So It Is a Quilt, Not a Blanket: What Makes Up the Three Layers?

Well, I’m not sure I can top last week’s absolute banger of a blog, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing, and I hope you enjoyed reading. I mean who doesn’t love a bit of dictionary talk?!? Okay, Maybe just me!

This week I want to discuss the three layers of a quilt, which is the typical quilt sandwich. Of course, quilts can have more than three layers. Some patterns, like crazy quilt blocks are built onto a layer of foundation fabric making that quilt, whether quilted (all three layers sewn together with continuous stitches) or tied ( the layers are held together with thread ties all over the quilt), four layers. Or some carefree quilters leave their papers in a foundation or English paper pieced top, offering up a fourth, crinkly layer.

Usually, though, three layers suffice:

The image shows a quilt laying top up. The quilt has navy borders and intricate Zinnia blocks with a barn and tractor with birds in the air blocks, too.

Top: typically thought of as the front of the quilt and is the top layer; usually the most intricately pieced and takes the most time; the show piece of the quilt.

The image shows the back of the quilt shown above. The back is blue and white bird and flower fabric.

Batting: the middle wadding layer that adds the warmth and loft (the thickness and texture of the quilting) to the quilt

Back: As the name suggests, the back of the quilt; often one fabric.

The image shows the quilt from above with the left corner folded onto the top of the quilt showing both the backing fabric and most of the front.

Once the three layers are made or cut, then the layers are sandwiched and quilted. In my studio, I load the back and top seperately onto the longarm leaders and add the batting layer between. The three layers all come together on the top leader of the quilt frame, and as I quilt them, they become one quilt. Then I trim and bind it, so that the edges of the quilt are neatly finished and protected.

The whole process of making a quilt layer upon layer is magic! Beautiful fabrics cut up and sewn into new shapes, while the quilt stitches hold the layers together and add dimension to the design. And always the utility—layering and quilting fabrics adds strength and longevity to the whole piece of art.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

P.S. I worked on this blog and wrote a lot about each layer of the quilt, and in the interest of my readers, I decided to split the blogs up into two or three instead of one long one. I didn’t realize I had so much to say about quilt layers!

Reading Now: I am still happily working on You Can’t Go Home Again, and I picked up The Jane Austen Book Club from the 25 cent shelf outside at Reader’s Corner. And I read The Hangman, which I picked up at the bookstore, too. I actually picked up a lot of books…maybe I should do a blog about my TBR pile(s)? Let me know if that is something you would like to read.

Kindness is everything. Listen to NPR for balanced, well researched news.

Quilt or Blanket...does it matter?

Happy Friday and Happy Solstice This Weekend!

I am fully in summer mode in the studio now, which only means earlier morning walks and fans running as I work! This morning my walk was in the rain we are finally receiving here in Raleigh, and it was glorious. Everything looked so relieved and quenched, though we still need more rain to even begin to alleviate the dry weather we have been experiencing all spring. The studio is such a cozy place on rainy days, and I hope this rain lasts all day!

I thought a blog about vocabulary might be helpful, but I think it is going to take more than one blog to cover the special language we use as quilters/sewists/artisans. This week I thought I would explain the definition of a quilt and discuss how it is different and similar to a blanket. Some quilters really take offense at their quilts being called a blanket, but I don’t mind. I know what people mean!

For this discussion, I went back to my favorite source for words, The Oxford English Dictionary, and yes I own a complete set, which means I need a magnifying glass to read it, and yes, I derive a great deal of pleasure from looking up words. The OED, as it is known, is a singular piece of ongoing scholarship, and if you have the time to read about it, you should. The OED tracks words from their earliest usage right up to the present day…if you have a brand new set, so intrepid logophiles can see how a word has been used and changed over time. For instance, the word “wood” used to mean crazy…as in Chaucer saying someone behaved, “as if he wer wood” in Middle English. Yes, I read Chaucer in Middle English and Beowulf in Anglo Saxon…I am a literary medievalist at heart!

The picture shows one volume of the OED open to the word quilter, and my little flat globe magnifier I use is sitting on top of the word “quilter.” In college when I was taking Chaucer and Old English classes, I would spend hours in the floor of DH Hill in front of NCSU’s full set of the OED.

Upon looking up “Blanket” and “Quilt” in the OED I found so many fun similarities; both are from Old French and have been in use for centuries and they can both be nouns and verbs. English speakers likely saw them both introduced after William the Conquerer won The Battle of Hastings in 1066, which is the sign post for the shift in English that we see from Old English to Middle English. That French influence softened up the harder Anglo Saxon and gave us so many good words!

Blanket (Old French: blankete. French: blanquette) as a noun is a large oblong sheet (one layer) often of soft loose wool used for retaining heat. As a verb the word means to cover.

Quilt (Old French Coute to Coulte. Becoming Coulte and Qwylte in Middle English) as a noun is layered cloth, often decorative, fastened and used as the outer covering on a bed. We have also called quilts Counterpanes, which are outer coverings for beds, woven, raised, quilted, made mostly of patchwork; coverlet. As a verb the word Quilt means the action of fastening the layers of cloth together.

So the difference between a Blanket and a Quilt becomes very obvious, right? A Blanket is one piece of fabric, wool, cotton, linen, but it is only one layer, and it blankets your bed. A Quilt is layers of fabric, contemporarily three layers: top, batting, and back. These layers are then Quilted or fastened with stitches. and the tops of quilts are often made from patchwork, making them historically more decorative. Though with all of our modern printing methods blankets can be highly decorative themselves.

Quilts, as you can see, do require a lot more work than a blanket, so I can see why quilters get upset when their hours and hours of labor is called a blanket! I make quilts, but I understand what people mean when they contact me asking for a blanket…I know they really mean a quilt, and by the end of the process, I think my clients really understand the difference.

Sending Quilty love,

Ginger

Currently Reading: The OED of course, and I am still working on “You Can’t go Home Again,” while picking up Middlemarch…I want to read Bleak House, too…Yes, Dickens is calling to me again. My brain loves his descriptions. And writing this blog has wetted my appetite for some Chaucer, too. What are you reading? Read what you love!

Unbiased news and information is more important than ever. NPR is an excellent source. I hope you are kind to everyone.

Bits and Bobs

One of the reasons I love my work is that every quilt is one of a kind, and I love using the unique quality of each piece of clothing to its full advantage. I use placards with buttons, zippers, snaps, pockets, and any special parts of the garment. I often use lacy edges and decorative neck lines. Even blouses or dresses with lace over a fabric panel can be used in a quilt. Sleeves and cuffs can be fun to use, too, especially on shirts that have buttons on the cuffs.

Even bears can have pockets. This sweet bear has a pocket from a jacket on his behind.

I also like to combine elements from a piece if I can. For instance, if there is a small logo on the front or sleeve and the large graphic is on the back, then I can move the smaller item, and integrate it into the larger graphic through applique to create a square.

Since all of my quilting is hand-guided, meaning I do not have a computer connected to my APQS Lenni. I move the machine for every quilt I make, and I can more easily avoid fun bits and bobs that I cannot quilt over, like metal zippers, buttons, larger sequins, beads, and bulky pieces. I can also quilt around pockets to leave them open and useable. Speaking of pockets, I have used a lot of different kinds of pockets in quilts, even side pockets in shorts, flannel pants, and jackets.

This sweet little heart is made from the strap from the bridesmaid’s dress used to make this unique baby quilt.

I also like the nod back to its original iteration that bits and bobs offer. Placards and pockets show what the fabric was, and I think these bits and bobs highlight the life lived in the clothing, too. Layers of meaning and memory built into the layers of the quilts.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Next Week: Next week I am going to discuss Quilt Vocabulary. Do you have any words or phrases I use that you would like more information about? For instance I used “fussy cut” in a picture description this week. Leave me a comment below to let me know what I can define for you!

Reading: I am well into You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe, and for a novel published 1934, it has some very timely descriptions. The Great Depression has just started, and George Webber postulates that the corruption and grift in America lead to the hard times. His descriptions sound eerily familiar. I am still contemplating my next read, but I am thinking about rereading Middlemarch by George Eliot, and reading My Life With Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead. I have a lot of good options. Too, Cherrywood fabrics announced their challenge this year and it is in honor of Jane Goodall…did you know she helped write several books? Of course I am going to read some! My reading life is full and lovely.

Be kind to yourself and others this week. NPR is still an excellent source for knowledgable news coverage.

Ooooh...Fabric!

For the last few weeks, I have discussed clothing, interfacing, and layouts, so I should also talk about the fabric I use in my quilts. Beyond the T-Shirts and clothing, most memory and T-Shirt quilts require other fabric, too. The sashing, cornerstones, borders, and backs are 100% cotton fabric usually, and I only use 100% high quality quilter’s cotton. My favorite brands are Kona Solids and Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solid lines. Between those two companies, I usually have no problem finding the right color to meet clients’ needs and desires. Bella Solids also have lovely colors.

Quilting cotton typically come 40”-45” wide on the bolt, but sometimes I can use 108” wide cotton fabrics, too. I tend to keep black, charcoal gray, light gray, white, navy blue, royal blue ,and red in stock because those are common colors requested. I also meet local customers at local quilt shops like Cary Quilting Company in Cary, Bernina World of Sewing in Raleigh, Sew Happy Fabrics in Clayton, and Sew There! Quilts and More in Angier. These shops have excellent fabric and staff who make shopping wonderful, and they are kind enough to share my information with their customers, too. Not local to me but worth the trip, I also love The Mountain Thread Company in Boone, NC…I could go on and on about fabric shops! A blog is definitely in order!

Chocolate Cuddle back…look at the way the quilting looks so lovely, and it feels so soft.

This lovely blue bird fabric in the style of Chinese pottery is gorgeous, and I ordered it for a customer from Spoonflower.

I can also use flannel fabrics for memory quilts. And sometimes customers want an extra soft back, so I use Cuddle fabric for them. I also love ordering fabric from Spoonflower. They are an on demand fabric printing company. They print my labels for me, and I have ordered fabric for customers several times from them. Spoonflower has a huge catalogue of surface designs or you can create your own design and have it printed, like my labels. I find Spoonflower particularly helpful when customers want more niche novelty fabrics.

I have also used sheets provided by customers for parts of quilts, too, and now digital printing allows for so many beautiful fabrics—there are so many options! And I am fond of saying that just about any fabric combination can work for a T-Shirt quilt. Most T-Shirt quilts, unless they are thematic in some way, have a lot of colors and graphics represented. The shirts themselves may seem disparate and eclectic, making choosing fabric seem difficult. Honestly, the borders help pull everything together. The shirts or clothing represent a life lived and living, and the fabric merely acts as a frame for those memories.

108” wide back fabric bolts stacked against the wall. They will go on the shelves when they are built in the studio hall.

When choosing fabrics for quilts, I usually start with what customers want. Is it a memorial quilt? Are there colors that represent that person or some aspect of their lives? Do you want to use favorite colors or do you have a room with particular colors where the quilt will live? Mostly customers already have an idea in mind when they commission a quilt, but sometimes they don’t. In both cases picking out the perfect fabric is a fun challenge for me, and I really don’t tire of looking at, touching, and exclaiming over fabric. Can you tell I love my work?

Happy Quilts!

Ginger

Reading Now: I’m am further along in You Can’t Go Home Again, and I finished the Louise Penny mystery I was reading. Now I have to choose a new book…like fabric, I have so many tantalizing choices!

Real, honest, fact based reporting is more important than ever, and I find NPR offers me the best news source. Everyone if welcome here. Kindness is everything. Fabric makes beautiful rainbows.

T-Shirt Quilt Layouts: How do I decide?

Layouts are always a fun creative challenge for me, and often my awesome customers let me dicide how to layout their quilt design. For both Classic and Custom T-Shirt quilts, I take several factors into consideration when I am designing a layout:

1) Customer Desires

2) Color-light, dark, and medium

3) Graphics-size and shape and what I think of as their weight.

Of course customer desires are taken into consideration first. No sashing verses sashing and T-Shirts that need to be made central or need to be put together in the design drive the rest of the process. Customers who want a Classic T-Shirt quilt can even create their own layout using the grid provided in the ordering tab or by laying out the shirts and providing me with a picture of the layout.

An NCSU thematic Custom T-Shirt Quilt. Gray solid sashing surrounds each shirt and is the inner border. Black solid fabric is the middle border and binding, and Grunge Red Dots are the outer border. In this layout I worked to evenly distribute the red shirts by using the gray, black and white shirts to do so. The heavier or larger graphics are also separated by smaller or word graphics, too, creating an interesting and balanced design.

After taking customer desires into account, I think about color. Typically T-Shirt quilts are comprised of a variety of shirt colors…unless the quilt is a thematic one, like a college quilt or an activity driven quilt. The same color questions hold true for those theme-based quilts, too, though. I tend, especially with Classic quilts to separate the blocks into light, medium, and dark once they have been interfaced and cut to size. With Custom quilts I think of the size of graphics initially. For color, I try to keep light, dark, and medium evenly placed in the design, keeping like shades separated by the other types—too many dark, medium or light colors in one place can unbalance the overall quilt design. The same is true of the actual color of the pieces; like colors need to be dispersed evenly in the quilt.

A Custom T-Shirt Quilt with no sashing and a royal purple outer border. There are a lot of white shirts in this layout, but that doesn’t harm the design because the white pieces are evenly placed in the overall design.

Once color is taken into consideration, the type of graphic and its size is considered for each shirt in the design…for instance, a T-Shirt quilt might have shirts with a single line of text, tiny front logos, or round graphics. I endeavor to separate the same type of graphics to create interest and again, to balance the quilt. Round graphics can be placed beside square graphics, while big, bold pictorial graphics might be placed next to smaller text graphics.

I know I say it a lot, but my goal is for my customers to love their quilts, so careful, thoughtful layouts are the way I design. Plus layouts are like a puzzle, especially with Custom T-Shirt quilts, and I really enjoy that process. All of the considerations I have discussed here work in tandem and are recursive. I think about them all simultaneously while I design a layout.

In this blog, I have focused on T-Shirt quilt layouts, but a layout is just as important to a memory quilt…or any quilt really! I am excited to share, as I can, what I am working on in the studio right now. I am having a lot of fun!

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Reading Now: Yes, I did start the next Louise Penny book, Bury Your Dead, and I am still working on You Can’t Go Home Again, by Thomas Wolfe. I picked up Margaret Atwood’s memoir (of sorts, as she says), and a critical literary book about the Romantic poets, which are both coyly waving to me from the shelf. I am not above having three…or more…books on the go at once…

I listen to NPR several times a week in the studio as I work. I recommend it if you really want an unbiased new source. Be kind and have a great week.

Interfacing!

Interfacing…sounds boring right? Well, I think interfacing is the secret to a good t-shirt quilt, and it makes the process of making the quilt much easier. I use Pellon 911 Featherweight interfacing. I cut out the t-shirt pieces bigger than I need with interfacing of the matching size. For instance I cut classic blocks to 14.5” to interface the blocks. Then I use a steam press to apply the interfacing to the t-shirt piece. Once the blocks are interfaced, I cut them to the appropriate size. For Classic T-shirt quilts that size is 13.5 inches. Custom piece sizes depend on the design, and I usually don’t cut those pieces until the design is finalized.

The image shows a red t-shirt piece with the corner turned up showing its interfacing on the back laying on top of the bolt of interfacing. A hand with rings is holding the corner of the shirt piece.

Yes, I do cut every piece individually twice…working to center the graphics or the piece that is important in the clothing. T-shirts are not the only pieces of clothing I interface, either. Any fabric that is stretchy or thin can benefit from interfacing. I always use a pressing cloth to help in the steam press process.

The image shows the red interfaced t-shirt piece on top of the bolt of interfacing.

I am still sometimes surprised by how much interfacing benefits a piece of clothing. I have had customers who are worried about worn, well-loved clothing, and I always assure them that the clothing will “wake up” with a little interfacing. Even the rattiest t-shirts I have been given to use in a quilt look beautiful in the quilt. Of course sometimes I have to repair a hole or two, but once the interfacing is applied that shirt is ready to live a new life in a quilt where it will receive less wear and tear, and the interfacing is giving it an extra layer.

Interfacing does not add a lot of weight to a t-shirt quilt; the t-shirt fabric is really what makes t-shirt quilts a bit heavier, but I use a lighter batting, too…which I will talk about in another post!

T-shirt quilts are so beautiful and cuddly, and I sew them to last and look their best. And each one is cut and sewn with care and respect to the memories going into each quilt. Interfacing is just one of the tools I use to make quilted memories.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Reading this week: I finished The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (So good!), and I made lots of progress in You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe. I will likely pick up the next Louise Penny book…I tend to read those in threes and then take a break…I do have a menagerie of books waiting in my future reading pile…maybe I will pick up one of those…the possibilities make me giddy! What are you reading?

NPR, WUNC are still great places to hear unbiased news. Kindness matters more than ever.

How to Make An American Quilt: A Reproduction Project

Almost every week I say the same thing; I have excellent customers who bring me exciting and challenging projects! I am currently working on a longterm project that is a wonderful example of an interesting and creative challenge. A customer has hired me to reproduce, as closely as possible, the quilt from the 1995 How to Make an American Quilt movie. My customer specifically referenced the movie, which astonishingly, I had not seen. So I spent time watching the movie several times to see the details of the quilt, and I discovered the movie is based on a book, so I read that, too! I enjoyed both! The movie centers around a quilting bee that is making a quilt for the main character. As the blocks are made each woman’s story is highlighted. Love, loss, independence, joy, mistakes, and complicated relationships abound, and the blocks reflect the makers. I also found a book that catalogues the quilt and its blocks. The book is called Where Love Resides: Reflections on Love and Life by The Patchwork Place, and the book has been an excellent resource when designing the quilt and its blocks.

The Where Love Resides book is open to the Community Block picture and the hand drawn 16” block is laying under the book, so that some of the flowers, leaves, and stems can be seen.

My customer desires a king size quilt, which will be 96” square, with the blocks finishing at 16”. I am using the sewing methods from the movie: hand applique and hand quilting. I drew the blocks to their appropriate size, and now I am working on the hand applique. The Community block is every other block, so I am making those first.

Two hand drawn blocks from the movie. The left one is two intertwined flower stems creating a “u” shape in the middle of which are the two rings. The right block is a paint palette with a paint brush.

Various hand drawn blocks including the mermaid block and the couple holding hands.

I am really excited to share this process with you and to discuss the fun bits I have found as I research each block and how it is made…one even has folded flowers! Maybe before I share another update, you can read the book and/or watch the film!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Reading Now: I finished the Louise Penny book I was reading, and I picked up the next one A Brutal Telling! I am further along in You Can’t Go Home Again, and George is heading back to New York. If you recall, I recently reread The Lord of the Flies, and I am now watching the new BBC miniseries for it. The series is beautifully done, and the boys are captured very well. I am going to be heartbroken; I can tell.

NPR.org is a great place for balanced and informative news.

What Kind of Clothing Can I Use In a Quilt?

Well, you might be surprised!  I get a lot of questions about types of clothing that I can use and whether or not they will work together in a quilt, and I am happy to say that my list of clothing I have used is long…and I do not think it is exhausted yet!

My list of Clothing I have used in quilts includes:  T-Shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, sports shirts/shorts, uniforms, polo shirts, dress shirts, blouses, skirts, flannel shirts/pajamas, pants, baby clothes, hats, socks, canvas shoe parts, canvas bags, underwear (clean of course!), closely knit sweaters, blouses/clothing with lace, gowns, wedding dresses, linens, ties, scarves, bandanas, leotards, swim suits, denim/jeans, spirit towels…I could go on and one…

Some of the more interesting items I have used is tiny baby knitted hats or bonnets and socks that I have appliqued onto a quilt.  I have used a leather letter jacket in a quilt, and last summer I made a Memory Dog from a beloved pet’s toys…it is so cute…I even used the squeakers from the toys!  As I have said before, my customers are awesome, and they trust me with the most interesting and creative projects.

Image shows a dog stuffed animal about 18” high with various fabrics taken from dog toys, beds, and favorite bits. His ears are from the lambchop toy provided. And his arms, legs, and torso contain squeakers from the toys, too.

The picture shows the back of the stuffed dog, which features Santa’s face from a toy, and bits from a favorite Kong ball.

Honestly, I am open to trying a lot of different fabrics, and I have no problem saying I cannot use something—usually I will let you know when we meet, but if you are mailing your items, then you can send me a picture of the piece, so that I can tell you what I think.  Don’t hesitate to ask because I say yes far more often than I say no!  And if an item is especially important to you, I might have ideas about how to use it.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Things I worried about this week: The gutting of the voter rights act described as pernicious, and I find that an apt description.  Insurance and return on that investment.  Prices…gas, food, everything.  The staggering numbers of dead or missing indigenous women in NC…the list of worries, too, feels unending, but I am getting good honest, unbiased, fact based reporting from WUNC and NPR.org.  Please spend some time listening, so that you can be well informed and make good decisions when you vote. 

Reading this week:  I’m still reading Louise Penny’s A Rule Against Murder, and I am still being soothed by it.  The descriptions are so good.  Thomas Wolfe is good, too, but uncomfortable in parts…which is good in reading in its own way.  The host of characters in You Can’t Go Home Again is growing, too, reminding me of Dickens. What are you reading?  I would love to know!

Hand-Guided Quilting: Free Motion and Custom

Happy Friday and Happy May!

Picture shows a raw edge applique Beagle-like, brown, black, and white dog with a ball wall hanging with up close details of the quilting done to secure the pieces and highlight the details of the dog. The moss green background is quilted with open swirls. The ball is shades of peach and also highlighted with quilting. My customer Bev is an artist with fabric and paint, and her dog wall hanging is so life-like!

Whew, where did April go? Alas. This week I would like to talk about quilting. I often refer to everything I do as quilting and I call myself a quilt artist, but quilting, the term, actually only refers to what happens after the top of the quilt is finished. Once the top is finished it is layered with batting and a backing, and then the whole stack is quilted. As you know I really like all of the parts of “quilting": collaboration with customers, choosing fabric, cutting, piecing, and the actual quilting and finishing. Quilting is special, though, because it is important for the wear and life of the quilt, and the quilting can highlight or provide texture. Good quilting works with the quilt; it doesn’t over power it.

All of my quilting is hand-guided using my APQS Lenni Longarm. I do not have a computerized component to my machine. For T-Shirt Quilts, I usually use a medium meander edge to edge design, which is excellent for avoiding any areas that cannot or are not going to be quilted—I use buttons, pockets, and zippers sometimes in my work, and avoiding those areas during quilting are important. Buttons and zippers, especially the metal ones, will break the needle and possibly damage the quilt, and I like to leave pockets open for use in the quilt. I feel like pockets are fun texture, useful, and give a nod back to the original use of the textile.

The image is of the NC Quilt bottom right corner, showing meander quilting in the blue outer border, and a feather design in the red and blue inner borders. There is also outline quilting in the orange Carolina Lily block with the white background and green leaves. The bear claw block is also visible with special swirls inside the pad of the foot and outline for the nails.

Memory Quilts are similar in that I usually choose an all over edge to edge design (meander loops or swirls or flowers!) unless the quilt calls for specific quilting. For instance, the tree and cone flower quilts received outline work, and an applique barn I recently finished received outlining and ruler work to highlight its details.

The image shows the corner of the quilt folded over, so that the blue and white floral backing can be seen with the custom embroidery label with the letters, “TAL.” The custom quilted gray barn made from clothing is custom outlined and ruler work has been done to highlight the structure of the barn, roof, windows, and doors.

A close up image of free motion hand-guided quilting on a linen hand embroidered floral quilt The quilting is meander loops, and the embroidery is not quilted over.

I also quilt tops for anyone who needs a quilt top finihsed and it requires custom quilting. I can even put already finished quilts on my frame or add machine quilting to already finished hand quilting. Custom quilting is when different parts of the quilt top receive different quilt designs, ruler work, thread color changes, or outlining. Custom quilting really adds character and can highlight details in the quilt. Applique is a great example of a quilt top that benefits from custom quilting.

The image shows a scrappy basket or basket-like flower blocks quilt with outline quilting for the white blocks and baskets and figure eight quilting in the green sashing and borders.

I usually enjoy both edge to edge and custom hand-guided quilting, and my customers always bring me beautiful projects through which I get to utilize my creative quilting mind and hands. I often say, “If I can draw it, then I can quilt it. Stay tuned to see what I get to draw with my needle next! And please let me know if you have any questions about quilting!

Have a beautiful week,

Ginger

I know the world is heavy right now. I like to turn to NPR for my news and an unbiased perspective. Kindness is everything.

Currently Reading: I finished both of my books from last week…The Lord of the Flies was still gut wrenching and heartbreaking. I’m so sad. That book is so timely, and I wish it wasn’t. The Death of the Heart ended the way I thought, so that was no better. I picked up You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe (I’m enjoying its heft…reading is like quilting, a tactile experience for me! Wolfe is good with descriptions, too.) and A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, which were both on my list to read. I’ve read several Louise Penny novels…not exactly cozy mystery, but Armand Gamache is a truly comforting character and Penny’s writing is so, so good. Her descriptions are beautiful and right. And the sprinkles of French make the book a sumptuous read. What are you reading?

What size will my T-Shirt Quilt Be?

I am often asked about sizing for T-Shirt quilts, though, size is only one factor in having a quilt you love. I want the website to be as useful as possible, so I decided to add Classic T-Shirt Quilt sizing to the descriptions of that product. The Classic T-Shirt quilts have specific sizing because they are a set grid pattern with sashing. Often I am asked about the sizing in terms of throw or bed size quilt, too, for a specific number of shirts, so I am providing both the inches and throw/bed size. Of course if you decide not to have sashing in the quilt, then the size will be smaller than with the sashing.

The picture shows a Custom T-Shirt Quilt, meaning all of the blocks are different sizes, and this quilt has navy blue batik sashing and inner border and a brown batik outer border. This quilt also has added t-shirt pieces appliques around the quilt, creating a fun collage like feel.

Custom T-Shirt quilts are harder to size, even knowing the number of pieces or shirts we are planning to use because the layout and design of the quilt is based on the specific graphics in the shirts. Block sizes vary across the quilt, so only when the layout is complete do I know the actual size of the quilt. I can work towards a certain finished size while I am working on the layout, though, and you can look at the Classic T-Shirt Quilt sizes to get an idea of where your quilt might fall on the size spectrum.

This picture shows a Custom T-Shirt Quilt with no sashing and a blue outer border. The left side of the quilt is folded over to show the gray back of the quilt with the Finished Fibers, LLC Label.

Size is not the only consideration when pulling together items for a t-shirt or memory quilt. My advice to clients is to begin with what is most important to include. Which shirts or clothing are most meaningful? What pieces must be in the quilt? Also think about how you want the quilt to be used. Do you want to have it on a bed? Do you want to snuggle under it to watch TV? Do you want to hang it on the wall?

I always say to clients that I want them to love their quilt, and I think using meaningful items and thinking about the use of the quilt can both add to the decisions about size. And don’t hesitate to ask questions! You may be new to the process of having a t-shirt quilt made, but I have literally made hundreds of quilts! I am happy to answer your questions and talk through what you want for your quilt.

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Reading This Week: I finished Alice Munro’s collection of short stories, Too Much Happiness. I love the last story of the same title, and my favorite story is probably “Some Women;” I love the narrator’s voice and the complexity of the relationships. The boys are sunburned and squabbling in Lord of the Flies…Simon is so smart. A naive heart is definitely growing up in The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen, just as I suspected. A cozy mystery next maybe?

Be kind and listen to NPR for unbiased, informative news, so that you can make well informed choices.

Memory Quilts can be Art.

Memory Quilts or T-Shirt Quilts do not have to be uninteresting or ugly. I remember being surprised by a relatively well known modern quilter talking about how quilts do not have to be like that weird t-shirt quilt you stuck in the back of your closet. Sometimes a customer will hire me to make a t-shirt or memory quilt because someone they love wants one, but they will be careful to say they think it is going to be ugly. I am always happy to dispel their preconceived notions of what a t-shirt or memory quilt is and how it looks.

Sometimes theme makes a t-shirt quilt really special!

Honestly I don’t make a quilt unless I know it will be beautiful, and I do still surprise myself with how lovely a simple t-shirt quilt can be! And I have interesting, adventurous clients who let me explore art with their clothing.

Differences in construction can also add interest to a t-shirt quilt.

Cone Flower Memory Quilt. The flowers are made from clothing.

Tree Memory Quilt.

I recently finished a pair of memory quilts (the cone flowers and tree above) that are decidedly art, and the art enhanced the memory and tactility of the clothing itself. My customers were so pleased, and at the delivery meeting their joy and wonder at the memories aroused by the quilts reminded me why art and the recognition it provides are so important. Virginia Woolf, when talking about the art of literature in “A Room of One’s Own,” discusses integrity…that writing is art when it makes a reader say, “Yes, that is right.” The work provides integrity to what it is describing, and I think t-shirt quilts and memory quilts do the same thing. They are tangible examples of integrity…the reality of a human life and their loves and preferences translated through clothing and stitch. Art.

The quilting is just lovely with the Cuddle back!

Sending Quilty Love,

Ginger

Currently Reading: I’m further along than last week in the same texts, and I only have one story left in Anne Monroe’s short story compilation, and it is called “Too Much Happiness.” Maybe it will be happy. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are excellent in a very Flannery O’Conner Way. I keep thinking of “A Good Man is Hard to Find”…Ohh, a little Faulkner, too, definitely “A Rose for Emily” vibes. I’m also still on the island with the boys in Lord of the Flies—of course this is a reread, but it doesn’t stop me from hoping it ends differently, and Elizabeth Bowen has me intrigued, but I still think the end is going to be bad in The Death of the Heart and not because of the title either. I hope you are reading something that brings you joy or tickles the best parts of your brain. I think I may need a cozy mystery next.

North Carolina Quilt

Memory Quilts and T-Shirt Quilts may be the heart of my business, but sometimes I have an adventurous client who finds a pattern and enlists me to make it for them. They are often very special, fabric, and quilt loving people, and they always bring me fun, challenging projects.

“My North Carolina Quilt” pattern by AWP Designs.

This North Carolina Quilt is one fabulous example of one of those projects! I think this quilt may utilize the majority of quilting skills, and I had a lot of fun cutting, piecing, and custom quilting it! The details are fantastic. The center of the quilt is the state with its three regions and appliqued dogwood flowers dance around the border of this block. The four corners of the quilt feature the Carolina Lily block. There are at least seven other pieced blocks included in the quilt, too. Inside some of the pieced blocks, I fussy cut centers with various NC animals and birds, like a cardinal, squirrels, chick a dees, and a rabbit.

Carolina Lily Blocks are in each of the four corners. You can just peep a squirrel in the block at the top of the image.

Other pieced blocks include pine trees and various stars.

Besides the dogwood flowers in the center block, six other blocks utilize applique to highlight the history and culture of NC. A lighthouse, the NC Flag, a cardinal, the Wright Brothers’ Plane, a race car, and a tobacco barn complete with a quilt block on it all represent the rich history and culture in North Carolina.

Tobacco Barn with a Quilt Block on it. If you order the pattern, then the block comes with it. Patterns can be found at mycotton quilt.com; my customer found hers in a quilt shop near the beach! The designer is AWP Designs (alice.potter@icloud.com_

The quilting was as much fun as the piecing on this quilt! I quilted the quilt with a combination of ruler work and free-motion quilting. I outlined applique and tried to highlight the beauty of each block. The quilt is stunning! Just look at it in its new home!

Such a beautiful quilt on a lovely antique bed!

I hope you have enjoyed this quilt, and the studio is buzzing with many more projects! I have plenty more to share.

I hope this blog gives you a few moments peace and diversion in a very scary world. Be kind to everyone and take lots of walks. NPR is an excellent resource for balanced, comprehensive news coverage.

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Current Reads: Lord of the Flies in anticipation of the new series…I know, not exactly warm and fuzzy, but it is beautifully written. I am a lover of good description. I am still reading Alice Munroe short stories, and the title is misleading. I am not finding happiness in the stories, but they are well written and wonderful studies of human nature—there are a few moments of light. I should probably try to pick up something lighter soon, though. The Death of the Heart is spot on with its title…I feel like the characters are trudging towards a sad end—though a few of them will barely notice. Again, well written, but not doing much to lighten my own mood. I may be in need of some of Dickens unyielding optimism for the human spirt…I hope you are reading, too! I’d love to hear what you are reading or planning to read!

Happy Spring

Hello and Happy Spring; I hope you have had a great start to your new year! The views from the studio are wonderful right now: azaleas, dogwoods, and camellias are in bloom, and the birds are in full color. We put our bird bath right outside the studio window, so I get to see all of the lovely bird activity as I work around in the studio.

The studio has been a busy place, and I have been so excited with the projects in the works and waiting there. I made a special table runner and a NC Quilt that is simply gorgeous. Of course t-shirt quilts were happening, along with very special custom memory quilts.

A table runner made from vintage aprons and kitchen towels was created in the studio

The back of the runner…isn’t that fabric so beautiful! It was lovely to work with in the midst of a cold winter.

The NC Quilt used all of my piecing skills, including applique and fussy cutting.

The NC Quilt was wonderfully fun to make! I’m going to make a few pillow shams to go with it!

Custom T-Shirt Quilt

Cone Flowers for this lovely memory quilt.

These are just a few of the pieces I was and am working on! The studio is still busy with custom quilting, memory quilts, t-shirt quilts, and quilt finishing.

I am hoping to share more in depth blog posts about special projects and get more posted to Instagram. I am very cognizant that the world is on fire, but I hope my little studio can bring some needed joy to both me and the world. Everyone is welcome here. Kindness is everything.

Take lots of walks and enjoy the lovely weather,

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Current reads: I finished The Sirens by Emilia Hart, and I highly recommend it. I am currently reading The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen and Alice Munroe’s collection of short stories, Too Much Happiness. And of course, I have piles of books waiting for me, too…the bookshelves are slowly coming together!

Moving into the New Year!

Happy middle of January! Last year saw a lot of changes around here at Finished Fibers, LLC. We moved into a new home and that means the studio moved, also. The studio moved first, so that everything could get settled and back to work, and honestly, I am still tweaking a few details. The new studio is larger than the last one; I actually have an office space, which is where I am composing this blog. I also have the sewing room, as I like to call it, which is attached to the office. And I have a hall of fabric that still needs shelves! Fabric is easily accessible until we can get to that project.

Even though the studio is still a work in progress, sewing and creating are happening daily! I actually think studios are constantly a work in progress based on changing needs, aquistions, and projects. I do have a very good sewing flow going, so I try not to disturb that, and Lenny has a wonderful new home right in front of the windows.

My workflow spreadsheet is still pretty full, and I have a lot of exciting projects to share. Follow along in the new year to see what gets made in this atelier.

Is there a quilt I can make for you?

Best, Ginger

P.S. I know the world is on fire, but I am working hard to keep the warmth in the studio and people’s lives with fiber art. Everyone is welcome here. Kindness is everything.

Happy 2026!

Hello! I hope you had a restful holiday season! I am currently working on a new blog post…watch this space. I am hoping to be better about posting news and information here.

Pixelation Quilt

It was all–the continental drift reversing direction, the folding of rocks like ribbon pasta in the earth’s warm ovens–as challenging to belief as the most fantastic dogmas of religion, but accepted by everybody sane in the modern world.  The weight of evidence accumulated all the time, like all those protective shells contributed by tiny creatures as keen to live, as self-important and ultimately insignificant as she.  Alexandra’s relation to Nature had always puzzled her; she leaned on Nature, she learned from it, she was it, and yet there was something in her, something else, that feared and hated it.

The Widows of Eastwick

John Updike

The quilt in its new home!

T-Shirt quilts and memory quilts are predominantly what I make in my custom quilt making business; however, I do have clients who want non-clothing related quilts made as well.  Most recently I have been working on a special project for one of my quilt-loving clients.  This particular client loves looking at quilts and enjoys having them in his home. He usually texts me and says, “Hey–what do you think of this quilt? Can you make something like this?”  So far, I have been able to say a resounding “Yes!” to his queries, and I am never disappointed!  He always brings me exciting, interesting ideas, and he loves to pick out fabrics, too.  

His latest idea, besides a few clothing related projects and one dog quilt (Yes, a quilt for his dog.) is a pixelation quilt.  I found the pattern Pixelated by Sedef Imer at www.lovepatchworkandquilting.com.  But he had particular fabrics in mind, so I really designed the placement of the colors myself and pieced the top the way I wanted to piece it!  I read through the pattern and the instructions are well done, and I think anyone could use their own scraps to create a similar quilt with that pattern.

I have to say, this quilt has taken me a long time! I’ve discussed my creative process here before, and this quilt needed some time to foment.

First, I ordered the fabrics from Cherrywood Fabric (https://cherrywoodfabrics.com/).  I ordered several of their 12 step bundles and several yards of the solid white fabric, which gave me a good variety of colors to use along with the “background,” and they arrived bundled and bursting to be cut and pieced!  I let the idea of the rainbow and the placement of the colors sit for a little while— the fabrics sat on my big studio table, so that I could see them everyday.  I washed the fabrics and I began to plot placement.  Dark to light?  Rainbow order (ROYGBIV)? Or follow the inspiration picture?  Light to Dark?  Even before cutting anything, I moved fabrics around and organized them in different ways.  Always the color pattern was slowly emerging in my mind.

Then I had to decide on scale—1” squares? 2” finished squares?  How would I piece them? Do I want to use an interfacing foundation to expedite piecing?  Plus I wanted to lay out the whole quilt before I began piecing it.  So while my brain worked on the construction side of the quilt, I began to work on the cutting.  I decided on 2” finished squares, so I cut all of the fabric I ordered.  I used 1600 squares in the quilt top, and I had some left over from the layout—I cut extra to make the layout easier.  Luckily, I could stack and whack.  I stacked a family of fabrics together up to eight layers and cut strips and then squares.  Those piles of colored squares were so satisfying!

I decided using an interfacing foundation for the piecing would also be beneficial for working on the layout.  I could lay out the squares of interfacing, which is already marked with 2.5” squares, and then lay out the squares.  Then the interfacing squares could be carefully stacked.  The layout would be easy to maintain through piecing that way. I also labeled the interfacing squares with numbers on the back, so that I could better keep them in order, too.  I used twenty-five interfacing squares, with sixty-four two inch finished squares in each.  Each row had five interfacing squares, so the quilt finished at 80”x80” with a total of 1600 two inch squares!

One row…

After I worked on the layout and the steam pressing, (I am lucky enough to have a steam press, which made this process so much easier!) I began piecing the quilt top.  The sewing of each interfacing square took less time then sewing individual squares together, but it still took me several weeks to piece while I was also working on other bits in the studio.  The result is well worth the labor, though; the finished top is stunning! 

I used Kona White 108” Wide for the back, and I spent some time trying to decide how to quilt it.  Did I want to change threads?  Would one color of thread suffice?  How dense did I want the quilting?  What quilting design would best compliment the pixels?  I finally settled on a lovely wavy lines quilt design, and I decided to match thread to the colors in the quilt top.  I used corresponding colors in the bobbin, so that the back has a rainbow pattern, too.

Needless to say, I am so pleased with this quilt, and my customer is beyond excited.  He sent me a picture of the quilt hanging over his upstairs railing, and it is even more beautiful in its home!

Do you have a quilt you have been dreaming about?  Let me know in the comments below!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Maybe Elongated Stars?

I am Reading: I have been reading The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov…I have finished the first three books, and I finished The Widows of Eastwick by John Irving.  I am reading Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner at the recommendation of my oldest son.  I am also reading several nonfiction pieces and the New Yorker Magazine.  What are you reading?

Patience, Concentration, and Precision

“…But this novel reminds us that narrative refuses to stay put, and that the effort of telling stories only pins things down so far. In the end it is language itself that is the problematic container, it holds too much and too little at the same time.” Translating Myself and Others, Jhumpa Lahiri discussing the novel Ties

A Custom Quilt!

Whew! I would say the studio has been hopping, but honestly it has been steady, methodical progress. Lately I have been reminded of how slow the stitching process can be, never mind the creative process. And I don’t mean to say my creativity is slow, but it does have a rhythm. I like my work best when it is unhurried, consistent, and interesting. I usually have no problem with the interest because my clients bring me the best projects, and I can truly say they are all unique. I may be making a classic t-shirt quilt, but the shirts and fabrics vary. The stories of my customers are unique for certain!

I feel stressed probably twice a year—graduation season and the holidays, but I am working to build calm into those seasons, too. Everything I do requires time, patience, concentration, and precision, and no amount of need or deadlines can rush that process. As a matter of fact, I find that when I am in a hurry or feeling harried that I make mistakes and create longer, more difficult work. Sewing should never be frustrating, tedious, or maddening, and my studio is rarely—and I mean rarely—any of those emotions. I tend to laugh at my mistakes, probably because I have the skills to fix them and because I know some mistakes are leading in to a better solution.

I have talked/written before about how I like to have a variety of orders on the go. In a particular day, I don’t want to spend the whole day on one task. I try to plan different tasks to pay attention to my body and allow time for thinking and digesting a project. For instance, I do thinking tasks, like layouts and planning, when I am fresh in the morning. I try not to sew all day or stand all day, so I plan a prep of shirts (cutting, interfacing, and steam pressing) and the piecing of a quilt top for the day. The prep I know I can finish in a few hours or less, and the piecing can spill into the next day if needed.

I try to pay attention to my creative desires, too. I usually have three or four things on my “to-do” list, and I let my desire for the day dictate the order. I do try to remain cognizant that, like everyone else, I can try to avoid a certain task, and I will usually do that one first! Then I get a reward—doing the thing that is burning in my mind or making my fingers tingle—yes—my work is often a physical desire—and I am happy to be able to sew and create at will. I am also lucky that I really like all of the aspects of my job, from pressing freshly washed fabric to binding finished quilts. I do find a quiet joy in all of those activities.

One more row to go on the pixellation quilt…now I just have to decide how to quilt it while I work on that row!

Lately the studio abounds with colorful squares for a pixellation quilt (I’ll do a blog post for that process!) and a double-sided t-shirt quilt with a certain vision desired by the client. Pillows and custom quilting and sweet custom quilts are in the works, too. Also, I have been meeting with clients with new projects and of course graduation quilt projects! The studio is a lively place, where the process may be slow, but the product is always worth it!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Pixellation? Memory Quilts? Is there anything you would like me to write about?

I am Reading: I am still enjoying The Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens, and I am reading the second novel in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series by Louise Penny. I am also reading several nonfiction books and books of poetry, as usual. Do you have reading recommendations?

Catharsis

In the doorway, the artful Dutchman didn’t move.  Harry knew better than to move. Hannah was wrong, Eddie knew.  There are moments when time does stop.  We must be alert enough to notice such moments. 

A Widow for One Year

      John Irving

A College Graduation quilt!

Graduation season is quickly approaching.  My queue usually fills for graduation by mid-March, and this year I already have four graduation quilts waiting to be made and a few others awaiting meetings with clients.  If you want a graduation quilt this season, then get on my list!

Graduation season is always so exciting and bittersweet, and last season a parent reminded me, as I was working on her daughter’s quilt, that the process is a cathartic one.  She said going through shirts with me, picking fabric, and discussing designs brought back so many memories and punctuated the end that graduations signal.  For her, she had already sent her daughter off to college–we made her quilt during her daughter’s freshman year of college.  My client said working with me to make the quilt really helped smooth and nurture her process of letting go. 

The front of her daughter’s double-sided quilt!

Graduations themselves are bittersweet for graduates and parents.  They mark the end of something, while nodding to the uncertain future.  Old ties are loosened and newness abounds, and graduation quilts reflect that friction.

As a mother I have two high school graduations completed, and I am enjoying my new freedoms and the boys’ bright futures.  My oldest wasn’t interested in  a t-shirt quilt, really–I made him one in middle school, and I just prepped my youngest’s t-shirts for his quilt.  He picked out his shirts, and he helped me pick fabrics.  I think my personal process is less cathartic because he left home for his Senior year of high school to attend UNCSA, but I was reminded, as I worked on his shirts and layout recently, of the dichotomy of emotions inherent in graduation season.

I made her daughter a bear, too, and it is pictured here on top of the quilt.

With both my boys in college, I see and feel the joy and expectations of the future, and I am so pleased to be able to work with parents feeling the pain and anticipation of graduation.  I read often for catharsis that I don’t even know I need until I find it in a text, and I hope my graduation orders help my clients find cleansing catharsis, too.  They will have a quilt that embodies so many memories and emotions, and a quilter cannot ask more from a quilt.

The back of her daughter’s quilt was filled with pictures I printed to fabric and hand appliqued “confetti” strips to add interest.

Memory quilts of any kind are a process, and I probably need another blog post to cover the ways it can be beneficial and possibly painful. If you have memories you want to keep, though, a quilt is a brilliant place to store them!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Time:  Patience, Concentration and Precision

I am Reading: I finished Mirror Lake, and now I want to find the other books in the series…I just ordered myself some new mysteries yesterday!  I will look at my local used book shops for the other Mirror Lake books.  I am fifteen chapters into The Old Curiosity Shop, and I love Dickens.  His ability to paint a scene and characters is superb.  The Old Curiosity shop is my daily lunch companion!  I have other books on the go, too…what are you reading?

Earl Grey and Creative Mind Marination

“Rummaging through the cupboard like a wartime surgeon frantically searching for the right bandage, Peter swept aside Yogi tea, and Harmony Blend, though he hesitated for a second over camomile.  But no. Stay Focused, he admonished himself.  He knew it was there, that opiate of the Anglos. And his hand clutched the box just as the kettle whistled.  Violent Death demands Earl Grey.”

Still Life

Louse Penny

Over my lovely winter break, I had the opportunity to read more, as evidenced by the quotation above, and I was enormously pleased to find that gem in a mystery I was reading.  Earl Grey is my nightly respite, and I think it is perfect for all of life’s ills, though we all hope to avoid violent death…one cannot drink Earl Grey if one is dead.

Finished Christmas Quilts ready for delivery!

My Winter break was more than lovely, it was a much needed rest.  I worked every day of the first sixteen days or so of December–I completed at least nine quilts, and I am so pleased with all of the creative sewing.  I’ll be sharing those quilts on Instagram soon, and I will try to update the gallery here on the website, too.

I finished my Christmas Queue on December 16, and I had all of the quilts delivered by December 19, just in time for gift giving.  I always feel like Santa during December deliveries, and this year was no exception.  Special quilts were taken home as special gifts, and I was honored to be a part of so many family celebrations!

After deliveries, I cleaned up the studio, but before I closed the studio for break, I decided not to move new orders into my work baskets.  You see I have pending orders in stacked containers that move into the baskets when I start to work on them physically.  

Baskets ready for orders!

I had at least six orders to start in January, and I moved those into the baskets when I returned to the studio on January 2.  I enjoyed leaving the baskets empty in this way because it felt like a pause for rest.  I was also excited to move the orders upon my return to the studio, so that  I could let those orders start to work in earnest in my brain.  I think not filling the baskets gave my brain a rest, too; it didn’t pick up the orders and try to tease and niggle ideas in the back of my mind.  Of course, those orders were already filed neatly in my brain because my creative process begins with my first contacts with clients.  I make notes, sometimes before I meet the customer in person, or before I receive an order in the mail. Certainly once the materials for an order are in my possession, my creative brain is weighing options and making plans, even when I am not physically working on the order.  I know my mind does this work since ideas for orders will pop into my head at interesting times—in the middle of the night, on my daily walk, when I am stitching something else.  I’ve decided my creative process definitely includes pondering time.  Orders have to marinate in my creative juices.  Those “aha” moments are a lot of fun; they allow me to celebrate my own creative self!  Ha! By the way, everyone should celebrate and congratulate themselves, even for small ideas and victories!

New Year and orders ready for sewing. Under that batting is a quilt already pieced and ready to be quilted!

I’m back in the studio now, and my creative brain is fully cogitating.  I have meetings with eight or nine clients for new orders in addition to the ones in the studio.  I am excited about the possibilities.  My clients bring me the best projects!  Thank you!

Sending Quilting Love,

Ginger

Coming Next Time:  Hmmm…I have not decided yet, so you will have to come back to see! If you have an idea, then let me know in the comments below!

I am Reading:  I just finished A Widow For One Year by John Irving…so good!  I picked up a mystery Sam gave me for Christmas called Mirror Lake by Juneau Black.  Sidney gave me a new illustrated copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, so I have been giggling over that.  I am also reading Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner…a birthday present from Sidney.  Lee gave me books, too, and I am excited to read those!   My boys know me pretty well, don’t they!  I think I will start The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, too, while I am reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen…oh, I have so many things to read it makes me feel so warm and snuggly!  A cup of Earl Grey and a book…lovely!

A Quilt Exhibit, Quilt Along, and Book Club...Yes, I am Excited!

“Whether made for public display or for intimate private use, quilts provide a window into their era and visually narrate often-invisible American experiences.  Within a quilt’s fibers, materials, patterns, and decoration are embedded larger stories of industrial production, politics, social change and communities along with the personal stories of families.  Some live on the surface of American life and some are embedded deep within community history and tradition.”

Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories

Director’s Forward

Pamela Parmal, Jennifer Swope, and

 Lauren Whitley

Happy Friday!

This week has been a busy one in the studio...working on two vintage quilts (repairs, new binding, etc.) and two custom quilts have been in the works!  I also had the pleasure of perusing my copy of Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories that I ordered.  The book is a companion to the exhibit now open at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  For more information about the exhibit you may visit here: https://www.mfa.org/

This exhibit is so exciting and the publication is a feat in itself.  I listened to Jennifer Swope discuss the exhibit and the book on the Quiltbuzz podcast, which you can find here: https://quiltbuzzpodcast.com/podcast/episode-040-jennifer-swope-of-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston  She discusses how the book is an extension of the exhibit because the exhibition space only had a limited space, but the book allows for more exploration of the themes of the exhibit through many more examples of quilts.  The book is beautiful!  I will share more as I read through it.  I am participating in the SuzyQuilts book club, and we will begin discussing the book this week, I think!  I should check what I need to have read!

The companion book to the exhibit of the same name at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I am also participating in the MFAQAL (Museum of Fine Arts Quilt Along) put on by Amanda @broadclothstudio.  She enlisted the help of some wonderful pattern designers to help her put together the blocks in the quilt.  Each designer chose a classic quilt block found in the exhibit and “reimagined” it and gave it their own “modern spin” (quotations per the MFAQAL pattern!).

This week we are working on the Water Lily block and the Courthouse Steps block...I have been cutting the fabric for my blocks.  I will piece them this weekend.

The MFA Boston is working on putting together a virtual exhibit, so if you cannot get to Boston, then you may be able to see the exhibit anyway!

So much of my work is honoring memories and people’s lives, and I love the quotation at the beginning of the blog.  I am honored to be a part of this vibrant, important community!

Sending Quilting Love, 

Ginger

Coming Next Time: Thread...

I am Reading:  I am still reading Wicked by Gregory McGuire, but I finished Tightrope by Simon Mawer this week. I am working my way through Let Your Creativity Work for You by Heather Allen. Also I picked up the third Witcher book, Blood of Elves.   I am still reading bits of poetry, and I have stacks of things to read, which always makes me happy! Of course I am reading for my quilty book club...I will share as I go along!