Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Back in the Day

After posting my latest applique block for this year's Seattle MQG BOM, I confessed to Jonna, our hostess, that I actually had done plenty of applique back in the day, and of course she wanted to see. I had already posted about one of the quilts when I was a new blogger - a Sunbonnet Sue quilt I made for daughter dear back in 1995.

Well there was actually another that came before - Gazebo Garden, completed in 1993. I'd taken a class with Carolann Palmer, who I can't find anything about on the web, but she was a popular teacher at my local quilt shop at the time.


It was machine pieced where applicable, with needle-turn applique blocks and border, and then hand-quilted. Because for the first 20+ years I quilted, hand-quilting was all I knew.



The quilt measures 94" square and was the first quilt I ever made my mom. Besides the hand-quilting, it also has a muslin backing, since that's all I used to back my quilts for ages. And of course, the binding was bias, because that's what I first learned to make and I just thought it was what one did.


So even though Gazebo Garden might not fit with my current style and taste, it holds fond memories and looking at it at mom's the other day, I realized just how much work went into it! And of course it's a reminder of just how varied this quilting journey of mine has been.

11 comments:

  1. well isn't that beautiful! and isn't it amazing where our journeys take us and how our styles evolve? thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow and that was not a little applique that was a big job! Lots of experiences make you who you are today!! Lovely

    ReplyDelete
  3. I honk doing this quilt provided you background for making other things. Fun to see this gorgeous quilt from your past!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow - what an awesome quilt!! So beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So surprising to see a traditional quilt around here ;-) ! I'm sure your skills and experience in traditional are useful for your current work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is so worthwhile to go back to take a look from where we have come. From those first quilts not knowing where our journey will take us, to being in the moment and wondering what our next step will be. Even your photography has changed. You have to love the journey.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Even though it isn't your taste anymore, it's to be admired... and is a wonderful testament to the process you went through to learn quiltmaking. I remember when needle turn appliqué and hand quilting were what everyone did. Times change, and we do too. Quilts like this made you the quilter you are today. Me too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Spectacular finish and enormous respect for the amount of work (and love) that went into this!

    ReplyDelete