Thursday, February 12, 2009

Best of Show


Here is my all time best quilt I have ever made. It is truly the top of my game. I really love this quilt and am so pleased with the end results. It is named "Heirloom in Blue" and it is from the book titled "Conway Album; I'm not from Baltimore" by Irma Gail Hatcher. I began quilting back in about 1990 because I loved the look of appliqued quilts and I wanted to do that type of quilting. But after I took a class and made one 12" x 12" block, I decided applique was just too tricky and hard to do so I switched to making pieced quilts. I kept getting drawn back to admiring appliqued quilts and so finally in 1998 I decided to take another class so I could improve my skills.
This was the class I choose. Each month we made one of the blocks and by the end of the year I had the 12 outer blocks completed and my confidence and skills had grown by leaps and bounds! But, the class was over and there was still the whole center area to stitch and the outside borders. My teacher agreed to keep teaching this class until everyone finished the whole top. I finally got it all put together and began the hand quilting in March of 2002.


I don't like to quilt on a traditional quilting frame because it is too limiting so I just put the quilt on a frame and then basted the whole thing together (meaning that I just handstitch really big stitches 3" inches apart both up and down and side to side) and then took it off the quilt frame and proceeded to "lap quilt" it for the next year. I finished it in 2003.

It is a really large quilt -- about 96" x 96". It is definately the most traditional quilt I have ever made. I have no place in my home to show it off so I just keep it stored in my quilting closet and just bring it out occassionally and drape it over the couch and just enjoy looking at it for several days at a time. Then I fold it up again and store it away.


I hope it will be around for many, many years and after I have left this life for my "heavenly reward", I hope this quilt will still represent me to my great, great grandkids and they will feel a connection to me through my passion of quilting.
Posted by Picasa

10 comments:

Julie Pia said...

Oh Sherrie,
Your quilt is absolutely beautiful. You are such an amazing lady.

Question? My friend is looking to hire someone, who is awesome at quilts, to piece a quilt together for her. She has some special pieces of fabric that are sentimental to her and wants to put it together. Would you be interested in something like that or know someone needing a little extra money?

Will you let me know? Thanks, love you girl!

erika said...

What a gorgeous quilt! You really are so talented.

Grace said...

Oh my word that is the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen! You are so talented! This is so pricesless so beautiful thank you for sharing! Love Grace

kj said...

This quilt is a master's masterpiece. I think you need it insured for a million bucks at least. I continue enjoying your quilt stories.

Sheri said...

Your quilt is absolutely gorgeous! Prettiest I've ever seen. You should be very proud.

Joli said...

Your quilt is BEAUTIFUL!!!! It should not be kept in a closet, it needs to be out for everyone to see!

Judith Richards Shubert said...

Gorgeous! I found your blog from reading Oma's and look forward to seeing more of your very creative work. I would like to invite you to visit me at Genealogy Traces or Tennessee Memories. Even though my focus is genealogy I love creative people and hope you will visit me sometime.

Judith Richards Shubert said...

Sherrie,
Thanks for checking out my genealogy blogs and for your kind comments. You look like a very busy lady and so I doubly appreciate your taking the time. I love quilting as I said before so will visit you often.
Judy

Travelin'Oma said...

This is really exquisite! I can imagine the fights at your house after you kick off. Make sure everyone knows whose is whose. And you can put my name on this one.

Sherry said...

your quilt is stunning!! I love it. And I feel that applique story happening to me. I'm being drawn to do it--but I think it is not me. I must learn. What an inspiring tale. thanks!