It’s not just a quilt–it’s part of a story.

About 6 weeks ago, I received a message on Etsy from a young woman who wanted me to make a quilt for her mother. As the message went on, the story of her mother began to unravel for me.

The woman’s mother is Cherokee Indian and raised her children in the Cherokee area of one the Carolinas. The mother also did a lot of sewing and used to make quilts for her children.

At some point in the past few years, the mother’s diabetes caused blindness and the mother was no longer able to sew and quilt. However, the mother still had a stash of fabrics intended for future projects (as every good quilter would).

The daughter, wanting to provide the mother with the quilt the mother could no longer make herself, contacted me.  The daughter wanted to send me her mother’s fabrics (supplemented by some other fabrics the daughter ordered and sent directly to me) and have me make one of my Classic Americana quilts in all of those fabrics. (The first photo above shows a grouping of the fabrics.)

The daughter also sent me the sweetest note. In the note she told me about a tradition her mother had of embroidering a “secret” message (in Cherokee) somewhere in one of the quilt patches. The note also had  a hand-written image of a Cherokee saying (photo 2). This symbol is from a lullaby and it means, “Close your eyes, little one.”

What a joy it was to do this project for such a darling daughter. The quilt was so wonderful to look at, and the afternoon I spent stitching the embroidery is one I will long remember.

Here is what the daughter said when they received the quilt: “I just got the quilt today. It’s one of the most gorgeous quilts I’ve ever seen! Thank you so much for working with me and making a dream come true.”

Having my love of quilting be able to connect me to the lives and stories of other people is a dream come true for me!

Uniform Woes

I’ve been asked, by a group from a private school, to create a quilt that can be auctioned at a fundraiser in May. The quilt needs to incorporate the school colors of blue, yellow and white, as well as pieces of the uniforms.

I’m having some difficulty and could use some help.

The first photo shows blue 9-patch blocks with a piece of uniform fabric in the centers. The crest in the upper corner will appear in all four corners of the overall quilt.

When I looked at this sample section from across the studio, I worried that the 9-patch blocks would seem to heavy and solid.

The second photo shows how I revised the 9-patch blocks to have white centers, with some of the centers being the crest. (I don’t have enough crests to put in each of the 9-patches.) For this version, the crest in the corner will come out.

But, where do I put the plaid uniform pieces?

Any suggestions? Do you have a preferences between the first version and the second?

More Fabrics I LOVE!

I went to my favorite wholesaler yesterday and picked up some more prints from Elizabeth’s Studios. I like the soft feel of the cotton on these fabrics. I love the rich, bright colors. And, I like the fun, funky subjects that are featured in the collections. I think I’ll make some napkins with the blue plates fabric. All of these prints are on sale in my Etsy shop: www.secondsanctuary.etsy.com.

The First Sanctuary

As a minister, a church sanctuary is my first sanctuary. My sewing studio is the second. This past Sunday, I was installed as Pastor and Teacher at the Reformed Church in Kinnelon, in Kinnelon, NJ.

It is an interesting blend of circumstances that was celebrated on Sunday afternoon when I was installed. This congregation, when it was searching for a new pastor, was looking for one who would serve on a part-time basis. I was able to accept this position with them because my quilting business provides a supplemental income for me.

Unknown to me before my arrival here a year ago, this congregation has a long history of being “gifted” with altar cloths that are handmade and quilted. There is a set for Advent and one for Lent. A set with butterflies bespeaks the resurrection of Easter. A set with rainbows (symbolizing covenant promises) and the wedding ring pattern is brought out for weddings.

It was only fitting that, for my installation, I, the pastor who is also a quilter, provide the congregation with its next set of quilted altar cloths. In the first picture above you can see the cloths for the pulpit and the Communion table. The second photo is of the stole I wear on top of my preaching robe. This new set will be used during the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time.

Not bad for a basement corner!

It snowed this past Saturday and to stave off any  ”stuck-in-the-house” blues, I decided to do some cleaning and sorting and reorganizing work in my sewing studio. Two of my stepsons made some racks for my fabric bolts over Christmas and I finally had a chance to get them in place. Here are are some photos.

Making a box of chocolates

I was sitting in a meeting this morning and my mind wandered a bit (doesn’t that always seem to happen to me?). I’m glad it did because all of a sudden I remembered that I have a whole bolt of chocolate-candy themed fabric I picked up last summer and planned to use for birthday table toppers. The fabric is from  Robert Kaufmann’s “Confections” collection.

Once I remembered that I still had the whole bolt to use, I began to think about how perfect this fabric would be for Valentine’s Day items. So, as soon as I got home from the meeting, I started pairing up the candy fabric with some coordinating prints (a pink and a chocolate brown).

I now have the tops of a table topper and 6 placemats. Tomorrow I will do the quilting on them, add some coasters and mug rugs, and then list everything on my Etsy shop, www.secondsanctuary.etsy.com.

Devotional Time

Each morning I wake and I spend some time in prayer for my family and my congregation. I created these Mug Rugs, based on passages of scripture, to help center me during my devotional time.

I Love This Fabric

I’ve discovered a new line of fabrics. I just love the fun and fabulous prints from Elizabeth’s Studios. I’ve begun selling them on my Etsy website: www.secondsanctuary.etsy.com.

The Caring Quilt

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2007. I knew that chemotherapy and radiation would be hard on her tiny frame. I wanted to help her be comfortable, and even cheered up, during the treatment process. So, I found a whole bunch of novelty fabrics that related to parts of her life. Fabrics about bowling and cards and painting and music and teaching..and so much more. I stitched them all together in an arrangement much like the one in the photo here and called it her “Caring Quilt.”

I have since created a listing of this kind of quilt in my Etsy shop, www.secondsanctuary.etsy.com. Each year, at the holidays, there is at least one person who orders one of these quilts from me. What an incredible experience it is for me to learn about some beloved family member for whom a Caring Quilt is ordered and what a privilege it is for me to labor in the process of bringing this gift to life.

Here are some other photos  of Caring Quilts.

A pattern of my own.

Several years ago I was in a meeting in Chicago and was getting bored. This was the last day of three straight meetings and I would be leaving that afternoon to return to my husband and child in New Jersey. As I sat there at the table, my mind wandered to a packet of fabrics I had at home. This packet was purchased because the theme, robots, was one of my son’s favorites. I began doodling quilting patterns that would work with the robot fabric. Finally, I had a plan!

When I arrived at home that night it was close to 10:00 pm. I was too jazzed about the quilt pattern and the fabrics to go to sleep. So I set out to cut the fabrics and sew them into the idea I had in mind. By 11:30, I had a quilt top completed. The next day, not only did I have a complete quilt to give my son, but I also had the start of a pattern design that has been a favorite for me, my customers and my friends for four years now.

At one point along the journey of this pattern, I contacted the editors of McCall’s Quick Quilts magazine and told them about my original quilt and the other quilts it led to…like the one right here:

The editors liked my idea and paid me to make a version of the quilt using Alice Kennedy’s Strawberry Fields fabrics from Timeless Treasures. Here’s the link to that feature:

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/quickquilts/articles/The_Modern_Baby

Just goes to show you that daydreaming is not always wasteful.