First thing's first. I don't think I've blogged about my sewing yet, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. I learned to sew (and embroider and cross-stitch, etc, etc) from my paternal grandma. I owe so much of my craftiness to her. I remember being very little (pre-school age), sitting with her at her sewing machine- she would press the peddle as I helped her feed the fabric through. Eventually, I got my own little, kid-sized machine and we would sew side-by-side. She was big into patchwork quilts. It was the early 70s in Hawaii, mind you, so these were some seriously bright quilts! I remember helping her cut out squares (with scissors - no rotary cutters back then), sew them together, then press the seams open. We also made aprons, but I'll save that for another post.
Fast forward to the summer before 7th grade when Dee and I took a sewing class together at a local Bernina store (she will correct me on the year, if I'm wrong). That's when I learned to read and follow patterns. Until then, free-form sewing was all I knew. I made some really ugly early 80s clothes in that class. But, that's okay, it was fun- and I was learning.
Fast forward to college, when my stepmom gifted me a sewing machine (that I still use- bless it for hanging in there all these years). I really got into sewing some of my own clothes (dresses, skirts, pants). A few years later, Lisa was pregnant with her first child, and since I was going to be an aunty* for the first time and excited as all get out, something made me want to sew a baby quilt. I picked up a random book of baby quilts from a fabric store and fumbled my way through it. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I knew (and remembered) enough to get by.
My first quilt was a baby quilt for Jack, who is now nearly13 years old. (Holy crap, is my boy almost a teenager? *shudder*) When I was at that cookie swap, I went looking for a kid and wound up finding a deserted fortress compound. To my delight (understatement), what did I see as one of the fort walls? That's right! Jack's quilt! The photo quality isn't the best, but I couldn't resist sneaking a picture of it, as is, before the little ones returned. The scene was too precious to pass up.
I'll have to ask Lisa to get a better picture of it, but for now this works. I love seeing it in this context. I can't tell you how much I love the fact that it's being used as part of a fort! Lisa, Dee, and I made similar forts like this when we were little, too.* When you grow up in Hawaii, pretty much everyone older than you is considered your Aunty or Uncle, whether you're related to them or not- it really doesn't matter.
6 comments:
That is an awesome quilt! I still have Carley's first baby quilt from you :)
And yes, that was the year - 7th grade... I made a hideous black Hawaiian print shorts JUMPER - what the?
That is an impressive first quilt - I think mine was just a bunch of squares. In fact, the one I've been working on the last 3 years (well, not continuously) is a bunch of squares. Though someday I plan to graduate to other shapes :) I'm impressed with yours!
That is an adorable quilt! How sweet that it's a fortified wall of that rockin' fort! ;-)
i think that is the best way to appreciate something made lovingly by hand. it is why we do it, right? to see that a child down the line uses it and cuddles it and loves it as much as we did. i hope your sister likes the blog, the pool of twins seem a bit young but the more posts i read, the more i love it. hope the girls are feeling better and your sister catches a bit of a break.
Awwww, that is so cute that they are using it for a fort! It looks like it is well loved!
So awesome! But then you know how much I love 'action' shots of our projects.
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