Backing Up Just a Little

So I wanted to explain how I decided to take up quilting especially in the late 70s when it was not so popular. It was also hard to find cotton material or quilting information/instructions.

I have to admit my passion for quilts started when I was a child. My Grandma made each grandchild a flannel tied quilt. I still have that quilt. The comfort and warmth kept me feeling secure during our frequent moves as my Dad received new assignments to different Naval Air Bases. This quilt was also my connection to Grandma.

Moving became a part of my life again when I married Dan 34 years ago. The Air Force moved us every three years so we, along with our two children, saw a lot of the world during his 27-year career.

I used my son as an excuse to buy material. He was going to need a couple of larger blankets for his new bunk beds, right? Why not make a quilt instead of buying all of them. Of course, it took me three years to finish it. Ami Simms quilt “Train Tracks” caught my eye in the Quilt magazine for my choo-choo train-loving 3-year old son. I marked the material with pencil and plastic templates. I sewed it together on my Mom’s old Singer. After basting the quilt, I bought a very flimsy quilting hoop from variety store. My husband had to add more wood and screws because the hoop would lean over from the weigh of the quilt. Through trial and error, and studying my magazines, I taught myself how to quilt stitch the three layers together. I did not like the rocking stitch. Too big! I could not get them small enough so I started using the stab stitch. I still use that method as of today. My only regret is not taking a picture of my first quilt.

The older posts before this one came from our first blog: Too Many Cats I plan to keep this one all about quilts, quilt shops, my projects, and any quilt shows I come across during our travels.