My friend Yvonne (at left) invited her friends to help her hand quilt this queen-sized snowball nine-patch in time for her nephew's wedding next month.
(As of Aug. 1, the quilt was completely handquilted, well ahead of the Aug. 29 deadline. I doubted it myself, but Yvonne was sure it would be ready and it is! ) Y. is a true scrap quilter, preferring to
re-purpose clothing from the thrift shop rather than buy new yardage. For this quilt, she solicited bits of greens and purples and neutrals from various
quilty friends and relations, including me. I even helped her make the test block of this pattern, modeled after an antique quilt found in a book. That test block, unmatched corners and all, made it into the quilt, evident in the bottom left of the photo below.
She's had various reactions on this quilt, mostly from folks who aren't used to scrap quilting, but I think its perfect. It incorporates materials from a wide variety of people and is being quilted by a community of quilters who know her nephew (I think I babysat for him as an infant, and his parents live up the street from me). I like the strong
geometrics, the use of values, and the bits that don't quite go but really do, because when you think about it, a good marriage has some unmatched sections in it as well. And of course, the pattern is based on the contrast of values -- you can't appreciate the light without the dark, and the dark is illuminated by the light. A week ago, the
hand quilting was about one-quarter done, but Y's aunt was working on it steadily, along with a friend. Both women are in their 80s at least, and were confident they could complete it well before the wedding, since the quilt is in a frame in a basement craft room of their seniors' complex.
My friend Yvonne (at left) invited her friends to help her hand quilt this queen-sized snowball nine-patch in time for her nephew's wedding next month. (As of Aug. 1, the quilt was completely handquilted, well ahead of the Aug. 29 deadline. I doubted it myself, but Yvonne was sure it would be ready and it is! ) Y. is a true scrap quilter, preferring to re-purpose clothing from the thrift shop rather than buy new yardage. For this quilt, she solicited bits of greens and purples and neutrals from various quilty friends and relations, including me. I even helped her make the test block of this pattern, modeled after an antique quilt found in a book. That test block, unmatched corners and all, made it into the quilt, evident in the bottom left of the photo below.
She's had various reactions on this quilt, mostly from folks who aren't used to scrap quilting, but I think its perfect. It incorporates materials from a wide variety of people and is being quilted by a community of quilters who know her nephew (I think I babysat for him as an infant, and his parents live up the street from me). I like the strong geometrics, the use of values, and the bits that don't quite go but really do, because when you think about it, a good marriage has some unmatched sections in it as well. And of course, the pattern is based on the contrast of values -- you can't appreciate the light without the dark, and the dark is illuminated by the light. A week ago, the hand quilting was about one-quarter done, but Y's aunt was working on it steadily, along with a friend. Both women are in their 80s at least, and were confident they could complete it well before the wedding, since the quilt is in a frame in a basement craft room of their seniors' complex.
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13 comments:
This is really a lovely quilt. I can't even imagine hand-quilting something so large!
I think Yvonne is my hero, with her attitude toward scrap quilting! :)
many hands make light work :-)
This will be a true treasure and keepsake. All those fabrics from different people and many hands quilting will make it even more meaningful. I like the scrappy look. They do all go together.
Oh I love that quilt...I do hope we get to see it finished...maybe with the bride and groom too :0).
May they have many happy years enjoying that work of love made for them.
Happy sewing
Bravo to Yvonne and all the ladies who are quilting on it. There isn't enough hand quilting going on these days. I do hope the recipients appreciate and love this quilt.
That's a great idea for a wedding quilt. It'll be full of love and memories - what a wonderful start to a marriage! Good luck with the quilting - I hope it gets done in time!
it's wonderful to see such a scrappy quilt made with such love. much better than factory produced jelly rolls....
This is SO what quilting is really all about . . . thanks for sharing with us (and reminding us of why we do what we do).
:-)
Best wishes to the bride and groom! this quilt is a symbol of true love
Love scrap quilts and re-purposing clothes. The one in the photos is simply wonderful.
That is an absolutely fantastic quilt. Lucky couple! I like your analogy to marriage.
Andrea in Minnesota
It's a beautiful quilt, and I for one, would be thrilled to have such a labour of love in my home! Yvonne was dedicated to thrift shops long before the rest of us even knew what they were, and has remained true to her values all these years--a great example for us!
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