"This is my first quilt ever"

"This is my first quilt ever."

I thought she was kidding..you know, teasing me. 

 I had a customer order some fabric a few weeks ago and we had trouble making ourselves clear via the internet, so she gave me a call. What a story she had.

The quilt shown above was the first piece of quilting she ever did. Her name is Mary and she is a character! Mary had never quilted a day in her life. Her sister was a quilter though. And Mary saw a picture of a Paula Nadelstern quick and promptly called her sister to request one be made for her. Well, much to Mary's surprise, her sister was not much into those teeny tiny little kaleidescope pieces. 

So Mary set out to make this quilt herself. She did not even have a complete book. She had a class pamphlet she had found somewhere and when she neared the end of her project she realized there were pages missing. So, her husband, who was a surveyor by trade, took his vast knowledge of angles and together they figured  out how to finish her project!!!

She went into her local quilt shop to get something to complete the project and the ladies were having a guild meeting in the back. The cashier that waited on her engaged Mary in a conversation during which Mary said, " I am not a quilter". Now, she had that stunning piece of art with her. So the cashier yells back to the guild ladies.."hey, y'all come look-this gal says she's not a quilter!!"...

Below are some other photos of her "young" work. She clearly, in my opinion has a gift that is rare.

 These were quilted by the renowned Timna Tarr, who said she had to sit down when and breathe when she first began to work on Mary's quilts. 

I am not sure when I have ever been more inspired..To sit down with a book, well, sort of a book, and do work of this quality is just breath-taking! You go Mary! (She's only in her 60's-imagine what she'll do when she gets some experience lolol!!!)

What a pleasure it is to serve my wonderful customers! Especially when I get to know them a little!

Happy Quilting on this first day of Fall!

barb

My List of Quilts....

The list of Quilts I've Yet to do....

Do you have this list? Either written or just stored carefully in your mind..

Of people who have touched your life so deeply  that you know there is a quilt in there just aching to be born for them. I do...

And I need more hours in the day-for to not make these quilts will break my heart. They simply must know that each stitch represents a moment or a memory or a thought of them that has touched me. A gift they have given me that without the quilt they may never know of their offerings to my heart.

Words often fail..Actions do not.  They reveal the hearts of those around us.

I have made quilts for people who, as it turned out, only wanted the quilt-figuratively speaking of course. But you get it-the "thing" was all they needed from me. Not the "stuff" behind the "thing". And those quilts, and those people have faded away now-not of my choosing. Of theirs. But the love I sewed into those quilts lives on. It waits for no welcoming door or offer of acceptance. It just rests there with love on it.

I have a quilt on the machine right now that i am struggling with. It is nearly ready for binding. But somehow, to finish it may signal the end of something I am not ready for. At least I tell myself I am not ready.

But I am determined it will be finished before the cool weather sets in here and it will go to the person I love and it will say the words I cannot find.

And then I will begin the next one, and then the next one, and then the one after that..

For in the end-all that matters is love. In whatever form you give it.

Happy Quilting,

barb