Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Dances with Bears Quilt

OK, I'm officially on a quilting kick! But I'm reading about painting, alright?
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I just finished this small (20" by 24") quilt called "Dances with Bears," made from a pattern in Fat Quarters, Small Quilts by Darlene Zimmerman. I machine-pieced and machine-quilted it on my non-long-arm sewing machine (easier on very small quilts like this).
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I'm keeping this one - it's going on the wall in my bedroom!
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Already I'm starting on a new mini-quilt, before my hand-cramps have subsided from doing the binding on this one. I saw a cute doll-sized quilt at http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/, that uses reproduction 1930s feedsack prints, and I immediately knew I had to make it. When I was about 10, I found a stack of cut patchwork squares in my great-grandmother's attic one summer. I think I was there with my grandparents cleaning out her house when she had to go into a nursing home. Anyhow, I made the squares into a simple patchwork pillow back then and still have it today, much loved and well-worn. I'm not sure of the origin of all the squares, but I remember my grandma saying that she recognized some of the fabrics from clothes and projects my great-grandma had made. So I am cutting up my childhood pillow and featuring the fabric in the little doll quilt, so I can frame it and keep it where we can see it and remember my foremothers...
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P.S. I love the new Director of the National Institute of Health, Productivity and Human Capital. Congratulations, Sweester!

2 comments:

Sushi Mama said...

So very pretty! Although, I don't think bears, I think autumn leaves when I see this.

Anonymous said...

I see the bear paws!! I LOVE IT!!!!!