Earlier Quilts

These are a few of my quilts made in previous years.  There are several more that have never been photographed and are no longer in my possession.  At least one, the very first one I made for my two year old son some 35 years ago is undoubtedly gone, as it was practically in shreds several years ago when he last asked if I could "fix" it.  Made with scraps of my dressmaking fabric of the late 60s and early 70s, of mixed fiber content and weaves, with a 'batting' of an old lint shedding thermal blanket, and layers held together with embroidery floss in an attempt at a 70s Crazy Quilt, the only answer had to be "no honey, that quilt is too far gone to be rescued."  It was indeed a crazy quilt, and I hope I've learned a bit about quilting since that time.  But I think it was always his favorite of all the quilts I made for him.  Isn't that always the way ...

Click on any of the photos to enlarge.

My very first "real" quilt, made during a beginner's quilting class at the local community college a couple months after my daughter's birth.  I took her along to classes with me.  This started as a small applique sample for the class, and then kept growing.  Totally my design, cardboard cereal box templates for the applique and quilting designs.  Hand quilted.  Completed 1983-84.

A doll quilt made for my daughter's American Girls "Kirsten" doll.  Made in the late 1980s of scraps left from the first quilt I made for her 'big girl' bed when she was about three years old (there are no known photos of that larger bed quilt).

My son's college quilt, completed just a couple days before he started his freshman year - 1995.  Log cabin variation.   Logs hand quilted in the ditch.  Rephotographed from old prints.

Daughter's college quilt, started September 2001 and completed November 2001.  Hand quilted.  From a Thimbleberries pattern.   Given to my daughter for Christmas in the small wooden trunk seen in this next photo.

Son's queen size wedding quilt, begun 1998 or 1999 and completed June 2001, just prior to the wedding.  Hand quilted.  Pattern is called "Wildflower" from At Home with Thimbleberries Quilts.

Little tree quilt, pieced and hand quilted approximately 1996.  About 18 inches square.  Another Thimbleberries quilt. 

 

A Christmas gift for my husband, this harbor and lighthouse scene was made in 1998.  Hand quilted.  Yet another Thimbleberries pattern - I must have been going through a phase!

 

The four oldest grandchildren are all boys, and sad to say, with working full time-plus hours, none of them received baby quilts.  In 2009 they finally each received a throw size quilt for Christmas.  Very plain, utility quilts made up quickly from 4 inch fabric squares, with flannel holiday prints on the back and tied with perle cotton.  Each one was personalized with embroidered name and the year in perle cotton.

A wild and crazy jungle baby animals quilt for our oldest granddaughter.  A "what was I thinking" quilt in many ways, I attempted some wavy free motion quilting using a walking foot on my old Singer 301 machine.  Results less than stellar, but who could see the quilting with all that pattern anyway!  Completed Fall 2009.

Baby quilt for our youngest granddaughter.  Hand quilted.  Completed spring 2011.  

My first-ever free-motion quilted top!  From a 'cheater' panel.'  Completed 2011.