Sunday, March 23, 2014

My first Quilt (that wasn't an EB rip and stitch)

I started making things in my teens. I am thankful to my Home Economics sewing class in junior high for giving me a love of sewing and my mom (who didn't sew) for buying me a 1963 Singer portable (which I still use regularly) for encouraging my sewing adventure.  I made most of my clothes in high school and most of the Christmas and birthday presents that I gave.  I remember the first outfit I made in home economics because we had to wear it in a fashion show.  It was well made but the material was big bright flowers which I am glad I don't have a picture of today-the visual memory is bad enough.

Old Faithful-made in England-I love this machine

When I married at 21, I went on to make a lot of my husband's shirts (in calico of course because it was the 70's).  I also started to make applique pillows.  They were my own design and were really "art" pillows.  I also designed a wall hanging done in my rather funky style and gave it as a wedding gift. In the late 70's I took an Eleanor Burns "Quilt in a Day" class and made hand tied quilts for everyone in my family and me too.  I recently saw my son's quilt when I helped him move last year.  We used a lot of sheets for backings at the time-I have not saved any of those treasures (and neither did anyone else except my son and I don't think he saved it on purpose) but I do still have the first pieced quilt I made:

Faded and wear weary but still special to me
Hand quilted hearts


Appliqued hearts
It was made in the late 80's in my first "template" quilt class-I just came across my notes and cardboard templates I used and the name of the teacher (Ann Albertson) who happens to be a fellow guild member all these years later.  I also made another one in that class; an alternating snowball and 9 patch in calicos of course.  I had hand quilted it and was about one quarter finished when I put it away. I spent a couple of nights removing the lovely muslin backing and the polyester batting.  I will practice my quilting skills on that one.  Unfortunately I have packed it so I can't show it. 

I went to college about then and didn't fit quilting in again for almost 20 years.  Two years before I retired from a career in education, I took a class at our high school and made my first granddaughter a pink flannel baby quilt in the Irish Chain pattern and have been quilting ever since.  My favorite quilt so far is this one:

Middle of quilt pattern by Janice Ellertson

I loved the challenge of making this quilt and changing the materials and pattern to make it my own..  I had to completely dismantle the checked border (that I designed) to make it hang right.

I can't wait to see where my quilting journey will take me.  I feel as if I have just begun this experiment in fabric and only wish I were 30 years younger so that the ride would last longer-however, that could be dangerous:)  Quilting has become such a part of my life, I know I could never put it down again-it would be like losing an old friend.

I wrote this story because I love to read stories and I subscribe to Quilting Arts magazine and they are running a contest-you can check it out Here.  if I were fortunate enough to win the contest, I would want the Quilting Arts TV Series Premium Collection Download.


4 comments:

magnoliasntea said...

Loved reading your quilting story, Elaine, and seeing the hand pieced quilt. No telling where your quilting journey will take you. :)

Joyce said...

Elaine, your sewing machine brings back memories. My mother's, which I think was brown, was in a cabinet. I don't think I used it much. She was a wonderful seamstress. I remember the box more than the machine - ha! I'm amazed you still use it.

Fun to see where you started and where you are now. Quite a legacy! So much history in those stitches. Thanks for sharing.

Patty said...

I enjoyed your story so much. Your journey reminds me of mine. My grandmother sewed and knitted but my mother did neither. However we had a Singer in a cabinet, and in junior high school I took my first sewing class at the local Singer store. I made a horrid yellow dress that I never wore, but it taught me enough that I was off sewing everything I could. My parents paid for all my fabric purchases but store bought clothes had to come from my allowance, so I sewed everything I could imagine, made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot. I got into quilting many years later when a patient (I'm a retired dentist) came in wearing a beautiful jumper with an intricately pieced square on the bodice. My assistant and I raved so much about it that she volunteered to teach us to quilt. I have to agree with you. I love quilting and wouldn't want to give it up.

becky said...

What a lovely story! But amazing how styles change over the years and your work it breathtaking! It isn't just a quilt, that is art.