This week, I want to do something different. I want to talk about my first quilt, including what inspired me to quilt, and have you share in the comments what inspired you. I’ll also have a few snippets about how quilts historically tell the stories of the quilt maker. So, let’s have some fun!
My First Quilt
Well, I started quilting in 1988 in a time my husband and I call “BC” – before children! I was looking for something to fill my leisure time while my husband played in a softball league. Paging through a community college catalog, I saw a ten week quilting class listed. I had a grandmother who was a quilter, but she was no longer with us and no one else in the family quilted, even so I said “why not?”.
We were instructed to choose a pattern and the fabric. Of course I made the new quilter’s mistake of choosing a queen size quilt made up of the Lemoyne Star block! And… the cutting and sewing was all by hand. No rotary cutters, just templates, tracing pencils and scissors!
So, here it is:
Notice those lovely 80’s poly-cotton fabrics in the dusty blues and pinks. Boy have I evolved! Here’s my latest large quilt, Constellations:
After that hand piecing experience, I went out a bought a sewing machine because I was actually hooked on quilting but never wanted to hand piece a block again!
As you can see by my latest designs, what inspires me today is the large variety of beautiful Civil War reproduction fabrics and paging through books of antique quilts. That fabric is my favorite to use and when I find a new line, it inspires me even more. The antique quilts I find in the books often have many traditional blocks like Log Cabin, Churn Dash or Evening Star. I love looking at these books and dreaming up ways I can put a new “spin” on those blocks.
Telling Stories
Throughout history, women have expressed themselves through quilting as an art form. From telling a family story to expressing a political view, quilts were the canvas. From my first quilt through my current creations tell my story by showing my evolution as a quilter. Other types of stories quilts tell are things of historical importance or a family’s personal history.
A current example of a family’s personal history in a quilt: T-shirt quilts! Many of us have collected T-shirts from a child’s activities through their school years or from an adult’s vacation trip and put them in a quilt. That is a recording of their history and a snapshot of the family history.
Here’s my version of a family history quilt. For both of my kids, I made picture quilts for their graduations from high school.
It’s a bit hard to see the photo blocks, but they are made up of pictures printed onto fabric documenting their high school years. Then I designed unique ways to lay them out and made pieced into quilts. A twist on the t-shirt quilt.
Here’s one of the most famous story quilts from history. I wrote a bit about it in my book, Blooming Patchwork:
This quilt was made by former slave, Harriet Powers and can be found at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Another type of family history in quilts that can be found in books of antique quilts is a signature quilt. Often these quilts were presented to family members who were moving west and leaving friends and family behind. The quilt blocks would be signed by those staying behind and then sewn into a quilt for the traveler to take with them.
Patriotism in Quilts
From the beginning of the country woman have expressed their patriotism and their political views through quilting, mostly because that was their only outlet. On viewing quilts in quilt history books, you will find everything from appliquéd eagles and flags to fabrics actually printed with patriotic symbols. You’ll find block names like “Whig Rose” and “Yankee Puzzle” to name a few.
A lot of patriotic quilts can be found in the Civil War era. Quilts were often made and raffled to raise funds for soldiers. Quilts were even made to raise funds for gun boats. Read Barbara Brackman’s blog post from 2014 with some interesting history about these quilts.
Quilts were also part of causes like the women’s suffrage movement. This movement for the women’s rights grew out of the abolitionist movement, which was often headed by women. Did you know Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the suffrage movement, was a skilled quilter even as a young girl? She often used quilting bee quilters as her audience for speeches on the movement. Here’s a link to a suffrage quilt, although not one of Susan B. Anthony’s. If you want to look at a lot of historical quilts and find out more information about them, the Quilt Index is a fantastic website to keep bookmarked on your computer.
I like to make patriotic quilts myself. Here’s my first one I ever made, Long May She Wave:
And my latest, Old Glory Garden:
I’m even in the process of making a new one… here’s the pieces cut out and waiting at my sewing machine:
So, that’s my story. What is yours? Answer these three questions (below) in the comments if you’d like and you will be entered into the drawing for my newest patriotic pattern, Old Glory Garden (above)! **We have a winner! Congrats, Judy Smith!**
Questions:
- What inspired you to quilt
- What is your favorite quilt technique
- What is the tool or notion you can’t live without
The drawing will be on Monday, May 26th. Good luck!
Happy Quilting!
Deanne
1. saw a picture of a woven style quilt and thought, i can make that. i drew it out on graph paper, scissor cut the pieces and sewed. knew absolutely nothing. nobody to say how it should be done or that i was doing it all wrong!!! turned out table sized. i was hooked.
2. easy. successful with consistency type patterns.
3. rotary cutter. all my scissors are hateful
Sometimes that the best way to tackle something new… not knowing anything about it. 😁
1. While living overseas for a year (1991) a friend encouraged me to sign up for a quilting workshop. I made a quilt for both of my kids that year and didn’t make another for at about 10 years. After the kids were grown & gone, I needed a leisure and alone-time activity & decided to try quilting again. I’ve been hooked ever since.
2. I enjoy the piecing of blocks & tops (not the quilting).
3. So many important tools: rotary cutter; rulers; sharp scissors, seam ripper 🙁
Great that you had a quilting friend that guided you to this wonderful past time! The thing I like the least about quilting is binding. 🤣
1. My story is similar to yours. We were in the country in Montana. Families back in Iowa. No teaching positions open at Nearest school. Used to watch grandma quilt. Hand pieced in warm weather. Quilted during cold season. So cut out my first quilt & started.
2. I like it all. Appliqué was my first love. Do both cotton & wool quilts. But probably piece more now. Faster. Can try more patterns & techniques that way.
3.Too hard to chose. First I thought my sewing machine & then thought about all the tools I use. The newest tool I have is the Binding Eaze & the Winding Eaze.
Appliqué is actually my all time favorite, whether fabric or wool. I just love the added “personality” it give a quilt.
1. Loved sewing doll clothes as a child; then creating my own clothes as a teen and smocking dresses for my young daughters. Planned to do quilting thru my whole retirement..and now I am!!!
2. I love the Piecing.. aiming for perfection but never getting quite there!😂
3. Favorite tool is the rotary cutter and mat.. must haves!
I wish had learned to sew clothes, however mom usually hemmed our jeans with a stapler. LOL. She definitely wasn’t a seamstress. I taught myself how to hem pants and sew on buttons when I was in middle school.
My grandmother was a quilter. I prefer pieced quilts but have also done applique. I enjoy hand quilting and strive to keep the quilting knowledge going for future generations. For tools I need good needles and a nice pair of scissors with the rotary cutter and mat for strip piecing. My first quilt was hand pieced for the birth of my son. I enjoy and learn from your newsletters.
I have attempted hand quilting a few times and probably need to take a class someday. I’ve haven’t been able to master the needle rocking. I still do the up and down “stab and stitch”. Therefore, I only hand quilt very small things.
1) My mother taught me at a young age to sew—my love for fabrics grew along with my love of sewing. When I got married my husband’s aunt gave us a hand quilted quilt (the last one his grandmother had helped quilt). My eyes were opened to a whole new world! My sewing shifted from clothing to quilting!
2) When I began making quilts I loved the hand quilting process, but over the years I began enjoying the piecing more —perfecting my piecing seeing a quilt top come together is such a joy.
3) When I began piecing it was all scissor cut and hand pieced. Today, I could not live without my rotary cutter, mat and rulers.
So lucky you had a mom that knew how to sew and teach you. I also really love the process of piecing blocks and quilts and seeing a design come together.
1.My mother and both grandmothers were quilters, so inspired by them.
2. My favorite part of the process is the block piecing by machine.
3. My favorite tool is the EZangle ruler for making half square triangles.
Oh so lucky of you to have that generational quilting knowledge for inspiration!
I started sewing in home economics class in seventh grade. I made a gathered skirt without a pattern. In eighth grade our teacher had a heart attack and couldn’t come back to teach us. I had a dress all cut out from a pattern and wanted to make it. My mother said there is my sewing machine just follow the pattern instructions and I will help you. I made that dress and several more garments. In high school and college, where I majored in Home Economics Education. A few years after graduation I decided to make a quilt because the Bicentennial was coming so I used a pattern I had gotten from a magazine and made my first quilt Storm At Sea with scissors, cardboard templates and cotton fabric I ordered through the mail. That quilt is not done but I was hooked and took a sampler class at a local high school. My favorite technique is paper piecing and my favorite tools are my rotary cutter, my sewing machines, cutting mats, rulers and of course my fabric stash. I belong to 2 chapters of the Greater Hartford Quilt Guild and we are having our bi-annual quilt show Quilts Tell a Story on June 7th and 8th. Hope you will spread the word about our show.
I love that your mom encouraged you to finish your HomeEc project. I stuck with a simple wrap skirt in HomeEc because I was afraid of zippers and button holes.LOL!
I will have to let my sister know about the show. She lives in Middletown. I hope to return to New England one day. 😁
I would like to meet her. Tell her to ask for me at the show I will be there all weekend.
1. I started sewing as a child, continued through adulthood. A friend offered a Quilt in a Day class, which started me on my quilting journey.
2. I love taking leftovers, mine and from others, design blocks and figure how to piece them together.
3. Rotary cutter and mat are indispensable!
I love Quilt in a Day. Those classes and the tools they put out are great. Sounds like you’re a scrap quilter like me!
1. I had 4 boys, I wanted to sew, but sew more than jeans and Tshirts. I did make them all suits one Easter. I found a quilt shop and took a beginner class, 45 years ago. 2. I love making scrap quilts. The scrappier the better.’
3. Probably my rulers, I have my favorites. 8 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ and 8 1/2″ x 24 1/2″ . And all the sizes in between.
Wow… you made suits! After that, making a quilt should have been simple for you. LOL!
1. I had two friends who were avid quilters but I resisted for years because I knew I’d be hooked if I tried it. Also I knew it was an expensive hobby. But I took a beginner quilters class two years ago and yes, I’m hooked!
2. I really don’t know my favorite technique yet since I’m so new. I’m experimenting with many different types in order to learn.
3. The rotary cutter. How in the world did our grandmothers ever cut fabric for a quilt so precisely with scissors?
Those quilting friends are the best!
My mom taught my three sisters and I to sew, in those days boys did not do that, so he was not in on the lessons. My first project was an apron out of green gingham with cats cross stitched across the bottom and pocket. I still have it today and love thinking about the time and patience mom showed us through sewing. I made doll clothes of course and many dresses, skirts, blouses etc. over the years, We also made quilts, Mom remained the hand stitcher, and hand piecing a quilt is a lengthy process so that led to machine piecing. Somewhere along the line my youngest sister got me interested in wool applique and that is all I wanted to do forever! Quilts, wall hangings, runners etc. My hands and time can not keep up with all the new adorable patterns and that wool that makes my soul happy, I will never give it up, and have grown to love all the embellishing stitches in the process of making a quilt with wool applique. Alas, tho arthritis can slow a person down so I am now also thoroughly enjoying making quilts again on the sewing machine and giving my hands a change of position. My favorite quilt technique is free motion quilting on smaller items though I still need much practice. My current favorite tools are Karen Kay Buckley scissors for wool and the BladeSaver Thread Cutter for piecing.
Sounds like your mom was a great teacher. It is a good idea to switch between hand stitching and machine stitching to give your hands a rest. I too have some arthritis I have to deal with too.
1) When I was in high school I earned some cash by helping my neighbor make small samples in order to sell her patterns. I went away from it through college and a short time after but always wanted to get back into it.
2) I love hand work – piecing, applique and quilting – and my favorite part is hand sewing the binding down.
3) My flip-up, clip-on magnifiers… While the hands are still strong, they eyesight has gotten weak! 😉
What a fun way to be introduced to quilting!