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The 8 Year Quilt
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So like a normal college student I picked up quilting during my first Fall Semester as a freshman at University of Florida. Hah! Not.
I didn't like the typical bar/party scene and neither did my hubby (boyfriend at the time). So we did a lot of outdoorsy stuff like walking the trails at Payne's Prairie, fishing, bike riding and checking out the small country towns around and outside of Gainesville. One day we drove out to Hawthorne to visit Joel's mom's friend Carol. What an unexpectedly great trip!
Carol is a quilter. A serious quilter. For like 30 years or something. And I've always sewn but I was never introduced to the quilting world before I stepped into her beautiful country house on Clear Water Lake. She had an entire room devoted to quilting! Quilts hanging on all of the walls and an enviable fabric stash.
We walked around her house as she talked about the different quilt designs, wall hangings and those she made for family members. I saw the French Rose quilt hanging in her bedroom and knew that I wanted to try to make that as my first quilt.
Carol was so patient. She guided me through selecting shabby chic fabrics, showed me how to use a ruler and rotary cutter, and taught me the importance of matching seams. For the next few months, Joel and I would make trips out to Carol's house so that she could help me work on my quilt while Joel fished in their lake. I didn't realize it then, but now I look back and think how blessed I was to have someone show me the way into the quilting world. Quilting has been my outlet for creativity and my escape from stress in my life. When I spend time in my sewing room I can relax and be myself. I get to explore colors and textures while cutting and piecing together fabrics to make something new. It's always exciting and usually challenging.
As much as I loved starting the French Rose quilt, I hated finishing it. I. hate. binding.
There. I said it. So, it took me 8 years to finish hand-sewing the binding around the quilt. I just finished it last Saturday at our Modern Quilt Guild Meeting. Feels good to be done!
A big thank you to Carol! You are amazing! (she's also a poet! Check out her book on Amazon)
I didn't like the typical bar/party scene and neither did my hubby (boyfriend at the time). So we did a lot of outdoorsy stuff like walking the trails at Payne's Prairie, fishing, bike riding and checking out the small country towns around and outside of Gainesville. One day we drove out to Hawthorne to visit Joel's mom's friend Carol. What an unexpectedly great trip!
Carol is a quilter. A serious quilter. For like 30 years or something. And I've always sewn but I was never introduced to the quilting world before I stepped into her beautiful country house on Clear Water Lake. She had an entire room devoted to quilting! Quilts hanging on all of the walls and an enviable fabric stash.
We walked around her house as she talked about the different quilt designs, wall hangings and those she made for family members. I saw the French Rose quilt hanging in her bedroom and knew that I wanted to try to make that as my first quilt.
Carol was so patient. She guided me through selecting shabby chic fabrics, showed me how to use a ruler and rotary cutter, and taught me the importance of matching seams. For the next few months, Joel and I would make trips out to Carol's house so that she could help me work on my quilt while Joel fished in their lake. I didn't realize it then, but now I look back and think how blessed I was to have someone show me the way into the quilting world. Quilting has been my outlet for creativity and my escape from stress in my life. When I spend time in my sewing room I can relax and be myself. I get to explore colors and textures while cutting and piecing together fabrics to make something new. It's always exciting and usually challenging.
As much as I loved starting the French Rose quilt, I hated finishing it. I. hate. binding.
There. I said it. So, it took me 8 years to finish hand-sewing the binding around the quilt. I just finished it last Saturday at our Modern Quilt Guild Meeting. Feels good to be done!
A big thank you to Carol! You are amazing! (she's also a poet! Check out her book on Amazon)