Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bits and Pieces

I love to quilt. I love that I can take a seemingly innocuous piece of material and change it into something unique. I love that I can put together the same pattern but it's never the same quilt as the last. I also love that quilts keep you warm and cozy on cold winter days. I love how quilts show just how much love was put into them. They are a wonderfully useful gift and, in my opinion, you can never have enough of them!

I made my brother Tommy a quilt with the "Sunbonnet Sam' pattern. It's so cute with a little straw-hatted boy in overalls and a flannel shirt with his 'fishin' pole over his shoulder. I added a "not-so-secret" pocket in one corner just to make it different. Greg and Aaron both have homemade quilts courtesy of me. The fun thing about those quilts (just a basic block pattern) is that I used pieces from my oldest, favorite pair of jeans (that no longer fit) for some of the blocks. I also found that bandanas make really fun corner pieces for the borders.

I guess that's my favorite part of quilting. I can take a treasured cloth item that's meant for the ragbag and reuse it. It adds character to the quilt and then there's a history to go along with it. I have this dream that my kids will all have a "Mom Made" quilt with a story behind each patch. I have a good start on one quilt already. (I've also been toying with the idea of 're-doing' my wedding dress. I heard of a lady who made her's into baptismal gowns for her kids and I think I have fallen in love with the idea.)

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