March 2012 Jadyn’s Quilt

When it was time to piece our third granddaughter’s quilt, there was no reason to keep it a secret.  Jadyn knew it was coming and had specific ideas of what she wanted in her quilt.  It was a time in her life when she loved all things “butterfly” and she wanted a butterfly quilt.  So off we went to the quilt shop together where she helped pick out the fabrics.  Rather than use specific butterfly prints, we chose fabrics that were bright and happy and which would create an illusion of a butterfly garden.  On one square I appliquéd little butterflies.  Once again, Jim helped with the cutting and choosing how to lay out each square.  It was a fun quilt to make, but even more fun to give.  Jadyn was delighted and I have had many opportunities to see it on her bed.  If butterflies are kisses from God, then this quilt is a kiss from me to Jadyn.  It was machine quilted by Judith Kraker who is an award winning quilter and quilt designer.

1975 Sharilyn's Quilt

Shortly after my husband graduated with his B.S. degree and while we were still reeling from the financial effects of that venture, I made a quilt of scraps for my then two year old daughter. I had not a clue how to approach this project, so I hand cut, with a scissors, squares that were roughly 3” X 3”. Most of the fabrics were scraps from other sewing projects I had completed, or from clothing that my daughter had outgrown. I used a mattress pad for batting, and yarn tied it. Nothing was squared up (and that was actually a bit intentional since I wanted a scrappy looking quilt top), and I yarn tied it. It certainly was not a prize looking quilt, but it was well loved and my daughter still has it more than 30 years later!

Quilt Size 81 X 60

November 2007 Sophie's Quilt

I had barely finished the “Expressions of Love” quilt when I decided to make a quilt for Granddaughter Sophie. Because Sophie loves art and color, I wanted to make something that was creative for her. My niece Lynn not only gave me the idea for this pattern, but also supplied all of the 72 different fabrics for the tumbling blocks. Jim helped cut and make the fabric choice for each tumbling block and the quilt layout. Lynn came one day and helped with much of the pressing of seams. It was a huge and ambitious project for someone who is “Really, Not a Quilter”, but was such a fun pattern and design that it was exciting to put together. I named it “Think Outside the Box and Shine Like a Star”. Jean Graham beautifully machine quilted this quilt with a star design using a bright varigated thread. This was the second quilt top I completed in 6 weeks. Quilt Size 93 X 62

October, 2007 Savannah's Quilt

I wanted to make a quilt for my grandchildren, and on a vacation trip to Paducah, KY I purchased fabric to start Savannah’s “Expressions of Love” quilt. I was so stressed picking out the fabric, and it took my husband, son and daughter-in-law to help me through the process. The pattern was not difficult, but I still found it challenging to keep everything “square”. This quilt helped me better learn the importance of precision sewing! Once again, Jim helped me with the cutting and layout. I took seven pattern pieces and cut them from a plain pink fabric, and by running them through the computer, was able to print the “pet names” that the people who love Savannah use to hug her verbally. I interspersed these pieces throughout the quilt. We drove about 2 hours to southern Michigan to bring the finished top and backing to Jean Graham from “A Quilt’n Hand” in Galien, MI. She machine quilted it beautifully with pink thread in a heart design. We loved the result and Savannah was happy with her special quilt.

Quilt Size 93 X 80

February 2005 Valentine Coaster

I went to sister-in-law Kathy’s house and she taught my sister Macky and me how to do paper piecing. We made little drink coasters. I mailed them to my granddaughters, Sophie and Savannah, for Valentine ’s Day. They kept them on their nightstands to hold their water glasses. A funny thing happened, though. Shortly after receiving them, their dog grabbed Sophie’s coaster and chewed it and actually devoured a corner of it. My daughter, Sharilyn, called me and told me that Sophie was heartbroken. So I made a replica, and without telling Sophie, I had Shari replace it during the night. Sophie called me the next day and said “Grandma, something very mysterious happened in the night!” She was actually a little frightened in her 5 year old mind. I never did tell her how it came to be and instead told her it was a miracle. This is the picture of the now washed and chewed up coaster!

I wrote them this poem:

Sometimes when it is late at night

And you are feeling sleepy

Your throat feels hot and oh so dry
And you think “I am thirsty!”

Don't wake Mom and Dad in bed
They really need their rest
Just find your drink
(It is near your bed
Sitting on it’s blanket).

You are grown up!

You've had your drink

No one had to help you.

Now snuggle down and close your eyes

And you'll return to Dreamland.

2009 Covered With Grace

June, 2009 Covered With Grace Quilt Size: 68” X 55”

I wasn’t anticipating making another quilt except maybe, possibly, eventually, a quilt for my other grandchildren. But then I saw the fabric… Most of it was in a Moda Three Sisters collection “Sanctuary”. I thought I would tackle a 12 block sampler using patterns from the book “Bible Expressions” that my sister-in-law Kathy had loaned me. I soon realized that, puzzle maker than I am not, I was lost in a maze of incomprehensible shapes. I had started this project in early 2008, became frustrated and let it lay in my quilt fabric box for about a year and a half. When I took it out to work on it again, I was overwhelmed, so once again Jim came to my rescue and patiently helped me with the cutting and laying out each block before I pieced it together so I could see how it needed to be constructed. There is no doubt that this quilt would never have been completed without his help! This quilt also brought me to the Quilting Forum on the Internet where I received friendly advice from all over the United States and other countries on how to “fix” my seam puckering, and where to find the red material for the border that was no longer available from the store where I had originally purchased it as fat quarters. Lesson learned: buy ALL the fabric you need before you start! Each block has a symbolic Bible story in it’s design. We named this quilt “Covered With Grace” because for us it represents all that God has covered for us so that we might live eternally. It was machine quilted by Jean Graham from Galien, MI

November, 2006 Doll Bed Quilt

Our oldest granddaughter, Sophie, had received a quilt as a baby gift and it became her “special” blanket. Jim had built her a doll bed for Christmas in 2006, and I decided to make a doll bed quilt for her which would match her beloved baby quilt. I couldn’t match the fabrics exactly, but I found some “1930” fabrics that were similar. I had a terrible time getting it squared up, but in the end it came out fairly well. I machine quilted it myself, and it was far from a perfect job, but Sophie liked it and that is what was important.

Quilt Size 27 X 23

October, 2005 Watercolor Quilt

In the mid 1990’s, prior to the making of this “Ribbons of Light” quilt, my niece, Lynn, who has made heaps of wonderful quilts, gave me a pile of fabric squares and a book on making Watercolor Quilts. She said she gave them to me because she knew I would actually make a quilt. It took me many years to live up to her expectations, and when I finally took on this project, it was my husband Jim who stepped up to the plate. He cut all the fabric and then spent hours sorting all those little squares and helping me create the design we ended up with. I pieced them together, and we sent it to Marcia Powell, a quilter in Wyoming, MI, who machine quilted it for us. The colors and pattern we created out of so many different fabrics please both Jim and I and we are so glad Lynn encouraged us to take on this project.

Quilt Size 47" X 52"

February 2005 Reversible Quilt Sack

My niece Kim came to my home to help my sister Macky and sister-in-law Kathy and me make a reversible quilt sack. I never did like the colors I picked out for the sack, but it was fun to be together and make them.

1999 Summer's Dream

My niece, Kim had become a good quilter, and held a class in my home for various women in our family. The result was my “Summer’s Dream” quilt which I machine quilted myself. I was frustrated through most of the construction because it seemed like it took forever, and I am a person who wants to get to completion! But I hung in there, and it became a much used quilt in my life. And, finally, I was learning some of the basic principles of quilting and what was appropriate batting to use in a quilt.

Quilt Size 52 X 63

Mid- 1980's American Eagle Chair Pad

I learned from the first quilted wall hanging that I made that I enjoyed the hand quilting more than I did piecing. So I made a pad and chair back for a wooden rocking chair we owned, and quilted an eagle design on muslin fabric, again using a poly fiberfill backing. I don’t recall what happened to the chair pad other than that it was worn out after a time, but I do remember that I quilted it with a circle of ivy pattern.

Early 1980's Tulips

My first quilt was a small tulip wall hanging that I made sometime in the early 1980’s. I really didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t know anyone that knew much about quilting. So I just machine pieced it together, and then hand quilted it using a poly fiberfill for batting. After washing it was a bit lumpy, but still it wasn’t bad for my first attempt at quilting.

Quilt Size 20 1/2" X 20 1/2"

The Quilting Puzzlement

I’ve been sewing since I was 10 years old. My mother made sure I knew how to sew garments, embroider, crochet, and all the other thread arts. But she never taught me to quilt.

I also can’t work a jigsaw puzzle. I really can’t! The pieces make no sense to me unless they are lying in exactly the right position with vivid coloring that makes sense with the adjoining piece.

My sister and I decided we both have “Completion Disorder”. We are generally frustrated until we get to cross whatever project we are working on off the list. I’ve come to realize that creating a quilt is as much about the journey as the destination or, in other words, it is as much about the process as the completion.

So the very fact that I have made any quilts at all is puzzlement to me. And the truth is, without a lot of handholding from my husband and the family quilters around me, it would never have happened. Every time I’ve completed a quilt, I feel an amazing sense of accomplishment even with all the help I was given, and I sleep under a quilt virtually every night. I love quilts. But I am, really, Not a Quilter!