Our Quilting Stories {And A Quilted Giveaway}

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One of my goals for this past winter was to make a few quilts.  It was a big goal for me and I wrote about it here and issued a challenge to all you readers!  I asked you to share  pictures and even a little quilting story and I’m so happy to be able to follow up today with all that was shared with me.

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But first I will share the quilts that I did manage to make this winter!

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I think I showed you in that post the preliminary quilt top that I had made for my daughter-in-law.  I added a border to it and finished it with some machine quilting.  I have done very little quilting with my sewing machine (beyond potholders and mini quilts) so this was a bit of a challenge for me.

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I ended up being very happy with it and the colors are very much my daughter-in-law.  And she was thrilled!  The size is about 70 x 80; what I’m calling a couch quilt.  Basically for snuggling under on the couch!

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I then moved on to two more couch quilts.  One for my son and one for my son-in-law.  I chose some pre-cut flannel fabric and I cut denim to go with it.  They were very, very simple quilts to put together.   And I also quilted both of these with my sewing machine.  Just simple straight line quilting on the diagonal, forming nice big triangles.  It gave it some very cool dimension and even though I have to admit these quilts were rather boring to sew (smile!), I ended up loving them!  My son hasn’t seen his yet – it is on its way to Colorado now.  But my daughter says her husband is very possessive of his and doesn’t share!   (And yes, before you ask, my daughter is on the quilt list also!)

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And the last quilt I made this winter is my favorite.  I wanted this quilt to be very special as it was for a brand new baby girl of a very close friend.  I have to admit that it was extremely time consuming because there were so many pieces to cut and so many variations of the pattern that it really took me a long time to figure out exactly how I wanted each square.  Once I had the quilt top complete, then I began the hand quilting process.

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Can I just say that hand quilting is one of my all time favorite things to do?  My (retired!) husband was consulting at an Engineering job in AZ for quite a number of weeks this winter and I was so happy to have this hand quilting project to do in the long, lonely evenings.  I listened to many books on CD as I quilted. And solved a lot of life’s problems!

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When I was writing this blog post in my mind I intended to tell you all the many things quilting means to me and what it has taught me.  And then, the pictures and stories from readers began coming in and I realized that they were all telling the quilting story better than I ever could.  So instead of doing the talking, I’m just going to be quiet and let the words and pictures from these amazing women tell their story.  I hope you will read each of them.

(And yes, there is a giveaway at the end of this post.)

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Kathleen

My friend, Dori, came over a few days to help me after surgery. I wasn’t sure how much I could do, or if I could cook, or do any of the household chores.

Dori fed us fajita tacos (did I mention, YUM?), washed dishes, cleaned, attended me emotionally, and eventually helped me start my first quilt using the Lemonade Layer Cake pattern. We used Moda Fabric Prairie, and oh was it fun to work with!!  The bright colors reminded me Spring was here and soon I would be walking again and working in my flowers and garden.

Working on my first quilt was such a satisfying experience. There are a lot of mistakes (or opportunities for further learning I like to say). When that last binding stitch went in I wasn’t sure if I was happy or sad!  Dori and I had such fun laying the quilt out and working on it.

We talked and talked, our hearts melded together as good friends, she was patient with a new quilter, and encouraged me to love the process, knowing my skills would get better as I quilted more.

The love of quilting was instilled and a dear friendship deepened.

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Marci

The Batik Fabric in the table runner I made was not my favorite fabric, but once it was pieced and quilted, it was beautiful.  

 I like to think about how the little stitches of quilting bring out the design and the beauty. My Mother once bought an old quilt top at a garage sale and I thought it was kind of ugly. But when she started quilting it, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I saw colors and patterns I never even noticed before. I thought of those little stitches as faith. It’s our daily steps in faith that bring out the design in our life. That design is always there, but we can’t always see it until we take little steps in faith.

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Bonnie

The picture is of the quilt I made for the 100th Anniversary of the Minnesota State Parks in 1991. We visited it last year at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in February.

Quilting has become my passion since before the Bi-Centennial. I am one of the founders of the Minnesota Quilters which began 38 years ago. Quilting has given me fast-friends, a key to history through fabrics and the women who made quilts, great workshops to grow my sewing skills, teaching opportunities, an excuse to “need” to go to fabric shops; and a chance to design original quilts for special occasions for others to enjoy.  

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Marsha

I quilt because it connects me to the generations past in my family that quilted; it’s a creative outlet and I enjoy the process. While I do various kinds of handwork, I do as much of my quilting by machine as I can, so my limited time is well spent. My favorite is to create a quilt of my own design, although this is one I made from a pattern.

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Laurel

I had NO INTENTION of ever becoming a quilter. I knit. But being from a small town with no fabric variety or yarn store, I decided to look into opening one. However, when the salesman came to my home, he said “no one sews clothes anymore, quilting is where it is.” SO I opened a quilting store and began to learn the tricks of the trade of owning a store and quilting!

Everyone from this area thinks I am a quilter because my mom was a well known quilter here in Nebraska, but my mom didn’t start quilting until I was gone from home! My mom also was a knitter. 

After being in the store business for two years, and having many people wanting quilts quilted, I then got a Fusion long arm from Handi Quilter. And a short time later, an Avanti (which I rent to other quilters).  It didn’t take long for me to fall more in love with the long arm part of the quilting business. So now I only make tops when I have to for Shop Hop or to better display some fabric, I mainly just quilt. It feeds my heart. 

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Jaime

What I love about quilting is that each quilt is unique; each one holding special memories from the very first stitch. Both my grandmother and my mother-in-law are quilters. However, I didn’t show much interest until I was introduced to modern quilting. Quilting is now my art — my therapy! I love picking out fabrics and although I’m just a beginner, I enjoy the challenge of a new pattern for each quilt I make.

This quilt is special because I used fabric from my late sister’s clothing and then surprised my brother and his new bride with this finished quilt as a wedding gift. Later, this quilt was used in the wagon my (flower girl) daughter was pushed down the aisle in at their wedding. It felt like a part of my sister was there that day.

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Marjorie

Quilting is my way of relieving stress & giving my love to my family that get my projects. They have something to remember me by and keep them warm when they are cuddled under them.

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Wanda

At the age of 14 myself and two other girls formed a friendship that lasted 45 years. One of those dear friends died with cancer. I made this quilt of the three of us having tea in remembrance of her.

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Maxine

I think my love for quilts goes back to when I was a young girl, and we had old quilts layered on our beds in the wintertime. Unfortunately those quilts were lost to time and circumstances. When our oldest was born, my mother gave me a quilt that had been hers as a baby. I also was given a baby quilt that had been made for my husband. I think it was probably at that time that the heritage of quilts started meaning something to me, giving me ties back to earlier generations. I feel that quilts have a story to tell.

Sometime during the early years of my marriage I also discovered that my grandmother and both great grandmothers on my Dad’s side of the family were quilters, and I inherited several of their quilts. For years I had a desire to make quilts of my own, to continue the tradition that I felt ties to from my grandmothers.

My mother’s mother was not a quilter but sometime before she died I discovered an unfinished quilt in her basement that she had started for my mother some forty years before.   She gave it to me to finish,  but it ended up stuck away for another ten years or so before I pulled it out, determined to finally finish it. I left the few lines of my grandmothers  quilt stitches in it, and finished it for my mother’s birthday. I love being reminded how this quilt, sewn by my grandmother for my mother, and quilted by me ties our generations together.  Since finishing that quilt, and now with my family mostly grown, I’m embracing my desire and love for quilting. I’ve been helping my grand daughters  do some small quilt projects, and I’m hoping that I can leave not only a heritage in quilts themselves, but to pass on the love of quilting to another generation.

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Marion

This red work quilt is for my enjoyment now but will be passed on to my daughter. I spent many years doing the embroidery as it was a project I did while visiting or on vacation. I like doing red work at those times as I can do it but not let it take me away from the conversation at hand.

My grandmothers both passed away before I was born. I have a handmade quilt from each of them and use them daily as it brings me close to them. It’s interesting to see their choice of fabric.  One was definitely made from used clothing she had. I wanted to pass on something to my grandchildren and I started quilting by making a quilt for each of them in the hopes that Grandma’s quilt will keep them comforted.

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 Jillian

(My  seven year old grand-daughter)

This was the first quilt I’ve made that is big enough for me to sleep under.  My Gram and I made it together.

What I learned is that there are a lot of steps to making a quilt and it takes a lot of patience.    But when I was finished I was very proud of it. 

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Luanne

Quilting is a creative outlet different than any of my other crafts. It’s slower, timeless process is calming, peaceful, yet exhilarating, as the beauty unfolds. I feel a deep connection to women in generations before who shared this working of heart and hands to create quilts. It’s immensely fulfilling.

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Lisa

Quilting is my passion! I find it harder to not create, than to spend countless tedious hours on a project. It’s like an inward drive that’s almost unstoppable. My husband has learned that things go much better all around, if I get at least a little sewing every few days.
I love to make quilts of all kinds, but never stick to a pattern. Yardage is great for some things, but there is nothing more alluring to me than a pile of scraps. What someone could have easily tossed in the trash, begs me to make something pretty. It’s like an unspoken challenge. Scrappy quilts tell a story, almost like a quilters signature. My three young children love my scrappy quilts best. They spend hours pointing out fabrics and recalling memories of what they were left over from.

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A special thank-you to all of you quilting ladies for sharing your stories.  You said it so well.

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And one of my favorite pictures is of my Momma and I.  Working on our quilts together this past Fall; hers full size, mine tiny.  Laughter, tears, long visits, and love as our fingers worked the needle in and out.  I’ll cherish this memory forever.

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And now for our quilted giveaway!  Please comment on this post and tell us which quilting story triggered a quilting desire in your heart.  When I write here again in a month one of you lucky readers will win a set of my custom, hand-made quilted potholders!

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Until our gravel roads cross again… so long.

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Dori

P.S.  And to end with a funny note, two of our quilters also sent the following pictures (I think as a joke, but I got their permission to print!):

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The above picture came from Lisa and her words along with it:

“This picture made me laugh, so I thought I’d share. This is really what quilting is to me, a lifesaver when things are crazy! We lived in a camp trailer when we first moved to California, and that little Singer helped me keep my sanity.”.

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And a cartoon drawn from our very own Farmgirl, Bonnie!  We quilters can all relate to this!

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See you next month friends, and as always thank you for reading and commenting!