Sampler Quilt

Friday, May 7, 2010

My project for this month is a quilt I made for Don.  After I finished Talara's quilt, Don asked if he could have one too.  This top was almost pieced from large green plaid squares, so it was easy to promise the next quilt to him. 
This was my favorite quilt so far because I just practiced on it.  I found a bunch of different quilt patterns and tried something new in each square.  By the end of the quilt my method had improved a lot and I gained a lot of confidence in what I can do with the machine.  I used a solid color for the back so the patterns would show up. 

The completed quilt. The colors aren't very true here, but you get the idea. And you can even see some of the pattern
Closer look at the patterns.


You can see meandering, paisleys, leaves, water, stars, hearts, and much more.

This a design just for Don. I call it fish hooks on a line.

I can't wait to start my next quilt, which may be this weekend!

What's in a Name?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I'm sometimes amazed at the things we never learn because we never ask. And, I'm as guilty of this as anyone else.  For example, I've had my name for 53 years and never thought to ask my mom how or why I was named Jeri Lynn, which is certainly not a traditional girl's name.

But last night we had a Relief Society event at which we were to relate the story of our names.  So, I called my mom and asked her.  The condensed version of the conversation follows:

Mom picked her favorite name for her first daughter when she was just a little girl and looked forward to the time when she could actually call her daughter by her chosen name.  But the year before I was born, mom's best friend, Jolene, had a daughter and used mom's pet name for her.  Mom was pretty upset about this and tried to talk Jolene out of using the name, but with no success.

So, mom and dad had to come up with another name. Mom decided on Lynn, as it was the last syllable in her own name, Carolyn.  She had a friend named Jeri, and mom loved that name and mom's brother's name is Gerald, of which Jeri is a derivative.  So, I was named for Uncle Gerald and mom, which I never knew before.

As to the stolen pet name?  Mom and dad realized once I was born that I was a Jeri Lynn and not a . . .


CINDY LOU!   

I will be forever grateful to Jolene for naming her daughter Cindy Lou, and sparing me.

Disclaimer: Sorry if I offended all you Cindy Lou's. If you know me, you understand.

Lessons Learned from a Quilt

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I am a lousy blogger!  But I'm going to turn over a new leaf and take a lesson from my friend Laura, who faithfully blogs once a month.  I can handle once a month! 

In her February blog, Laura posted pictures of quilt blocks I pieced.  She called them Love on the Square.  They were my first Stack and Whack project, and they hooked me on that method.  Those blocks are now a completed quilt, which was given to my darling daughter-in-law Talara, for her birthday.

The quilt was the third one I quilted on the quilting machine that took up residence at my house a few months ago.  It was also very challenging and frustrating and sent me to the chiropractor twice!  Well, the quilt didn't do those things, my being overly ambitious about the quilting of the quilt did those things.  I was so grateful when the thing was completed, and certain it was a disaster that I would be embarrassed to give away.

The amazing thing  about these photos is that they were taken about 12 feet above the quilt. I'm not the photographer Laura is, but my zoom is great and I'm astonished at how the quilting detail stands out.

But, here's the lesson.  I pulled the quilt off the machine, laid it out, and was amazed!  It was lovely!  All the little missed design points, funny looking hearts, and weird spirals melted into a beautiful whole.  A metaphor for life.

 
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