Quilting
: a warm legacy
I have always enjoyed the texture and pattern on fabric. I
watched my mother, grandmother and great grandmother sew. From a young age
I designed and sewed (roughly) little clothing for my Barbie dolls.
Mom started me on the Singer sewing machine about age 7, I think. By middle
school, it was my favorite hobby. I made my first rough quilt in 8th
grade. By high school, sewing in Home Ec was my favorite elective class.
As a newlywed, a sewing machine of my own was the first object I requested from
my new husband as a gift. Can you see a trend here? For me sewing was a
creative outlet long before I discovered Scrapbooking. Below are a few pics
of my projects from approximately the last 2 years.
Free Quilt Patterns:
I love the internet! There are so many free quilt patterns! I
have been sewing with JUST free online quilt patterns now for two years and love
it that I can find what I want fast and FREE! Here are some of my favorite
places to find my patterns. I just right click to save the diagrams,
retrieve and resize them in a print shop program and print as many as I
need!
The
Quilters' Cache
Free Quilt
Patterns.com
About.com
Quilting
ConnectingThreads.com
Craftown
Patchpieces
Bear Paw
Quilting
Free Quilt
A-OK
Quilt Corral Free Projects
Here are some of my own works.
This is a classic scrappy Bulls eye style pattern. I used up
almost a whole laundry basket of loose scraps making it and it is beautiful! I
made it for my son John in the winter of 2002. The pattern for it is at http://members.aol.com/blondberry/bullseye.html
I made this one shortly after I made John's quilt above. It is
for my daughter Jenny. This Bulls eye quilt turned into almost a scrappy drunkard path
variation. 2002 The great aspect of these Bulls Eye quilts is the speed,
the colorful scrappiness, and the warm cuddly fringy effect!
A Victorian Fan wall quilt I put together from antique wool
blocks, 2002.
An older Victorian Log Cabin table runner I put together from
some even older silk and velvet antique blocks, 2002
Meandering the Lone Star State chair throw- a slash and sew star
pattern found online. Created while I was on a weekend trip to where else?
Texas! 2002 Instructions for this kind of star quilt are given here http://quilting.about.com/library/0lib/bl0_slashstars2.htm
Mary Engelbreit wall quilt of my own design using a variety of
patterns together. I created the design from an assortment of online bird, birdhouse, Scottie dog, house, and
flower paper piecing designs. 2001-2002 Many of these patterns were found
at Quilters
Cache. The center panel was an appliqué pattern from a friend.
This is the Byte by Byte quilt designed by Patti R.
Anderson that 8 of us quilters online are doing in a round robin style. We
started in February 2001 and are almost finished! We estimate I will get mine
back in about a month or two. (by Feb 2003) the whole pattern can be found here
on Patchpieces.com http://www.patchpieces.com/bytefinale.html
This is a baby girl's quilt in bright solids that I did for a
friend. It is paper pieced from a pattern found here at Quilter's
Cache. I cannot recall the name of the star but it is paper pieced.
On Finishing an Old Quilt Top
by A. Eelman
off Quiltnet.com
Dear unknown Lady of the Past,
I hold your work within my hands;
A top with pattern gay and pure,
A frayed edge reveals loose strands.
The design is made of tiny scraps,
Set in a plain sugar sack ground.
Such tiny little stitches made -
A soft blue border sewed around.
Where did you sit while piecing this?
Upon a stool by firelight bright?
Or slowly rocking on the porch
As the tired day drew into night?
What were your cares while you did work?
What plans and dreams did you spin?
I wonder why your work was stopped,
Why quilting never did begin.
My mind is filled with questions.
Were you just a girl or someone's wife?
Was yours a path of leisure?
Or a journey filled with strife?
I'll quilt this top, dear lady,
With patterns swirled and flowery,
And bond with one I'll never meet
In a sisterhood of stichery.
Original work by A. Eelman
Traditions Matter* 
