Tuesday, February 05, 2008

If Quilts Could Talk


If quilts could talk what would they say? Would they say they began in the bargain bin of a quilt/fabric shop as the end pieces from fabric that someone purchased for another project? Would they say they began on the shelf in a fancy fabric store or a WalMart? Would they say they were specially chosen to make the quilt they are in?
I love the smell of fabric, fresh on the shelves of any store. The smell of fresh threads, the feel of soft as powder fleece, slick as ice silk, warm to the touch flannel. My grandmother made our clothing when we were small and she was an excellent seamstress. From coats, to nightgowns, to robes to my sisters prom and wedding dresses, her hands were always busy. She also crocheted like a mad woman when she was watching television, her hands were always busy.
I was never blessed with her crocheting ability, though I have tried to take it up several times over the last 50 or so years, I just can't get the hang of it. But grammy did instill in me a passion to help others.

I wonder if quilts would talk about all the love that went into choosing the right fabrics for the right quilt? Would they say they were sewn on a treadle machine, by hand or a machine like the Brother that I use? Would they say their makers handled them with care? Were they machine quilted with a long/short arm or hand knotted?

Well, my quilts would speak of love and here are some of the things that go into a quilt: Shown in these two pictures are the beginnings of a quilt, some of the triangles I cut out and sewed together to make one of the blocks of this quilt shown. The quilt in the picture isn't complete, it is still being worked on & it is up for adoption. I am making it for some homeless teens in Aberdeen and if you would like to adopt it (pay for the costs of making it), contact me and I will let you know how to do this.













Here are some photos that might give you some insight into the day in the life of a quilt or quilter.