Ancient Pinwheel Quilt
circa 2000
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
(Way back)...in the beginning!
If you have stumbled across this blog today, congratulations on viewing my first original post! I am a new kid on the block. But not new to blocks ha ha...! I have a wealth of photos and thoughts to share with you in the coming days ahead, but you will have to bear with me as I work my way through some serious technophobia! Let's just say I have taken a different path for the last 15 years of my life. One that never involved office work or computers, but instead focused on more tangible hands-on creative pursuits like sewing, quilting and working with all kinds of plants! Not that I'm complaining...I just have some blanks to fill in now to get me up to speed.
My mother taught me how to sew when I was in high school. (There's some math I will leave to your imagination.) I went on to get my degree in Fine arts with an emphasis in Textile Design, and right after college started dabbling in some custom sewing for friends. Sixteen years ago I made my first quilt--a somewhat simple 9-patch baby quilt for a friend. Then I started a bunch more...Ahem...started! Today I am almost finished with one of those quilts. It is a pinwheel quilt I made for my mom about 13 (14?) years ago, that was just patiently waiting to be quilted and bound. A couple hours more with the binding and I think it will be finito! Then I can send it up with my brother to deliver in person. I think she will be so surprised, most of all because after a few years, she just stopped asking that guilt-inducing question "Hey, where's my quilt?!"
In the interim, I have started and finished several cat quilts. I am a big believer in a cat having his or her own quilt. First of all, I love cats! Have had them my whole life. They should be pampered and catered to a bit. If you think like I do about my pets, they are family members that should have a few of their own special belongings just like everybody else! Second, it is cute to make something miniature, but only because it actually has a purpose. I found that if you give a cat a quilt to lay around on, they will be drawn to it and the fur factor is more easily contained in one spot. Their spot! It is way easier to wash a tiny quilt than your bedding, couch covers, good upholstered chair or your own human-sized quilt! The first cat quilt I made for my cat Flannel (yes I made it out of flannel samples too!) was a success. I set it on the couch for him before leaving for work one morning and when I came home, Flannel and my rather large Maine coon cat Foulard were squished up together on it, happy as clams. Yay! (Thanks little kitty guys for doing valuable market research for me!) Since then, I have made and sold several more, and received positive feedback. At present I have 3 or 4 more of them in the works.
My mother taught me how to sew when I was in high school. (There's some math I will leave to your imagination.) I went on to get my degree in Fine arts with an emphasis in Textile Design, and right after college started dabbling in some custom sewing for friends. Sixteen years ago I made my first quilt--a somewhat simple 9-patch baby quilt for a friend. Then I started a bunch more...Ahem...started! Today I am almost finished with one of those quilts. It is a pinwheel quilt I made for my mom about 13 (14?) years ago, that was just patiently waiting to be quilted and bound. A couple hours more with the binding and I think it will be finito! Then I can send it up with my brother to deliver in person. I think she will be so surprised, most of all because after a few years, she just stopped asking that guilt-inducing question "Hey, where's my quilt?!"
In the interim, I have started and finished several cat quilts. I am a big believer in a cat having his or her own quilt. First of all, I love cats! Have had them my whole life. They should be pampered and catered to a bit. If you think like I do about my pets, they are family members that should have a few of their own special belongings just like everybody else! Second, it is cute to make something miniature, but only because it actually has a purpose. I found that if you give a cat a quilt to lay around on, they will be drawn to it and the fur factor is more easily contained in one spot. Their spot! It is way easier to wash a tiny quilt than your bedding, couch covers, good upholstered chair or your own human-sized quilt! The first cat quilt I made for my cat Flannel (yes I made it out of flannel samples too!) was a success. I set it on the couch for him before leaving for work one morning and when I came home, Flannel and my rather large Maine coon cat Foulard were squished up together on it, happy as clams. Yay! (Thanks little kitty guys for doing valuable market research for me!) Since then, I have made and sold several more, and received positive feedback. At present I have 3 or 4 more of them in the works.
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