Quilts and their history ~ An ongoing series.

A project that has been on my to-do list for years and years and years is to document the quilts I have made, all in one place.  So this past week I started scanning photos in and over time I hope to get all the quilts and their stories put up.  Maybe something will strike your fancy and inspire you to be creative, in whatever method you choose!

This is my bedroom.  This is my bed.  This is what most people see.

But this is what I sleep under every night.

One of my earliest *real* quilts. I made for myself.  And I still use it.  Every day.

It wasn’t something I could give away. Way back when, Amanda drew my name for a Christmas gift.  She had just turned 3 (1991) at the time and this was a Person Present drawing gift.  This was the first year that I was included in the French Family tradition. We all drew names around Thanksgiving and since Amanda was the youngest of the young, and couldn’t read, I had to help to make sure she didn’t draw her own name, a common occurrence even when you have so many in the drawing.   This is all super secret, no one knows who drew whom, and everyone is trying to drop wrong leads and take guesses causing the kids to possibly accidentally tell who they had.  Well, after many do~overs Amanda drew me and I thought it was hysterical, since I was her *helper*, so I was not about to call another re~do, especially when finally every one else was a go.  It was much too trivial an issue for all that commotion….

So come Monday morning, when the dad goes to work and the siblings head off to school, Amanda and I marched ourselves down to the local quilt store, Katie’s Stitch and Stuff, downtown little old Lake Odessa. We quickly proceeded to pick out fabric for a double wedding ring quilt.  Katie gift wrapped it up for us, so I could spend the next month convincing Amanda I didn’t have a clue who she drew or what she bought!

The Christmas pictures don’t do it justice.  I laughed until I cried when I opened my surprise, from Amanda, and then everyone knew I bought my gift!  Okay, maybe you had to be there, but Person Presents are always a big, secret deal in this family.  A lot of thought and just a little money goes into them.  I scored big!  And 18 years, after completion, I am still reaping the benefits of having a daughter who loves fabrics as much as I.

I do have to say dusty rose was a hot color, back then, and I had no clue about what and how colors would ebb and flow over time….  Not that I wouldn’t pick these colors, now. But yeah, I guess, not…  When the lights are off, it still makes for some mighty fine sleeping.  No matter the color!

An oversized queen size (shown on a King bed) with 2808 pieces and all hand quilted. One of my heaviest quilts and one my most heavily quilted.  Most rows are less than 1/4″ apart.  I didn’t know if I was coming or going.  But the back does show off some intense hand quilting!

This was back before I knew how or that I *could* embroider my own quilts. Grandma Sue dated many of my early ones.  Eventually, I did get the hang of it.

Double, continuous bias binding with all the nooks and crannies bound around.  No need to cut the points off, like many do.

I was young, brave and fearless!  Looking back, on it, I can’t *believe* I did such a complicated, making the curves lay flat, kind of quilt, so early on in my quilting career.

*That* is why I sleep under it every night.

To remind myself that I can do anything.  You just have to play stupid and do it…..

It still makes me smile.  Thanks again, Amanda ; )