Meet Elizabeth and her quilting! – #fanfun
I’m a quilter. However, it is a relatively recent obsession. In fact, I have spent many years winning awards for my antique needlework reproductions. But, I digress….
My grandmother was a quilter, my mother was a quilter (quite accomplished) and my older daughter is a quilter (she’s very good, even better than my mother). However, I swore up and down that I would not quilt. It’s quite an investment by the time you buy the machine, fabric, thread and all the rulers you need and besides, I had enough cross stitch projects to last me a lifetime!
Then I went to a needlework retreat. It was actually called a Quilting Retreat and was sponsored by a local quilt shop. Of course, I diligently worked on my cross stitch, completing a project or two. I went to several retreats, where I saw 35 women transform fabrics into beautiful designs. I was hooked and thought it was miraculous that they could complete such huge projects in a weekend while I got an inch stitched on my project! So, despite my misgivings, I then shopped for an inexpensive sewing machine and some fabric.
I tended to be interested in Civil War patterns and fabric like my mother and daughter. My first quilt was called a Jelly Roll Race quilt which my daughter helped me with considerably! It was a lap quilt and I liked it. I then moved on to a lap quilt with Civil War fabrics for my husband. He had tried to discourage my new hobby and I thought it would help him appreciate it more if he had his own quilt. He likes it, but not enough to roll up in it! Oh, well….
I then met some new cross stitch friends and we (including my quilting daughter) went to the retreat and somehow, cross stitchers became quilters and were hooked enough to take it up as a hobby together! I now quilt with them twice a month and stitch with them once a month. We take classes together and we hope to plan a short road trip this spring! Oh, and I’m working on a Christmas gift for a family member. It’s almost done! And I’ve started a Farmer’s Wives patchwork quilt and am loving it. Now that I’m retired, I have lots of time to spend quilting, stitching and reading (especially Bette’s books). What a great life!
As for my husband? He growls and moans every time I shop for fabric or head down to my Quilting Room, but he will be loving his lap quilt this winter!
