let me show you a couple of my humble scrap quilts.When I was new to quilting, I had very few fabrics, they could have fitted in a few shoe boxes. They were expensive and there was not the variety or the amount of fabrics on the market we have now.
There was a large shop half an hour away from where I lived that had a programme where you could get a pack of 7" squares of all the new fabrics coming in. At the time that's how I got some variety without the huge outlay. I took a class for a mystery quilt that required triangles of a huge variety. It's a leap of faith taking a mystery quilt class.
This is the quilt from that class. There was no matching of fabrics allowed, the pieces were put in a paper bag and pulled out in pairs, no looking or switching allowed. I bought the border fabric for $2 a yard on sale and machine quilted it with a simple stipple.
This friendship star quilt also has a story. We had a swap in my guild of triangles with about twenty people participating. Everyone ended up with a stack of triangles that we were challenged to make into a quilt. This is what I made and that's why there was a lot of fudging and points not meeting because that's what happens in swaps.
I hand quilted this one with a baptist fan pattern and it has a wool batting.
The fabrics in these quilts sure do date them, I love the humble nature of them and they remain favourites for the memories and the learning that is in every stitch. I remember the teachers, the other students, the quest for the fabrics, the guild friends and the fun. A quilt is so much more than fabric and thread, they can have deep meaning to the maker and they don't have to be spectacular or amazing to be loved and treasured.
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33 comments:
Oh my great aunt! There is nothing humble about those quilts Janet, they are just spectacular. I love the diversity of colour and pattern and you know, it's a lesson we should all take every now and then. Hand in the bag and use what comes out! Thank you for sharing these beautiful quilts,
big hugs, lizzie
you are a very amazing quilt maker, thank you sharing all your wonderful work.
cheers
Christine
Your humble scrap quilts are awe-inspiring...amazing! Did I mention I love them?!!!
Your humble quilts are wonderful, I'm not a fan of the Friendship Star but this quilt is fabulous!!
Crispy
Your first quilts are beautiful!
i might have some of those fabrics in my stash! the variety and quality of fabrics these days are amazing. i've been quilting for 15 years or so and things have changed so much.
anyways, it's your use of value that makes those quilts absolutely beautiful--regardless of the "humbleness" of the material.
I like your humble quilts! Scraps work so well together. It's amazing, but they do. I love the scrap quilts and I love the carefully planned quilt you are working on...the one with those beautiful flowers. I love them all!
Oh, I've been away from quilting for 2 whole weeks now and I'm itchin' to get going again.
Just one beautiful quilt after another. I love the look of scrap quilts and yours are gorgeous.
I love recognizing these fabrics.
I just looked at the Thrusday special at The stitch-N-Frame shop and it was sure hard to be tempted by the first 3/4's...I wonder how future generations will look back on the modern prints that tend to make me grit my teeth.
Call me old and humble I guess.
But those aren't humble at all, they're fabulous! I love the idea of just pulling out fabric and sewing it together. LOVELY quilts!
Your Quilts are Lovely...I remember buying 7" sq's too...must have been the going thing back then...Thanks for Sharing...Lovely post
cheers
have always wanted to make a friendship star quilt, love the look of them
Isn't it fun to look at these quilts though and see how much you have grown as a quiltmaker?
I have a quilt I made and hand quilted with baptist fans too and its one of my favorites I will have to post about it one of these days.
Kathie
Janet your quilts are lovely and the story you share of them is priceless.
Your quilts are by no means humble they are masterpieces. Wonderful work.
Dated or not...gorgeous work! Those are fantastic!
Wonderful quilts (some of those fabrics look familiar) and wonderful words. Always a treat!
Quilts are memory keepers, aren't they? And how the fabrics have changed! Great graphic designs here are timeless! Your applique is wonderful!
Isn't that nice that when we revisit our "old" quilts close up we have stories and memories? I think that is one thing that makes quilting so much fun.
Great quilts, Janet.
I have some of that fruit fabric! (Close up of your triangel mystery quilt.) I love it! I wish I had more...
I do like the Friendship Star quilt!
On the applique block, the yellow flower center.....is the design just from the fabric or did you add to the fabric somehow? It makes a perfect flower center.
Quilts with friendship stories are the best quilts! They make us feel so good just looking at them and remembering their origins. That's the real warmth of a quilt.
Your Humble quilts are lovely... :o)
"a quilt is so much more than fabric" that is what I love about quilts, you hit the nail right on the head with that. Love your work.
carole ann
Your beginning quilts are simple and yet very beautiful.
Such wonderful "humble" quilts. They are loved.
When I look at something that I painted several years ago, I usually can remember where I was when I painted it and often the music associated with it as well because I always have music playing when I paint...or now, quilt. Do you have the same kind of memories or associations with your 'older' quilts?
Your 'humble' quilting beginnings remind me of my first baby steps into the world of art. I would retrace my steps anytime because the journey has been awesome...much like yours, Janet, I'm certain.
Never Doubt the personality of scraps. They never age and are you all like me where you have to search through the quilt to see if you have a piece of that or asome of this :-) See how those wonderful scrappy quilts affect us
Cheers
Lynne
You are a very amazing quilt maker, I love all your work....thank you for sharing all your wonderful work.
Julia ♥
Lovely quilts and great memories for you.
Wow. That triangle quilt is awesome. From a distance, it looks like a jewel box quilt. I really love the story, and love how the white sashing makes each block pop. Gorgeous! And it's what quilting is really all about.. using what you have on hand.
Your quilts are always so beautiful Janet. And that applique is Gorgeous!!!
There is just nothing quite like a scrap quilt! Humble, but beautiful, and always with stories to tell.
I love the way the scrap quilt in the second photo has the same colours as the Baltimore quilt block in the photo above.
Thanks for showing your early quilts - I feel better about my 'early' quilts now and they are the ones I am working on right now:)
Alice
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