quilt, the story began last year when I fell in love with a
beautiful selection of vintage prints at a favorite craft store. One, with its pretty pink roses reminded me
of my comforter set from my first college apartment in Augusta, Georgia. I think it still may be tucked away in a
closet at my parent’s house. A second
fabric brought back memories of a dress I made with my mother’s help and I
quickly picked up the bolt of creamy calico with tiny purple flowers. I had no pattern in mind so I asked for a
half yard of each, which I felt would be sufficient to create a lap quilt of my
choosing.
Ten years ago, I judged a book by its cover. More Quilts From The Quiltmaker’s Gift by
Joanne Larsen Line is a beautifully illustrated instructional book that
celebrates the giving nature of the quilting tradition. Each pattern in the book is a testament to
planning and requires a lot of time, effort and attention to detail. At the time, my focus was on scrap quilting
and appliqué and I didn’t have the interest in some of the more intricate
patterns offered in the book. The book
was shelved and every few years, I would rediscover it, wistfully gazing at the
glossy pages.
It was within these pages that I found the pattern that
would perfectly showcase my vintage blends of creams, pinks, lavenders and
greens. “Spool” is a pattern comprised
of simple squares and triangles while balancing the shades of lights and darks. I had found my roadmap and was ready to
embark on the journey.
I never create a quilt from all new fabrics. My first stop was an archeological dig
through my fabric stash and my mom’s. I
pulled numerous fabrics left over from long ago creations that blended well
with the newly purchased ones. Several
favorites were part of a quilt that my Mom and I made when a friend’s mother
was diagnosed with cancer. The pale lavender
dotted with cream colored roses and tiny green leaves and a lemony yellow laced
with a subtle hint of white reminded me of her strength.
I also discovered a green and pink striped
fabric on a shelf in my mother’s sewing room which had been long
forgotten. It didn’t fit in with the
neighboring jewel tones so I borrowed it for my outer borders. It took a day to cut all of the pieces and
two weekends to sew the quilt top together.
I then needed to choose my fabrics for the back of the
quilt. After deciding on flannel, I
found a paisley in green and purple at the local store. I bought what was left on the bolt, knowing
it wouldn’t be enough. I added a white
and blue polar bear flannel to lengthen each end. In 2000, my mother visited a small company in
Thomson, Georgia that manufactured sheets.
They sold fabric remnants by the pound and Mom bought so much of the
polar bear flannel, we still use it to line the backs of quilts. My “911 Quilt” that I started within days
after the Twin Towers fell has the soft, familiar flannel on its reverse.
Every quilt has a story and this one is no exception. It has the strength of others that have come
first and one day, pieces of this of this quilt’s story will be sewn into the
next, full of promises and endless possibilities.
“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed Something
Blue”. For Chantel, 2013
Ten years ago, I judged a book by its cover. More Quilts From The Quiltmaker’s Gift by
Joanne Larsen Line is a beautifully illustrated instructional book that
celebrates the giving nature of the quilting tradition. Each pattern in the book is a testament to
planning and requires a lot of time, effort and attention to detail. At the time, my focus was on scrap quilting
and appliqué and I didn’t have the interest in some of the more intricate
patterns offered in the book. The book
was shelved and every few years, I would rediscover it, wistfully gazing at the
glossy pages.
