Quilts Quilts and Quilting :According to the dictionary, "Quilting" - is the sewing through of layers of fabric and filling so as to create a design. By that definition everything we do falls into that category; However we are going to categorize a quilt (for our purposes), as either a bed covering or a lap blanket. I (Pat) started to feel the desire to do quilting probably twenty-five years ago. My husband and I were on vacation in Northern Wisconsin and I went into a small shop in Land-O-Lakes and I spotted a quilting kit. It was pretty expensive at the time running around $35.00, but I thought it would give me a good start on how to sew a quilt, so I made the investment. When we got back home I couldn't wait to open the box. All of the material was already cut, with instructions on how to construct the various blocks using material. I tried to get the hang of it, but nothing was working right! The fabric was fraying and stretching out of shape and it did nothing but frustrate me. I blamed myself and felt bad about wasting the money for it. Years passed and the kit sat up on the shelf as a constant reminder that I couldn't do it. The kit sat on the shelf for probably twenty years before I got mad and put it in the garbage can. I still wanted to quilt, so I bought a pattern and took a class at my local sewing shop. I thought I took the concept back home and tried again, but the block just wouldn't come out right. I had tried it multiple times and it always came out the same way - WRONG! I was going to give up again, but my husband told me to try it again but think about went wrong instead of doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. I went back and reworked the block and it came out perfectly. I felt like I had climbed a mountain. Once I knew I could do it, I took on more complicated blocks with success. So, if you have tried quilting and your first attempts didn't turn out correctly, stick with it and take a class. In addition, while some starter kits maybe fine, the one that I had purchased used very cheap material that easily frayed and didn't keep its shape. I now understand that my initial failure wasn't entirely my fault, that the kit had a big hand in it. You can look at a few of the quilts we made below. You can click on any quilt to see it in a larger size. We would love to see some of your work too. This can be done by posting it on the Chat board. There are instructions for uploading and posting pictures in your postings in the "THIS CHATBOARD" forum on the chat board.
Last updated on ... December 25, 2005 |
