Sunday, August 17, 2008

Little Quilts

Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces,
joy and sorrow, stitched with love. ~ Unknown

Jeanne is my oldest and dearest friend. We met when we were 15 years old, and have been BFF's ever since. So when I took up quilting, the first project I actually finished was a gift for her. I wanted to do a little mini-quilt for a couple of reasons: I wanted to actually finish a project (I have lots of UFOs - unfinished objects!) But I also needed to mail it to her in Japan, so little was good.

Like me, Jeanne was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. But for the past 18 months, she's been living in the area of Fukui, where she teaches English as a second language. I knew there wasn't a lot of room in the small apartment she shares with her husband and teenaged son. So a mini-quilt fit the bill perfectly. She recently emailed me the photo above, to show me where it hangs. She tells me it greets her every morning. I'm glad!

Here's the back of her quilt, with the label I created (click on any of the quilt photos below for a closer view of the fabrics):

After I made that little quilt, I turned right around and made a second one for my sister. When I made the first mini, I followed the pattern exactly, using different fabrics for each area. When I did my sister's mini-quilt, I wanted a more unified look. The little heart in the middle is an addition I made, and it was my first attempt at appliqué. The whole quilt is 24 inches square:

Finally... several people have asked about the "grand prize" table runner I gave away for Scale Junkie's Summer Blog Party Contest. Here's a photo of the finished piece. No one can say it isn't bright!

Rebecca over at Ready Maid won the runner. But I'm wondering if any of you have heard from her recently? She hasn't posted anything in quite some time, and I haven't heard if my package arrived. I’m not so concerned about the latter, but I'm praying that everything is ok with her.

So, there you have it: a couple of quilt pieces I've created over the past year. I can certainly see that my quilting has come a long way from those beginning attempts, yet somehow they still hold a special place in my heart. I hope that one day, I can look back at the pieces I'm creating today and say that I've come even farther.

Hey, my weight-loss expression applies to quilting, too -- and actually, to every part of our lives, if you think about it:

Progress, not perfection!


Until next time...

17 comments:

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

Beautiful quilts, or is that quilt-lettes? I'm going to print the pictures and show them to my grandmother. Maybe she'd like to work on something like that instead of those massive quilts she makes. (I'm blessed to have a dozen of them, and I think it's my year to receive another one--yikes! *g*)

I haven't heard from Rebecca either. I'm hoping that she's simply busy with traveling and writing for her job.

Susie said...

Hi Patti,
I'm sure that Jeanne treasures that quilt as a reminder of your long friendship..
You do such beautiful work.
Hope you find out about Rebecca!
xo

Kathy said...

My grandmother Aldridge did quilts from fabric scraps that were left after sewing her dresses and aprons. She did what I think were called "Daisy" quilts with small hexagons forming concentric circles. She did hers on a treadle machine and they were wonderfully soft and cozy! How sweet of you to do those mini-quilts for your friends!

jillytacy said...

Progress not perfection fits lots of areas in life! It's about doing a little better everyday and moving forward! I love this saying!
The quilts look great! I'm sure your friend and sister were thrilled to receive their mini quilts!

grammy said...

I really like the idea of mini quilts and yours are so pretty. I bet Fall will make you want to get started on a new one.

Nonnas News said...

What beautiful quilts! Jeanne is so lucky to have a friend like you!!

RunningNan said...

Those are beautiful!

Irish Mom said...

Those are gorgeous!! You are so very talented!! The runner is cute, I always look for unique items like that when I go to craft shows!!

new*me said...

so pretty! My mom is so country...she loves quilts :) I like to snuggle under one ;)

Big Girl said...

What lovely gifts. So much of you time and self is put into each one of them. How utterly priceless they are.

I'm curious how you made that label? I just started sewing a little and have made a couple blankets for some friend's children and would have loved to added something like that.

Lora said...

Wow! You sure have made a lot of quilts! And they're all so pretty!

I love your term "UFO's" I have a lot of those too! Never knew what to call them. Now I do!

Deborah said...

Beautiful Mini Quilts!! You do great work. And I'm sure all who get one will treasure it forever.

Needled Mom said...

Your minis are beautiful, Pattie. They are certainly treasured pieces. And I love the table runner. The photos really do not do it justice. I wish there was a way for everyone to see how beautifully it turned out.

Gee, I hope Rebecca is okay. One always worries when there is a pause like that. The gal who received my quilt swap hasn't posted either in over a month. I, too, hope that she is just busy with her family.

Have a good week, dear friend. Hugs.

Manuela said...

It looks really nice.

I've been wondering about her too but know that she leads a very busy life.

Hopefully you'll hear if it arrived to her soon :)

JC said...

O.K. a girl is away for blogging for a day and gets so far behind.

I love your quilts. I know your friend is so happy to have it.

I admire that you are tutoring.
Grace and blessings to you.

carla said...

those are so beautiful----if I could pick a skill to have Id love to be able to CREATE something like that.

to make something and be able to drape it around some one I love...

Miz.

jovaliquilts said...

Your friend must feel so honored to have received your first quilt! Lovely label, too.