Learn to Repair Quilts! New Virtual Workshop

Hello!  Martha Spark and Ann Wasserman are hereby announcing our brand new Virtual Quilt Restoration Workshop!  

More Snowflake Quilts for the Winter Solstice

Yes, I'm a day late for the Solstice, but better late than never, I figure.  Let's slow down for a while and appreciate the cycles of time and the amazing Earth we all share.  Wishing everyone health and kindness. 

And so, let's talk about the quilts.  I've showcased two Snowflake quilts here on my blog made from a Paragon kit.  And now, here come numbers 3 and 4!!!  

The first quilt I wrote about was a repair job.  The quilt was made in the late 1930s.  There are two posts.  One tells about the quilt and its history, which is noteworthy because the owner also has the diary of her great-grandmother who made the quilt.  She describes details of shopping for the kit and how the sewing progressed.  The other post details the repair work I did, which is noteworthy because the owner asked me to add an embroidered dedication to her great-grandmother and the cousin who received the quilt as a graduation gift in 1940.

The story of the second quilt was sent to me by a reader.  She inherited her quilt from her grandmother's house.  She doesn't know who exactly made the quilt, but it is likely someone in the family. 

Now come these two quilts!  This information was sent to me by a quilter/quilt historian friend.  She says:

Quilt Repair Success!

Tooting my own horn here for a moment! 

Here's the lovely email I just received from a woman who bought my book.

My mother-in-law made the crazy quilt in the photos in the 1920's.  My daughter inherited it.  It had damage where it had been folded for all those years.  Otherwise, it was in pretty good condition.  I show the before and after pictures of a pink piece (photos 1 & 2), and the last photo is of the quilt.  I used your book to plan and make the repairs.  I would not have known where to start otherwise!  I used a lightweight silk fabric to make the appliques, and 100 wt silk thread to do the repair.  I bought silk organza to cover the binding which was badly worn.  We were pleased that the color was so good with the original fabric.  Your book addressed all the issues I was working on, so thank you!

It's so gratifying to know that the book is working just the way I intended.  Here are her photos.  Didn't she do a super great job?!

Before

After

Binding

And the horn-tooting isn't complete without a link to more info on content and purchasing.

Quote of the Day....Quote of the Era, Actually

 I came across this on Instagram (@hayfestival) a couple of weeks ago:

These words were written by author Arundhati Roy.  They are the concluding paragraphs of her article published in Financial Times in April, 2020, called "The Pandemic is a Portal". 

Her words so clearly sum up my dreams and hopes for this difficult time we are traversing.  

I have to follow them with the little quilt I made early in the summer and posted a short while back, expressing my hopes for a new way of living being created from the old.  You can see the new ways and ideas just beginning to pop out from within and behind the old ways. 

World Turned Upside Down
18" x 18"

You can visit a previous post to read about the technicalities of how I created this two-layer quilt, and other stories about the concept that grew as I went along in making it.  

This season, I am most grateful for all the individuals and organizations that are coming up with creative solutions and pathways to not only imagine, but also build, a new lifestyle of respect and understanding for our planet and all the living beings who call her Home.

 

 

My 10-year Project, 2010 - 2020

 

Wow!  This post marks the completion of a 10-year quilt project!

Ten (10!) years ago I started a series of quilts, my own personal challenge project.  I was feeling the need of having some small, relaxing, just for fun projects in the midst of working on quilt repairs for clients.

I had been given a stash of decorator samples by an interior designer who was cleaning out her studio.  I decided to use them for my play space.  I set myself these rules:

The World Turns Upside Down - Part 1

 

This is my newest art quilt - I didn't start out to make a topical quilt.  I was just playing with some gorgeous swatches.

I have mentioned on this blog before how much I love challenge quilts.  This challenge is another one from the Just Wanna Quilt facebook group.  I looked at these luscious colors, and decided I need some of that brightness and beauty in these hard times.  We each got 2 packets of swatches from Free Spirit Fabrics, and the instructions were “make whatever you want”. 

My plan was to make two little quilt tops exactly the same, rotate one, and cut holes in the top one for reverse appliqué to let the other colors show through.

The World Turns Upside Down - Part 2

 

This is a challenge project from the Just Wanna Quilt Facebook group.  We each got 2 packets of swatches from Free Spirit Fabrics, and the instructions were “make whatever you want”.  I looked at these luscious colors, and decided I need some of that brightness and beauty in these hard times.   

Casting around for ideas, I remembered a set of three little pieces I'd made back in the '80s that I'd also made with 2" multicolored squares.